November 19, 2009
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Fighting for Faith: Bad Company is Contagious
Just a friendly reminder--I'm writing towards a primarily Christian audience for this series. So when I say "we Christians should", I don't mean to say you're all Christians or that non-Christians should do what I say. Non-Christians are welcome to comment. Keep it civil, all.
Xanga was my first true social network. I had been involved on forum boards when I was a teen, but I had never joined any real social network before Xanga. When I first joined in 2004, I found that few of my friends were really on here. Then I started looking for new friends. I realized that with search, I could find whoever I wanted to befriend. So I looked for people that I thought were interesting, mostly focusing on Christian females. Hey, I'm honest! haha.
However, over time, I realized there were a few drawbacks to Xanga. First, most of Xanga is female, and the male writers often seem more interested in talking to said females rather than other guys. So in the old days, if I wanted to talk about sports or cars or whatever, no one seemed to respond. Second, there is no chat feature on Xanga. Over time, I really got tired of waiting breathlessly for Juanita234325 to reply to my 3 paragraph comment...some 10 hours later.
So, without even really thinking about it, I gravitated towards two other social networks that would balance that out. We'll call them GuysWorld and ChatSphere. And I had fun hanging out on both. I felt GuysWorld helped balance me out and took care of the manly needs Xanga couldn't, and ChatSphere allowed for direct real-time communication with people.
However, I made one small change on both compared to Xanga...or was it small? On Xanga, I really think about peoples' morals or life approach before befriending them. That doesn't mean Christian-only, but it does mean no liars, no sexual deviants (Prude, Proud, and Loud, baby! hahaha) and no arrogant fools. However, on GuysWorld and ChatSphere, I didn't have blogs to read, and so I just befriended whoever.
It shouldn't have mattered who I hung out with. It's not like I was there THAT often (maybe?!). It was just a hobby! I was just having fun! But suddenly, I struggle with new temptations I never had before, and I think it's because of those two sites. I now have to watch my language more--I'm much more tempted to swear than ever before. Yet overall, my life is better than ever before, so there's no good reason for the extra anger. I tried to think about why..and quite honestly, I think it's GuysWorld, where people have no problem dropping f-bombs. And because of ChatSphere, I'm much less likely to trust that people are who they say they are. I've seen way too many people taking on a persona, and so I am less likely to take words at face value. I feel less honest myself.
Quite honestly, I still can't believe this happened. ME?! Mr. Different? Mr. Smart-and-Independent? Mr. Anti-Peer-Pressure? I let those losers get to me and change me?! I should have gotten to them! Forgive my narcissism, sigh.
So what's the takeaway here in Fighting For Faith? Retreat to a monastery with only fellow Christians?! No, no, a 1000 times no! But we have to be aware that the people we hang out with shape our world view, even when it's frivolous Internet folk. It has an impact on our morality and quality of life. I'm NOT suggesting paranoia. I'm just saying, sometimes we have to fight so hard for faith because NONE of our friends are fighting for any sort of moral values! let alone faith. And if that's the case, it's time to get some new friends!
Being a Christian is a critical part of who we are. If we don't feel we can express our Christianity with our friends, and we find ourselves being pulled to be more like them, it does not help us maintain who we are. If our friends resent our morals and claim that we are repressed prudes, are they really friends? I love having friends who don't share my views. They teach me a lot! But I also refuse to allow myself to be corrupted by my friends. Non-Christian friends and Christian friends alike have to be quality people who care for others and who attempt to be honest and fair. You may say "But that means you're making your faith more important than me!" But I say, my faith is a part of me. It rescued me from many problems and mistakes. It's not "that church I go to once a week", it's "Those prayers I utter, those verses I recite, that love I receive." Also, why do YOU want me to accommodate you being such a lying, thieving douc...argh, stupid GuysWorld, haha, never mind.
So unfortunately, I need to cut back on my time at GuysWorld and ChatSphere, perhaps even quit. They are frivolous, fun choices, not fundamental constants of life. I owe them nothing. I can certainly find other things to do with my time that don't make me feel like my beliefs are challenged at every turn. This is a hard post for me to write. It really hurts when you realize that a fun site, and the people who made it fun, are actually doing you more harm than good. But when it happens...you have to let it go. Bad company is contagious.
Comments (55)
Post was too long, did not read.
