One of the things I've often heard people say, especially when they were about to give in to a selfish desire is, "My god just wants me to be happy." The small "g" in god was intentional to reflect the smallness of their god, who is not the God of the Bible but rather a god of their own making.
How can I say such a thing? How can I be so sure and so....so judgmental? I'm certain because the Word is so clear about this matter. And, I am not being judgmental. I'm not judging the individual as worthless or evil, I'm inspecting the fruit being borne as the Lord instructs us in Matthew 7:16-20. Happiness is not a "fruit of the Spirit" (Gal 5:22, 23), "joy" is. This "happiness" one gets when being selfish is not the "joy" that comes from a selfless heart.
The emotion which derives from getting what we want often comes at the expense of what we need and what God truly desires for us. James said to "consider it pure joy...when you face trials of many kinds (Jas 1:2). Paul said to "rejoice" in difficult situations (Phil 4:4-7). It was "for the joy set before him that [Jesus] endured the cross" (Heb 12:2).
True joy comes as a fruit of being in the center of God's will not in the self centeredness of your own. Often joy or His blessing comes as a product of enduring painful situations - "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matt 5:4).
Here's the deal: God wants us to be "Holy" (cf. 1 Pet 1:16), which produces true joy. Satan wants us to selfishly focus on the pursuit of personal happiness at all costs to others and ultimately to ourselves Have you ever noticed that temptation promises happiness? And are you not aware just where this temptation originates? "Could it be Satan!" (Sorry couldn't help quoting the Church Lady from SNL). Note Matthew 6:13, "Lead us not into 'temptation' but deliver us from the evil one."
If you want the happiness that truly comes from God, which is what the Bible calls joy, "Take delight in The Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Ps 37:4).
Jus' Sayn.
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