Eccl 1:2 (NIV) “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? The emptiness, futility, dissatisfaction, and pain that comes from going after happiness and pleasure without the guidance of God, is being expressed by Soloman. He was wiser, more gifted, and more intellegent than any man before him or after him. He had more money, possessions, positions, power, prestige, popularity, pleasure, and accomplishments than any of us are capable of getting. Yet, he couldn’t find the happiness, satisfaction, and the meaning his heart was seeking. Why? He didn’t seek FIRST God’s kingdom and His righteousness.

You need Jesus to help you see what Satan’s bait and traps look like. You need Jesus to show you that they have wonderful things on the outside of them; but, they have a hook or a trap connected to them. Let Him empower you to see that you won’t be able to tell the difference because Satan’s bait looks just like those things Jesus created that are good. Allow Him to show you that you got trapped into a problem with addiction because you didn’t let Jesus warn you about something you couldn’t see but He could. Let Him show you the nature and character of satanic addiction bait. And, let Him show you how to get free from those things that have hooked and trapped you. Let Him help you not use your knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and abilities. Allow Him to empower you with His knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and abilities.

Eccl 1:13, 18 (NIV) I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. You may be trying to fill your mind with all kinds of success or power information. Your heart may be looking for happiness through research, study, and learning self-help and how to succeed information. But, there are never enough facts to satisfy your mind and heart. It is only the truths of the Bible that will lead you into the meaning to life and the blessings of God.

Eccl 1:17 (NIV) Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. You may have devoted yourself to just letting go, spending money, and doing crazy things. You may have laid your senses and reasoning down and just gave yourself over to trying anything that was fun. You may have tried things that put your life in danger like sky diving, bungy jumping, driving recklessly, and taking chances. But, flirting with death will only give you a thrill for as long as you are taking chances; the danger has to keep getting closer and closer to death to be fun. But, God wants to draw you into life and pleasures that last.

Eccl 2:12-14 (NIV) Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done? I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both. You may have devoted yourself to spending time, effort, and money on education and the emassing of degrees, credentials, and knowledge; but, only Jesus and the Bible will tell you the purpose of life. They will fill your mind with powerful truths that tell you how life really works.

Eccl 2:1-3 (NIV) I thought in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. “Laughter,” I said, “is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?” I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly--my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives. You may have given yourself over to spending a lot of time and money on drinking, drugs, dancing, partying, and riotous living.

Gal 5:19 (NIV) The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery (excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures); idolatry and witchcraft...selfish ambition...drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Only the pleasures of God will stay with you long after the party is over.

Eccl 2:4-6 (NIV) I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.

Eccl 2:7-8 (NIV) I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well--the delights of the heart of man.

Eccl 2:9 (NIV) I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

Solomon had more resources, power, opportunities, and wealth than any of us will ever have; yet accomplishments didn’t satisfy his heart and mind. At the end of it all, he was still empty and craving something that would satisfy this deep desire raging inside him. This hole in your heart and mind is a vacancy that only God can fill.

Eccl 2:15-19 (NIV) Then I thought in my heart, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said in my heart, “This too is meaningless.” For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die! So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.

Spending all your time, effort, and money on a legacy or memorial for yourself isn’t nearly as fulfilling as helping people be better. God has a plan for you that will bring more joy and happiness than any trophy or legacy you leave behind. Investment in people and their eternity is the goal that will satisfy your heart.

1 Ki 11:1-4 (NIV) King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter--Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

Your problem with trying to get satisfaction and peace through addiction issues will never be fulfilled; it requires you to keep trying to get satisfied; but, you never get it. It drives you to more and more, day after day. But, Jesus has pleasure and life principles that do NOT enslave you. He has what you were looking for when you got infected. Gal 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. These are emotions that fill your heart all day long everyday. There is a satisfaction, a completeness, a happiness, and a feeling of accomplishment that goes with you everywhere you go. Rather than always looking, hunting, pursuing, and longing for something to make you happy, you enter into all that you do with it already in your heart.

Eccl 2:20 (NIV) So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. Struggles with addiction come from the pursuit of those things that MUST come after you seek first His (God’s) kingdom and His righteousness. What happens when you seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness? And all these THINGS will be given to you as well. But, you didn’t do it that way; so, how can you get all this mess straightened out? Mat 11:28 (NIV) “Come to Me (Jesus), all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” It doesn’t matter how messed up your life is; Jesus is more powerful, skillful, and resourceful in healing your life, than you have been in messing it up.

Eccl 2:21 (NIV) For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. Not only is Jesus able to help you with all the problems, drives, and slavery of your addiction issues, He is able to take away the emotional emptiness, despair, frustration, and pain in your heart. You haven’t wasted your life; Jesus will give meaning and purpose to it. It isn’t too late for you to win at life; He will give you all you need to be a great success in it.

Eccl 2:22 (NIV) What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? Life in Jesus doesn’t lack meaning and purpose; Jesus will take you and show you what life is all about. He will make your time on this earth count; and, He will make your eternal destiny become a great success. Life is only meaningless when you leave God out of it. Once you get Him more involved, your life will become exciting, joyous, and fulfilling.

Eccl 2:23 (NIV) All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless. You won’t be able to figure out what life is all about; you won’t be able to figure out how to get rid of your problems with addiction; you won’t be able to figure out how to straighten your life out; you won’t be able to make up a plan for solving your problems. You need to turn the whole thing over to Him and let Him take it from here.

Eccl 2:24-25 (NIV) A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment? Relax and settle down to the normal activities of life. Let Jesus take you back to the basics of your schedule, your plans, your goals, your routines, and your lifestyle. Let Jesus help you lay it all down before Him; He knows how to handle every bit of it. Just try to go about a normal day of taking care of the basic needs of your life. Turn all your troubles, difficulties, and struggles over to Him. Let Him have all your thoughts and feelings so you can learn how to put your total trust in Him. If you find yourself trying to figure out what is next, if you try to figure out what you think Jesus should do, or if you find yourself worrying about things, pray and allow Jesus to calm your heart. Worry, trying to figure things out, and trying to look into tomorrow will NOT be helpful. Jesus needs you to just trust, rely, depend, and believe in Him for what is next.