And I was distracted by this: "First, most of Xanga is female, and the male writers often seem more
interested in talking to said females rather than other guys." Then, I recalled my true purpose on Xanga and skipped to the bottom to look for single Christian ladies commenting, finding none, I commented.
Seriously though, had to say that, and now I will finish reading.
Great post, I've seen so many Christians turn away because of the poor company they keep. Whether the company be online or in real life. I've also seen Christians trapped in such a bubble that they have no idea what the outside world is doing, or how it is living.
"But that means you're making your faith more important than me!"
the truth is that our faith is the most important part of who we are, or rather it should be. anything or anyone getting in the way of the is..well...getting in the way.
You're right. We need to take our example from Jesus who also did not want corruption... he didn't want his followers corrupted either. That is why he never hung out with prostitutes and... oh.. uhm, what was my point?
Good f---in post. Faith is more important than lame-o friends.
@galadrielspitcher - The Bible says if you don't love your brother and you claim to love God you are a liar. /New Testament.
We could use a Xanga chat sorta like the way Facebook does it. For now, Xanga Zombies will do
So many little gems in this one. I'll have to give it another go over. It amazes me how easy it is to take on the negatives around.
And xanga strikes again! ^_^ So xanga is a fundamental constant of life? Nice to know.
I've always thought that if you want to *learn* good virtues, surround yourself with those who *practice* good virtues, and if you want to *practice* good virtues, surround yourself with those who *lack* it, but we all need a nice balance between the two.
Unfortunately this is definitely true. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." You're better off around us females if you don't want to sharpened the wrong way.
Martha
@ShimmerBodyCream - That's true, and it is a rather fine line to walk. At the same time, if someone is hindering your walk with God, you shouldn't be hanging around with them. That doesn't mean to stop loving them, but it would be wise to distance yourself a bit. I was rather harsh up there, probably should have clarified more.
@MagisterTom - If a "Christian" turns away because of the people they hang around with they probably really weren't Christians in the first place. Bad behaviour isn't contagious like a cold. Some people don't have strong enough faith. And when their faith isn't strong they give way to others because they weren't really Christians in the first place.
@galadrielspitcher - If someone is hindering your walk to God your faith isn't very strong. If someone can have bad behaviour and it affects how you feel about God obviously it is that you lack faith.
@MagisterTom - See, I knew this post would be frustrating that way. We can't be uptight and reclusive Christians. I know that. But I don't think we can just keep blithely hanging out with friends who are quietly pushing us in directions we don't want to go, either. Also, I should say, there's a big difference between friends and acquaintances. Acquaintances? heh, I'll talk to anyone. But friends are different. I'm fiercely loyal to friends with my time, money, and love. So I have to be more careful with who I befriend.
I know, I opened up a big can of worms with this one. If a person is in need, I am there! I'm not talking about turning my back on needy people.
@galadrielspitcher - Principles over people, heh--why should I do what, say, my high school friends wanted, when in two years after high school I'd never see them again?! If it makes me a meanie, so what.
@ShimmerBodyCream - Heh, good counter. I know a certain friend who is never lame-o.
But Jesus also said "If your right hand offends you, cut it off" in speaking of habits that tend to destroy us. If I could hang out with prostitutes as friends, without being tempted, I would. (Amusingly enough, due to my personality, I probably could, but that's a lengthy, unnecessary story for another time). But if hanging out with prostitutes makes me want to do them, then, sorry, can't hang out with them any more.
I'm definitely willing to discuss this one. It's something I'm struggling with in that I THOUGHT the people from GuysWorld and ChatSphere were cool...and now I'm realizing they're really quite rotten people. And I owe them nothing.
@GreekPhysique - When Jesus said that he was referring to your own body. Your body and your mind is causing the offense. Not someone else.
If hanging out with prostitutes makes you want to do them obviously there would be something wrong with your faith and you should work on your faith and make that the priority.
Clean the inside of the cup, remember? Don't focus on the outside issues. This was Jesus' central point.
@ShimmerBodyCream - Ok, let's assume that my faith really is very weak. I find that I am very open to persuasion--that if someone pushes me long enough or hard enough, I change my mind. It's just my personality. What should such a person do?
@GreekPhysique - I don't think, "It's just my personality," could ever be a relevant excuse. Could you steal and say, "That's just my personality... I'm a klepto!" If there is something that hinders you to God that is what somebody should focus on fixing. They should focus on not being a klepto, not avoiding every WalMart.
