Get Rid of Guilt
Many people allow themselves to do things which they know are wrong — and then wonder why they are unhappy. The Bible tells us, "Happy [Greek, makarios] is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth" (Rom. 14:22). If you are doing something which you know is wrong, you shouldn't even expect to be happy.
But today a lot of people don't even know the difference between right and wrong! They are confused about sin. They have been told that there are no moral absolutes — that whether or not a particular deed is sin depends on the person, the occasion, the motive, etc.!
Consequently, millions walk around with guilt complexes that absolutely rob them of any happiness. Their consciences have been so perverted and miseducated that it often bothers them when it shouldn't, and doesn't bother them when it should.
In the Bible God tells us plainly that "Sin is the transgression of the law" — the breaking of the Ten Commandments (I John 3:4). And the reason sin is so bad is that it brings suffering and misery in this present life and eventually, if not repented of, it brings eternal death (Rom. 6:23).
Since "all have sinned" (Rom. 3:23), each individual needs to repent of his sins, and to cry out to God for forgiveness.
Only when a person has his guilty past blotted out and determines to quit practicing sin can he get rid of the misery of guilt and be truly happy. The Bible says, "Happy is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is pardoned. Happy is the man unto whom the Lord counteth not iniquity" (Ps. 32:1-2, Jewish translation).
The free article, "What is Real Repentance?" is available to give you further help and instruction on this major key to happiness.
Understanding God's Plan
You can't possibly be happy if you are uncertain about the future, and are vainly groping in the dark trying to figure out a reason for your existence — wondering where you came from, why you are on this earth and where you are going.
But you need not be in ignorance about these basic questions of life. The answers to these vital questions arc available to you through this Work of God. The WORLD TOMORROW broadcast, The PLAIN TRUTH magazine, the Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course and our other literature answer the most important questions of your life continually.
Christ said to His disciples, "Happy [Greek, makarios] are the eyes which see the things that ye see: for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see. and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them" (Luke 10:23-24).
Today you have the privilege of understanding everything Christ's disciples understood — and more!
Never has God's plan been revealed more plainly than in this end-time age. Many prophecies which have been "sealed till the time of the end" (Dan. 12:4, 9) have now been clearly revealed. So have many other wonderful truths about why you were born, what your purpose in life is, what the future holds for you and what is going to happen in the next five, eight and ten years.
How priceless this knowledge is — and how necessary for your happiness and peace of mind!
Obviously, a detailed explanation of God's plan is not possible in this one article. But if you keep reading The PLAIN TRUTH and listening to The WORLD TOMORROW broadcast — always writing in for the free literature as it is offered — you will begin to understand where you fit in God's great plan. And as you learn, you will begin to experience the happiness which the understanding of this awesome plan brings.
Build Character
"Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint; but he that keepeth the law [he who restrains him, self when tempted to do wrong], happy is he" (Prov. 29:18, Jewish translation).
Exercising restraint or denying yourself a fleeting pleasure of the moment in order to gain a goal of greater and more permanent value is another vital key to happiness.
Such purposeful restraint builds character.
Character is first knowing what is right, and then determining to DO what you know is right every single time. It is refusing to yield to the pressure, to give up or to take the easy way out when you are faced with a problem or are tempted to do something which you know is wrong — no, not even once.
God says, "Happy are they that keep justice, that do righteousness at all times" (Ps. 106:3, Jewish translation) — even when you don't feel like it or when there are adverse conditions.
You can experience real joy even in suffering and trials if you understand the purpose of life and use that suffering or trial as a tool to build God-like character. The suffering will last but briefly, but the character built by it will last throughout eternity. This is why Peter could write: "But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye" (I Pet. 3:14; 4:14).
Sometimes God tests and strengthens our character through correction. But this, too, can result in greater happiness. The man Job — and he ought to know — was inspired to say, "Happy is the man whom God correcteth" (Job 5:17). Not because this correction is pleasant, for "no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward [in the long run] it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (Heb. 12:11).
There is a real sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in meeting the challenge of your human nature and overcoming its downward pull through the power of God's Spirit. There is real joy in choosing the permanent, eternal values instead of just the fleeting, temporary pleasures. There is real happiness in building Godly character.
Fear God
People today are filled with fear. They fear they will lose their job. They fear the ideas and opinions of other people. They fear sickness, death and the future. It seems that they fear everything except what they ought to fear most of all — God!
Yet this lack of fear toward God is another big reason why people are unhappy. God indicts our society: "Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes" (Rom. 3:16-18).
But how can fearing God possibly contribute to happiness? Aren't fear and happiness opposites? What does it mean to "fear God"?
To fear God means to recognize the tremendous strength and power which God possesses. It means to realize that God's Word is sure — that God means what He says — and to fear to disobey. When God promises a blessing for obedience, He will always give it.
And when God says He will punish us for our own good, He will do it. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31).
Those who have not proved God's existence, or those to whom God does not seem very real, see little to fear. They break God's laws with impunity, thinking that it doesn't make any difference, that there is no penalty.
The fear of God's sure and awesome punishment keeps one from sinning. It is not terror, but a good fear — a healthy fear — a fear born out of deep love, awe and respect. Such fear leads to obedience and blessings.
"Happy is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth . . . Wealth and riches shall be in his house" (Ps. 112:1-3, Jewish translation).
And in Psalm 128:1-4: "Happy is everyone that feareth the Lord, that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord."
Are you going to reap the happiness and blessings that come from the fear of God this year?
Trust God
Everyone has problems and trials that are outside of their ability to control. When faced with such difficulties, many people get frustrated. Frustration is just thwarted self-will. They can't solve the problem the way they would like to see it solved so they become upset and unhappy.
The happy way to take care of such a problem is to place it in God's hands and quietly trust Him to work it out. "Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he" (Prov. 16:20). See also Psalms 2:12; 34:8; 40:4 and 84:12.
Perhaps you have a family problem, a health problem or a financial problem. It makes no difference to God. All things are within His control. If you trust Him implicitly to work out a particular problem, He will — and in the way that is best for you.
At times God will solve the problem so quickly, so unexpectedly, so dramatically — or so miraculously — that you will be dumbfounded.
But at other times, the best way to solve the problem for you may not be the way you want. God may not solve it when and as you desire. He may allow the problem to continue for a time in order to test and strengthen your character.
If you trust God completely — acknowledging His infinite wisdom in working out the problem as He sees fit — you will be happy. But if you begin to fret and stew or to take matters into your own hands — desiring that the problem be worked out according to your will — you are only asking for misery and unhappiness.
God knows your problem. He can change events and circumstances any time He desires. Just quietly trust Him and make the best of the situation until He sees fit to change it. He promises that you will be happy if you do.
These Principles and YOU
You now have in your possession seven invaluable keys to real happiness and peace of mind. Look at them again.
A person who is practicing all seven of these principles would be continually giving, his life in service to God and man; he would be obeying God's Commandments; he would have repented of his guilty past and quit sinning; he would be growing in his understanding of God's plan; he would be striving to build God-like character; he would have a healthy fear of God; and he would be trusting God, in living faith, to work out his problems.
Such a person would be a Christian!
You may not have thought of it that way before, but happiness is being a real Christian!
Now what about it? If you aren't living by the principles expounded in this article, why don't you decide to begin doing so right now? You will begin to experience a joy and happiness which you never before thought possible.
"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them" (John 13:17) — not only during 1967 but throughout all eternity.