Our culture has long promoted the “instant gratification” mindset. We do not want to wait, we want to have our desires realized now. We have credit cards to buy things for which we have yet to earn the money to pay for them. No down payment home loans allow us to move into our own house before we save enough money for a down payment. We can cook our food with microwaves, pay for our gas at the pump, and instantly download music, books, and movies from the internet.

It is not always wrong to receive what we want instantly, but we must guard ourselves against becoming accustomed to that mindset. Expecting the things we want immediately, rather than having to patiently wait for some things, can lead to sin.

Satan tries to use this mentality against us. He tells us not to wait for God’s plan, but to indulge ourselves now. Why wait for marriage when we can engage in sexual relations now? Why wait for riches in heaven when we can pursue riches here using any means necessary? He wants us to give up God’s reward that will come later in the hopes of obtaining an inferior reward now. Sadly, this tactic works against many people.

You can read more about sin’s promise of an immediate reward and the patience necessary to receive God’s greater reward in The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!