@ShimmerBodyCream - I went and reread the "right hand" passage. You're right, it's my weakness that's the problem. But also, it's not the fault of the person who is making me cut off my hand. It's my fault. I don't mean to imply that it's all the big bad sinner's fault for, um, being a sinner. It's my weakness that makes me have to retreat. But...
But as a Christian, I'm always going to have weak areas because I'm also imperfect. Look at Paul (yes, I know, your favorite :-p) with his thorn in the flesh. If even Paul would have a glaring weakness, then what hope is there for me? And if certain friends exacerbate my weakness, then I should probably stay away from them if I'm not strong enough. If I have a weak immune system, am I wrong for staying away from sick people?
Ok, now as to the inside vs. outside...hmm, let me stop comment for a minute, you've probably already posted 5 comments while I'm reloading. I thought you were slow at typing? :-p you're killing me here.
@ShimmerBodyCream - It's not that they change how you feel about God, or your faith. But they can affect your walk with God. Anyone, Christians included, will pick up habits from the people they hang around with. If those people have the wrong habits, sooner or later you will begin to develop them as well.At the very least, you'll be tempted to fall into those habits.It's not that you don't continue to love them or talk with them, but making them your close friends would be a mistake if they're getting in the way of your walk.
@ShimmerBodyCream - But while I'm fighting not being a klepto, isn't part of that avoiding Wal-Mart temporarily? Look, I would LOVE to go back to GuysWorld, yesterday, if it wasn't dirtying my mouth and tempting me to think of women as things to be used rather than as people. If something/someone is making me a bad person, why can't I back away from it? Do I have to be destroyed for my one weak area?
I don't know the answer here
I wish I did. You're making some good points, and, without resorting to Paul, I'm not thinking of a good Jesus quote to counter it yet. But on the other hand, I should never have to feel bad and dirty after hanging out with friends. If I feel that way, they're not my friends! and I should quit them! hmm...
@ShimmerBodyCream - And yeah, you're right, it's not the fault of the other person. But we all have our weak spots, and we have to be especially careful about those areas.
@GreekPhysique - Let me reiterate that I thought this was a very good post. And indeed, I was literal in saying ditch the lame-o friends. But in observation don't you think some Christians are too quick to take the band-aid solution and be picky about their friends as opposed to "cleaning the inside of the cup." It is easy to appear outwardly clean but it takes effort to clean the inside and then have the outside reflect those actions. Can't you probably recall a lot of other Christians who hang out with only a certain type of people? Don't you think that is pretty hypocritical when the Bible even says that if those people do not love their brothers they are liars and can't possibly love God.
The band aid solutions are needed for a short term problem you can't cure but I think a better approach would be curing the problem.
Good post; and, I thought about becoming a nun until I realized they are Catholic. Perhaps a missionary?
@galadrielspitcher - If you are picking up habits that are not consistent with good faith then your faith isn't that strong. For example, if you hang around thieves and your conviction is strong enough not to steal - you won't.
@galadrielspitcher - "But that means you're making your faith more
important than me!"
the truth is that our faith is the most
important part of who we are, or rather it should be. anything or anyone
getting in the way of the is..well...getting in the way.
Exactly! Jesus demands that we love him to the point that our love for others looks like hatred in comparison.
@ShimmerBodyCream - The bible does say that, but, it also says this, "Now great crowds
accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father
and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and
come after me cannot be my disciple.For which of you,
desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count
the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
A Christian must consider the cost of discipleship when they choose to follow Jesus. That cost could include losing family, or friends. In many instances it has cost the disciple his life.
@ShimmerBodyCream - Would you send a recovering alcoholic into a bar and tell them not to drink? A Christian, or anyone for that matter, shouldn't go into situations that tempt them. And Greek's example from Jesus saying to cut off your hand could be about any temptation. Paul in Romans even talks about not doing things that may cause another to stumble. He doesn't say tell them to strengthen their faith (which is a work from God, not the believer) but instead tells them to not do things if their brothers may be tempted to stumble because of it. (Romans 14)
@galadrielspitcher - Then there's an entirely different problem--what about Christians who drag you down? I went to a Christian school that was filled with people who claimed to be Christians, but were bullying snakes. Should I have avoided them? But how are they going to stop being bullying snakes if all good people avoid them?
@MagisterTom - The problem is the alcoholism - not the bar. I'm saying instead of focusing on hiding the alcohol you need to cure the problem - the person, lack of faith, etc.
