SELF-CENTEREDNESS AND SELF-PITY ARE SLIPPERY SLOPES TO DESPAIR

I've heard it said that Satanism, with its "do as though wilt shall be the whole of the law" mentality, could more accurately be called me-ism, as it emphasizes doing whatever feels good and basically worshipping at the altar of self. The bible says that sin brings about death: [Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.]. Not surprisingly, Satanism tells us that sinning and indulging in behaviors prohibited by God, not only won't destroy you, but will instead lead to physical, mental, and emotional gratification. This is basically nothing but a modern interpretation of Satan in the Garden of Eden, when he deceived Eve into believing the same.

If what Satan says is true: that indulging and embracing greed, vice, lust, and conduct prohibitted by God lead to personal fulfillment and happiness, then Hollywood, VA, Las Vegas, NV, and similar places which emphasize such behaviors should be a breeding ground for fulfilled and enlightened people, though this is obviously not the case.

God tells us to that preoccupation with self and external forms of pleasure will bring destruction:

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.

Php 3:18  (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.). 

Thing is, self-centeredness can be dramatic and obvious: abandoning one's family for lustful thrills, or gambling away a paycheck, meant to put food in the mouths of your children. Or it can be very subtle. One of the places it's very present, is in the emotion of self-pity. Every single one of us goes through struggles in life, and will inevitably think 'why me?', from time to time. Being the flawed and fallible beings we are, this is normal and to be expected. 

The danger comes when we exist solely to experience pleasure, and consider any departure from that emotion to somehow be an abnormality. Going back to Las Vegas for a second, casinos are places which attempt to create the perfect intoxicating (and ultimately addicting,) atmosphere: the temperature, lighting and general ambience are designed to keep the gambler comfortably focused on the task at hand: obsessed with the lure of winning the big jackpot. Not unlike a drug addict, when an addicted gambler is in this bubble of intoxication, nothing else matters. Loved ones, personal responsibilities, and all the "burdens" of the world are left behind, as greed, lust and self-indulgence take center-stage.

Self-centeredness is also a key ingredient in the recipe of another very dangerous and crippling emotion: self-pity. Anyone who lives in this world for any period of time has experienced hardship. Sometimes the hardship is a natural consequence to our own reckless behavior, and other times it's just what is commonly referred to as "bad luck". In either case, it can be easy to fall into the 'woe is me' trap, where we develop a belief that our particular troubles are somehow worse and occur more frequently than everyone else's. This is nothing more than the negative side of Satan's coin of self-centeredness. So, during positive or negative times, when we become obsessivley preoccupied with self, bad things are sure to follow. 

Without exception, we all indulge in self-pity, but normally we will sulk for a while and then get past it and carry on. But feeling sorry for ourselves can be absolutely intoxicating, and it has some MAJOR hidden pseudo-advantages. Taken to an extreme, it eliminates personal accountability and the need to change destructive behavior, as every natural consequence to that behavior is dismissed as either perpetual bad luck, or just one of an endless series of cosmic conspiracies. This is perversely comforting, because if we can convince ourselves that we aren't ever to blame, we simultaneously eliminate any need to face up to the uncomfortable prospect of eliminating the destructive behaviors or addictions which are bringing about the distress. It can quickly get to the point where we become experts at externalizing blame, and eventually take no personal accountability for anything.

With all of this said, even if we've walked miles down this path of self-centered indulgence, there is always an exit ramp and a detour, right before us. The first thing we have to do is simply be willing humbly admit our wickedness before God, and acknowledge that what the bible tells us about ourselves is true: we are wicked and hopelessly addicted to sin:

Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 

Rom 3:4  God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. 

Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: Rom 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 

Once the blinders of pride and self-deception fall from our eyes and we see ourselves for what we really are, there is biblical justification for immediate hope, for God's strength is best exemplified in our weakness:

Psa 34:17  The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. Psa 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Psa 34:19  Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. 

Rom 5:3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; Rom 5:4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope: Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 

Psa 55:22  Cast thy buurden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2Co 12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 

In the end, it all circles around to where we started: elevation of self vs elevation of God. Once we abndom the former and partake in the latter, we are on our way to exiting the darkness. Not thanks to anything we've done, but instead because of the grace of God and blood of Jesus Christ:  

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.