Next Step for Young People With Convictionنموونە

Fill It Up 

"My first road trip," Alex thought excitedly as he and three of his friends headed down the road to visit a couple of perspective colleges for the following year after they had graduated. The whole trip was going to be five days of driving; sleeping in the car; and eating cheap, greasy, gas-station-food. But as young men, they were ready, especially Alex, as this was his first time to be this far from home without his parents.

On day two of the journey, Alex drew the short straw and was the driver for the night shift. For most of the night one of Alex's friends stayed awake to keep him company; however, he eventually fell asleep as well, leaving Alex driving through the night alone. Just as the sun was coming over the horizon, Alex pulled the car into a gas station to fill up the empty gas tank.

Soon afterward the car was back on the road making its way to the next destination. However, to Alex's and all the sleeping boys' surprise, the car started to shake, and it soon putted to a stop on the side of the road. Being that everyone had been asleep besides Alex, the boys immediately started asking Alex questions. "Did you hit something?" "How fast were you going?" "Where are we? Are we close to the city?" 

Alex told them that nothing had happened. "I filled the gas tank up about 15 minutes ago and got back on the road. Then suddenly, the car stopped." But as soon as Alex had said that, he realized the mistake he had made. Alex had put diesel fuel into the car, not gasoline. After freaking out a bit, the boys eventually called a tow truck. The car was taken to a shop where the tank was emptied, and the entire engine had to be cleaned out of the diesel fuel. 

Putting the wrong liquid into the gas tank was harmful to the car. In the same way, we also need to be careful of what we put into our own lives. What we put into our lives will influence us. What movies are you watching? What music are you listening to? What games are you playing ? It might start out as something small, but it can grow until it becomes a problem. 

No one ever just wakes up with a porn addiction. It starts with something small like a sexy photo in an advertisement. Then that one photo is not enough, and you start to look for something more on social media. Then you might start searching the internet. Then it starts to become more frequent, until it's all you think about.

This is why the Bible talks about guarding our heart. We can't let anything into our hearts that would influence us. Think about all the media you consume.  

Discussion: 

What media do you allow in your life that you know you need to get rid of?