Introduction

The Founding Fathers of the United States wrote in the U.S. Declaration of Independence that all men “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  The Founding Fathers of the United States understood that most people on earth desire to be alive, free, and happy.  They described this as “self-evident,” which means that it is obvious that most people want to remain alive, that they want to be free, and that they are not totally fulfilled unless they are happy.  And so, with much struggle, the Founding Fathers fought a bloody seven-year war in order to create a country in which people would be free to do what they want and to pursue their goals, their dreams, and happiness.

Some people in America and in the world today do achieve happiness in life, while others do not.  It seems like some people are born happy, and that no matter what happens to them in life, they remain happy most of the time.  While other people work their whole lives pursuing happiness and never really acquire it.  There are people living in primitive tribes in remote parts of the earth who have no cars or televisions or internet.  They work hard to grow and hunt food, and they know very little about the outside world.  And yet, many of them seem to be happy.  And at the same time, there are other people living in the developed world who have money, fame and good health, and who travel all over the world by jet, but who are not happy.  From time to time, we even read about a celebrity who seemed to have it all but committed suicide.  Apparently, such a person had everything they wanted in life except happiness.

I personally believe that most every human being on the earth today wants to be happy.  The only question is, “How does one acquire happiness?”  I believe the best way to acquire happiness is through a personal relationship with God, our Creator.  First, we need to find God and get Him working in our life, and then He will guide us in the way of happiness.

That is not to say there are no atheists or agnostics who are happy – I’m sure there are some.  But will they be happy for the rest of their life, and will they be happy in the afterlife?  Probably not.  The surest way to find happiness and stay happy for the rest of your life and into the afterlife is to hook up with God and let Him take your life in the right direction.

So how do we know there is a God anyway?  We know there is a God from observing His creation.  The creation is so ordered and complex that it couldn’t possibly have come about on its own.  In my first book, The Greatness of God, I refute the theory of evolution by using science and reason, and I explain that there has to be a God who created this world.  I go on to explain that He has to be a great and awesome God who loves and cares about those He created.  We are all so lucky that God created us, and we are all so lucky that He wants what’s best for us.  And if we acknowledge Him and allow Him to guide our lives, He will, in most cases, lead us in the way of happiness.

So the purpose of this book is to help you find God, if you haven’t already, and to help you find happiness, if you haven’t already.  I will discuss 10 principles of life in this book that will help you find both God and happiness.  If you have already found both God and happiness in life, that is awesome – more power to you.  Then maybe you will find some ideas in this book that will help you in your walk with God and fill you with even more of His joy.  And maybe you will find some pointers in this book that you can share with others to help them find God and happiness.

After reading this book, I think you will discover that finding God is incredibly easy.  As the Apostle Paul said in Acts 17:27, “He is not far from each one of us.”  God loves each one of us, and He wants to have a personal relationship with each of us.  Getting connected with God is not difficult at all, as I will explain in the book.

Once we’ve found God, however, finding happiness is usually a little more challenging.  But fortunately, as it turns out, God has already told us everything we need to know to be happy.  It is all found in His Word, the Holy Bible.  The Bible, however, is a long book, and not many people have time to read all of it, so I will help you sort through it and highlight the important points.  And I will help you get started with personal Bible study, if you haven’t already, so you can know God better and grow in your relationship with Him and in happiness.

The luckiest people in the world are those who have found God and found happiness.  There is nothing better in life than having a close walk with your Creator and being happy.  As the Apostle Paul wrote in I Timothy 6:6, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”  So I will help you, through this book, to become one of the lucky ones who has a close relationship with your Creator and who is happy in this life for the most part.  And my hope is that you will want to walk with God for the rest of your life until the day comes when He promotes you to glory.