Introduction
There is a price to pay for following Jesus. Jesus Himself was open and honest about this price to his disciples and others who were not yet His disciples. This is what he said publicly to His disciples and the others:
- If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me (Luke 9:23; Mark 8:34).
- … whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:27).
- And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:38).
Jesus would want anyone who wishes to become His disciple to consider these words before making the decision. And he would want those who are His disciples to count the cost, whether it is worth it. Both those who desire to follow Jesus and those already following him are to deny themselves or bear their cross and follow Him—where denying oneself and bearing the cross amounts to self-denial. Self-denial is the willingness to part with our own egotism, earthly comforts, and pleasures for the sake of following Christ. The opposite of self-denial is self-indulgence.
Meaning and examples of self-indulgence
Self-indulgence is the act of satisfying one’s desires, pleasures, lusts, and whims, especially without restraint. It is the practice of having or doing anything that you like or enjoy, often something that you should not have or do.
Self-indulgence comes in all kinds. Generally, any bad deed that you enjoy practicing is your indulgence. It ranges from unhealthy, excessive eating habits to anything that gives you pleasure but is sinful in God’s sight. Examples include extravagance, vindictiveness, fornication, alcoholism, adultery, lasciviousness, violence, being litigious, and lustful looks (Galatians 5:19; 1 Corinthians 6:9).
Self-indulgence was the way we led our lives before converting to Christianity; then, our lives were characterized by gratifying sinful desires, partaking in sinful activities, and doing whatever seemed right in our own sight. While still living in self-indulgence, we heard the gospel, believed it, and converted to Christianity. Now, following Jesus, God expects us to replace self-indulgence with bearing fruit, which means obeying the word of God to produce good works like love, patience, modesty, self-control, etc. All deeds of godliness are part of bearing fruit, including self-denial.
However, today, self-indulgence is a serious issue in Christianity. Many Christians live in self-indulgence, for they cannot let go of their worldly passions, lusts, and desires for alcoholism, fornication, worldly music, masturbation, hard drugs, pornography, hooliganism, lustful thinking, etc.
People who live in self-indulgence cannot live clean, for they habitually practice gross acts of sin. The Bible explains this: “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh…” (Galatians 5:17 ESV). “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh…” (Romans 7:18 ESV). Since our desires are contrary to those of the Holy Spirit, they lead us into unrighteousness. Living in self-indulgence leads to habitual sin, displeasing God.
Self-indulgence in the Bible?
Self-indulgence has been part and parcel of man from times past. In the Bible, self-indulgence is referred to as:
- Fulfilling the lusts of the flesh (Romans 13:14, Galatians 5:16)
- Living in the flesh (1 Peter 4:2)
- Satisfying the flesh (Colossians 2:23)
- Being in the flesh (Romans 8:8)
- Walking after the flesh (2 Peter 2:10)
- Living after the flesh (Romans 8:13)
How do I know I live in self-indulgence?
If you are living in self-indulgence, you should know it. If your life is focused on satisfying your desires with little or no regard for God’s word, and you do what seems right in your own eyes, you are in self-indulgence. Sins like lustful looks, fornication, pornography, extravagance, greed, vindictiveness, and unforgiveness are common in such lives. Some professing Christians even drink alcohol before church, and the smell gives them away.
Consequences of self-indulgence
First, the Bible states that those who live according to the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8). Living in self-indulgence is a such of continually displeasing God which will, ultimately, ruin your relationship with God. Secondly, self-indulgence leads to apostasy – the situation where people abandon Christianity. Some converts, unwilling to abandon their indulgences, sooner or later, abandon Christianity.
Thirdly, some Christians continue in self-indulgence while claiming to follow Christ; hence, they play a double game. Jesus warned such Christians: “ If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (Revelation 2:5). And again He warns, “… because you are lukewarm… I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:16). Revelation 2:5 and Revelation 3:16 are evidence that Jesus will disown such believers and will not reckon them as His followers if they do not repent.
Fourth, self-indulgence is sin, and sin ruins our relationship with God. Just as sin drove Adam and Eve from God’s presence, our indulgence can destroy our fellowship with Him. “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13 ESV). This death is spiritual—separation from God.
Fifth, the effects of some of our indulgences – alcoholism, sexual immorality, gambling, etc. – go to the extent of destroying our good health, marriage, financial independence, job security, or our relationship with our families and others in the community.
How to overcome self-indulgence
Self-indulgence is a habit, so overcoming it often is not easy. It requires God’s provisions and man’s commitment for it to be possible. Overcoming self-indulgence always works when the believer has determined to follow Christ. Many are those who gave up their sinful former way of life so that they could walk with Christ. Their stories testify that we can overcome all our indulgences and live a holy life.
God’s provision
God has given Christians His Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit has also given Christians self-control, and self-control is the ability to control one’s emotions and desires, especially in difficult situations or during temptation. It is written, “for the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7 GNT).”
In addition to His Holy Spirit, God has given us His word so that we would know His ways or his standard of holiness. The Bible says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path (Psalm 119:105).” The word of God makes it plain to us what God desires of us so that we can do it to His pleasure.
Man’s responsibility
First, repent from all your indulgences. Once, Jesus told the Christians in Ephesus who were going wayward, saying, “….. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent … (Re 2:5).” Jesus is saying the same to any Christian who is practicing self-indulgence. Jesus says, “Repent!”
Second, after having repented from your self-indulgence, pray to God, admit your faults, and humbly ask for forgiveness of sins; for the Bible says that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Third, you have to make a decision. God has given you the Holy Spirit and the Bible to help you in this spiritual journey. All that is left is for you to make the decision backed by a strong will that you will not indulge in your sinful desires and pleasures again. Rather, you should be bearing fruit to please God.
Fourth, in a bid to desist from self-indulgence, pray daily—a necessary step for empowerment to overcome self-indulgence. When Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray, He taught them to say, “… and lead us not into temptation…” Mind you, temptation is the thing that entices us to do something bad to gratify our sinful desires. Jesus, therefore, taught His disciples to pray for Divine help against temptation.
Fifth, you need to study the Bible. Where there is no light, you can hardly differentiate between two colors. In the ignorance of the word of God, a Christian is indifferent about sin; that which is sinful in the eyes of God does not appear to be much of a sin in his eyes simply because he does not know the word of God. Make it a point to study the Bible daily, for the knowledge of the word of God is your only means to differentiate right from wrong; and having been able to identify what is right, you can practice it so as to desist from your own indulgences.
Lastly, in a bid to desist from self-indulgence, if you fall, do not give up. Be resilient! Recover fast! Rise up! And continue to resist the temptation that leads to self-indulgence, for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again (Proverbs 24:16).