The Consequences of Impulsiveness
Genesis 25:29-34
Introduction
Looking
at the bright side
Brought under
control by the combined efforts of human will and the Holy Spirit, impulsiveness
could be a positive feature. The ability to make rapid decisions or to act
quickly can be important for leaders or in a case of emergency.
Looking at the dark
side
However, by far and large,
impulsiveness has a very dark side. Impulsiveness can be defined as “acting
with little forethought, self-control, or regard for consequences.” Impulsiveness is the immediate response to
thoughts or deeds without any consideration of the appropriateness or consequences
of the deed. Typical features of impulsiveness may include:
Impulsive individuals may have to struggle to imagine negative outcomes. They may also lack the capacity to divide attention among competing stimuli and thus may be insensitive to internally generated controls[1] (i.e the conscience, past training and discipline, social mores, the voice of the Holy Spirit). Thus, the initiation of an impulse behavior may quickly lead to a loss of control.
Causes: Immaturity
(juvenilism), ADHD, Arrested Development
Studies have found that
pathological gamblers and individuals who are compulsively sexual have a
greater incidence of ADHD as children.[2]
In fact, juveniles and people with
ADHD tend to speak, act or move without thinking; so, impulsiveness could be
considered a sign of immaturity or arrested development.
Consequences:
Impulsiveness can cause severe social problems.
Gambling, Kleptomania. Research has shown that pathological gamblers and kleptomaniacs score high on measures of impulsiveness.[3] Among males, impulsivity in early adolescence predicted gambling behavior several years later.[4]
Compulsive Sexuality. Lack of self-restraint, an inability to imagine negative outcomes, and a focus immediate gratification, if not corrected, disciplined and brought to heel, will lead to compulsive sexual behavior.
Impulse Buying.
Some studies have
found that products that resemble the consumer’s projected self-image are often
bought on impulse.
However, a far
more important factor contributing to impulsive buying is immediate
gratification. In fact, almost all definitions of impulsive buying include this
concept, either explicitly or implicitly.
They claim that proximity
to the desired object leads the consumer to imagine owning the product. The
consumer then attributes negative feelings to NOT having the product. At that
point, they have closely identified the object of desire with positive feelings
and begin to regard its lack in their lives almost as a pain. Thus they feel
deprived by not having something they had not even IMAGINED only minutes
earlier. Increasing the physical proximity, giving the impulsive person the
chance to experience a product, to touch, feel, taste, or smell it - makes this
process more powerful.
Impulsive buying
is thus a time-inconsistent choice, which would not have been made if it
had been contemplated from a removed, dispassionate perspective. Because the
costs of impulsive behaviors only surface later (such as the development of
lung cancer, emphysema or chronic bronchitis after years of smoking
cigarettes), such costs are discounted when making the initial decision to
engage in the behavior.
Because of this
very tendency, one of the tactics often used in traditional retail settings is to
decrease the time between the impulse and the receipt of the product. For
instance:
·
Who
does not know of the ubiquitous impulse items at the checkout counter in
stores?
·
In
online shopping situations, the option to pay by credit card can induce such
disregard for future consequences, as the balance only has to be paid off at a
later time (although potentially, interest is charged, making the purchase more
expensive overall).
·
Companies
such as Walmart.com, Guess.com, Continental Airlines, or Hotwire.com even offer
the possibility to pay at a later time using “Bill Me Later®”, offering
interest free payment for up to 90 days, and promoting it as a way of
“hassle-free shopping”.
Therefore, we see that impulsive purchases are made spontaneously, unreflectively, immediately, and tactilely. The thinking (what little there is) is prompted by physical proximity to a desired product while disregarding future consequences. Hasty decisions often lead to regrets.
In our lesson today, we’ll be trying to learn how to avoid making an impulsive decision, as Esau did, in trading away his birthright, for some bread and bowl of pea soup. Jacob gained the birthright that included the inheritance rights of the firstborn, Esau, by making him swear an oath.
Solomon once wrote,
Prepare for possible situations. Wise people make preparations for various situations so they are not tempted to make impulsive decisions that they always regret with tears.
Regularly discipline fleshly impulses. When a person is led by their fleshly impulses, they tend to give in to temptations of their own sinful nature. Such was the case with Esau who disregarded the riches he possessed with his birthright because he chose to surrender to his appetite.
Ask for the Lord’s help. The Lord gives everyone the ability to resist every temptation.
God graciously gives each person a way to escape big and small temptations if we will only choose His ways instead of our fleshly desires.
