"Always look on the bright side of life," or so goes the cheery bromide. Much that passes for Christianity is just a sappy spiritualization of this bromide. The box church preachers are simply distilling common sense, waving a floppy Bible over it and calling it the Christian teaching. "Don't worry, be happy," as a life philosophy is both inadequate and theologically misleading. In this sense, Victoria Osteen is decisively wrong about our own happiness, as she is about a great many things. In fact, the great saints were not always happy or bright. The Psalmist talked about weeping all night until his bones wasted away (Ps 32:3; Ps 6:6-8). The Bible is full of complaints, tears, lamentations, trials, sorrows, and downright anger with God. What shall we say of these sacred writers, those who had been called by the Lord to speak His Word? Shall we berate them for their lack of steadfastness, courage, and fortitude? Should we tell them to buck up and quit complaining; to "man-up," so to speak?

No, we should understand the Lord Jesus has come into our broken and contorted lives to save those who are troubled in their hearts and full of complaints. He does not reject us because we complain anymore than we would reject our own children when they complain. He does not decline to save us when we blame Him for our own failings. He comes with mercy and strength into the lives of those who are troubled in their hearts. Even the apostle Paul suffered times of despondence and sorrow. He was frustrated with the congregations that he founded in the faith. He struggle with the external conditions of his ministry so that he began to experience times of spiritual depression. So we should not beat ourselves up for struggling. Such people are exactly those whom the Lord Jesus seeks to bring His mercy and forgiveness. He promises to be with them and turn their suffering to their good and His glory.

Nor are spiritual trials merely the problem of sexual lust. All too often the fleshly burdens are reduced to issues of sexual purity. But much deeper and more troubling spiritual struggles may have nothing to do with sexual issues, as troubling as those may be by themselves. Furthermore, sexual fixations may be a matter of some other greater spiritual trial or struggle; which issues in libidinous excesses. What the Bible says about the sins of the flesh is about the power of flesh perverted by the fall to lead us into all manner of sin and unbelief. "Flesh" is the divine judgment against us through and through. This does not apply to just one part of us, or one perverse desire. In fact, lust leads to all manner of sin: of thought, word, and finally deed. Augustine lamented that when he considered himself free of sexual lust, he was overcome by pride. Pride is just a lust of a different order; the lust to be considered superior to others.