Romans 13:11-14 “11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits.”

Growing up is a time that is so crucial to our faith. In our younger days, we aren’t challenged with the things of the world that we are when we start to mature. Singing “Jesus loves me this I know,” turns into prayers for strength, guidance, and God’s provisions to guide us through our trials. Something we often hear is, “Oh! Yeah, I know I’m doing (insert sin) but it’s OK. I just wanna get it out of my system then I’ll be fine.” Will you really?

I included the verses above because there are two important applications I wanna make. Concerning the first the first verse, we do not, will not, and never will know when Jesus is coming back, and that's the whole point. He wants us to seek Him, and live in such way that if we were to die right now, it would be clear where we would spend eternity.

As for the last verse, I want us to be mindful. Mindful that the habits we say we are in control of, we are not. Those behaviors will form habits, and habits are not easy to break. Not impossible, but not easy. As we go through life, we will encounter moments that will be uncomfortable for us, in order to test our faith. James tells us in chapter 1 verses 2-3, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”. When we encounter these times, God is giving us chances and opportunities to chose him. And more often times then not, the right choice will not be the comfortable one.

One of my favorite ways to constantly stay in a Christ-like mindset is by watching online sermons, and lately, I have enjoyed listening to Steven Furtick. In his video "Never Not Enough" Furtick says “Your greatest opportunities will come at the most inconvenient times.” He is saying in all of those moments God has placed you in, in all of your trials, in all of your struggles, God is giving you an opportunity to make the right choice. He gives you this situation, to lead you on towards the right path, which is exactly why James is encouraging us to count all of these moments for joy.

Count these moments that test your faith for joy and for happiness, for the purpose they work is bigger than you. It is for God. It’s so that God may shine through these testing moments. He wants to use us as testaments of His will. So let Him.

Likewise, do not allow yourself to fall to these opportunities. I mentioned previously the danger of falling to these false notions. When we rely on ourselves and our understanding, we will find ways to talk ourselves into the sin we are trying to pursue. When we lean on our own understanding, we allow room for the enemy to come in, corrupt our minds, tempt our souls, and he now has room to work.

I know you feel that if you just do it now or if you just get it out of your system, you'll be done, you’ll be good! It isn’t like that. Not only will it create bad habits, but it will lead you down a deadly path. It will lead you down a path that you travel further and further down, seeking contentment and peace, but you will never find it. When you choose to pursue yourself over God, you will entertain your time with things that will not bring you the fulfillment the you please.

Instead, I encourage you to take those moments of inconvenience and allow them to be used for the bigger purpose they’re meant for. Chose God. For example, Hebrews 11:25, “choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season,” The pleasure from sin we seek will only destroy us. It will lead us down a dark path of destruction.

Think of it this way. You’re driving down an underpopulated road, at some odd hour of the night, and you look down to see you have a quarter a tank of gas. You think "Oh, well, no, I’m not gonna worry about it now, the next exit is only a few miles up!" So you chose not to stop, and fill your tank. Instead, you chose to risk it and keep driving to the next exit.

But you get to the exit to find all the gas stations are closed. You look down at your gas meter to see your gas light just came on, you’re in the middle of nowhere, and nothing is open. You had every opportunity to avoid this, but instead, you chose to risk it.

This is how it’ll be when He comes back.

We have every means possible to avoid this situation, but instead of taking up His cross, walking with Him daily, we chose to enjoy the pleasures of sin, and risk our faith.

Don’t risk your faith, my friends. God has given us everything we need. Be strong. Be faithful. Seek Him, pursue Him, so that when He comes you will hear the words; “Well done, good and faithful servant… In you, I am well pleased”