What are some of the temptations that are most alluring for people of your age group? Why do so many people make bad choices when they are presented with temptations? Esau made a terrible choice to give away his birthright when he was tempted by the desires of his fleshly desire. The Spirit-led Christian can use the power of the word of God to help them overcome temptations so they can make wise choices.
Keep in mind your true purpose. By knowing the meaning, the purpose of our lives, we can make wise choices in advance so we do not practice self-destructive choices by yielding to a whole range of evil temptations.
Contrast a person like Esau who was characterized as having the works of the flesh versus someone like Paul the apostle who exhibited the fruits of the Spirit. Why do some people seem to be led by anger, lust, and evil desires?
Why do other people like the apostle Paul make choices that allow them to be full of the fruit, the results, the signs of the Holy Spirit?
The Lord is able to deliver us from any temptation as long as we are willing to ask Him for strength, wisdom, and sufficient grace in our time of need. In contrast, when Esau was faced with hunger pains, he willingly surrendered the most valuable thing he owned, his birthright, for bread and bowl of pea soup.
Carefully define your values biblically. It is important to notice how little Esau thought of the value of his birthright. People who do not take an inventory of all the good things God has given them quickly become distorted in their perspectives of what is valuable. For the rest of Esau’s life and into eternity, the senior son regretted his decision to yield to temptation. Do not make decisions that you will live to regret.
Do not scorn or mock those who value God’s values. For years, Esau had scorned his younger brother for not being enough of a man to go hunting. Now he would see who was stronger, wiser, and more cunning. Do not think that people can get away with ridicule. There will come a day when familiar faces will allow us to reap what we have sown. If you have shown mercy to others, they will reciprocate in kind. However, those who have taken advantage of others will too find themselves being taken advantage of. God often uses the foolish things of the world to confound those who think they are strong.
Esau’s acts of folly indicated a weak character that showed a succession of fleshly rather than spiritual choices. Many of Esau’s decisions were based on his impulsive desire for whatever looked good to him at the time. Notice in Genesis 25 we read,
Foolish Esau gave in to his appetites at a time of weakness. Unless we are controlled by the power of the Holy Spirit, we will all tend to give into our natural impulses to live by one’s fleshly appetites. Paul wrote,
Our human sinful tendencies are contrary to God’s will. Only through the leading of God’s word and the empowering of the Holy Spirit are we able to overcome temptations and please the Lord in all respects.
Esau’s reasoning was also weak. Since Isaac and Rebekah were good parents, we can be confident that they had enough provisions in their house to feed Esau. However, the young hunter wanted to immediately satisfy his cravings. When people are so eager to make hasty decisions, they almost always make mistakes.
When some people are so focused on their immediate problems that they forget about their long term obligations to God and their families, they make self-destructive decisions. Some of these self-destructive decisions include lying, immorality, lust, dishonesty, slander, disrespect of authorities, complacency, prayerlessness, choosing poor friends, selfishness, fighting, gossip, fault-finding, abusive behavior, jealousy, envy, anger, greed, complaining, etc. Ask the Lord to help you replace negative attitudes and actions with positive Spirit filled choices.
Esau undervalued what was good and overvalued that which had temporary importance. People who live by their fleshly desires tend to declare what is good as worthless and that which is vain as being of great worth.
·
Isaiah 5:20 HCSB Woe to those who call evil good and good
evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute
bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
Esau’s distorted value system came as a result of failing to follow Godly priorities. Jesus said,
Believe that the Lord will provide for the righteous people who are more interested in God’s will than their own selfish ambitions.
Esau never expressed any repentance for his sinful choices. The Bible says,
Esau’s life was characterized by
being out of touch with the Lord. Therefore, we may conclude that he was aware
of his error and did not confess it. Instead, he chose to embrace hatred for
his brother to the point that he publicly stated his desire to kill Jacob as
soon as their father died. He allowed a “root of bitterness”[11]
to grow inside of his soul. Not only did Esau make one bad mistake, but for the
rest of his life, he refused to confess and forsake his fleshly choices. As a
result, Esau’s life is one tragedy after another because he failed to regain
fellowship with the Lord and His blessings.
Derashot:
We need to be cautious of making self-destructive decisions when we are presented with the following temptations. Allow me to offer you some positive alternatives to each impulsive temptation:
Dealing with the
impulsive people in your life
Impulsive individuals may be
highly responsive to positive reinforcement but rather insensitive to
punishment.
An individual’s
impulse buying trait can also be moderated by the influence of social norms.
Conclusion:
Ask the Lord to help you chose to avoid temptations and
select what is good.