@ShimmerBodyCream - See, you're right though, avoidance makes it seem like I'm running from hurting people. It's certainly a lot easier to avoid all "suspect" people to look good--but then, if I'm still rotten on the inside, it'll come out even if I just hang out with saints! So if I'm just running from those sinners but still not dealing with my inner evil, I'm kidding myself if I think I'll get better.
I admit it, I used to just run from people. There's a painful story that I'm very embarrassed about. I used to tutor, and I was helping this kid. He really liked how I was helping him, and I thought he was cool. After one particularly good help session, he smiled and said "Hey, this was fun, we should have a beer sometime!" I was 20, and I turned white as a ghost. He then looked sad, because he thought I was rejecting him, and left. I never saw him again.
I feel so bad about that now. He just wanted to be my friend. He wasn't looking to drag me into some bar, LOL, he just wanted to hang out. But because I didn't get that, I shunned him. (Ok, and I was sheltered, LOL). I never want to do that again and just run.
@MagisterTom - Also regarding your first point we are supposed to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. If not, that makes us liars and proves we do not really love God. We all fall short of the glory of God, so who is to say we should associate with A, B, etc.
It seems the line is drawn at, "where there is temptation." However instead of excluding people we should work on what is inside. The weakness that is tempting us. I see how temporarily excluding people works. I just don't see it as a long term solution.
@ShimmerBodyCream - @MagisterTom - @galadrielspitcher -
This is why I loved Xanga in the first place--being challenged and forced to think about what I believe. Thanks you all. I'm going to get dinner and do some work, but I need to really wrestle with this issue. I never want to turn my back on a hurting person. But I never want to turn my back on a axe-wielding criminal, either, ha.
EDIT But what about the 90% that really don't fit in either category? ah, LOL, I'm making this so complicated!
@GreekPhysique - Good point, it's true we can't avoid the world or worldly Christians, and really someone needs to be there for them. We all have different weak and strong areas. God knows that and uses us accordingly. In that case you may be the one to influence them, but there may be someone else God has in mind. I'm in no way saying to run away from bad situations. But we need to be wise about what we get ourselves into.
lol that was a really good point though
@GreekPhysique - lol!
@GreekPhysique - aw
No, I see what you are saying. You bring up good points.
However, I think sometimes this conclusion is rushed in the Christian community. "Don't hang around bad people, period!" But we're all bad essentially so hopefully we can become stronger in ourselves and lift each other up.
@GreekPhysique - You mentioned in your comments that you went to a Christian school where the so-called "Christians" dragged you down... I'm right there with ya. I went to a Bible College... and came out depressed, angry and bitter towards Christianity in general. That being said - it was partly who I hung around with, that influenced all these things... and so even if someone carries the label of "Christian," doesn't necessarily mean you've found the creme de la creme of the crop... I guess what I'm saying is - I agree with your post... but I also believe that striving for balance is key. Perhaps you need to take a break for this period in your life, in areas that are dragging you down... but you could come back later? Keep your options open... Eh. I could go on but I won't... still, I applaud your eloquence on the topic.
@ShimmerBodyCream - Ideally, that would be the case. But all Christians are works in progress, we all have our strong and our weak points. Someday your faith may be strong enough to handle that situation...but if you weren't at that point yet, there is nothing wrong with removing temptation.
I really enjoyed reading this, and I hope I can follow your good example in regards to a few activities and sites I gravitate towards as well... =[
@ShimmerBodyCream - I agree with that wholeheartedly. If you have strong enough faith, YOU should be the one affecting THEM. It's the same as people who stress out and worry or lead fearful lives. Why do you do that if God has a plan for you? What happened to walking through the valley of the shadow of death and fearing no evil? People let themselves fade too easily @.@
1 Corinthians 15:33
I think that there is are very good reasons that it says "do not be misled."
Honestly, last year I was of the thinking that I could handle being around people who I consider "bad company"...and I've suffered from that. I honestly think that I was being proud by thinking that I could just be immuned to the natural way that we as humans become like the people that we spend the most time with.
Obviously that doesn't mean that we as Christians should just completely avoid people who aren't exactly like us but we need to be careful about who we spend large amounts of time with and become close to.
So, obviously, I agree with you, bad company is contagious.
I'll skip the other comments (for now) and say........welcome home brother.
When I first came to xanga I thought it was a Christian blog, and so sighed up for it. but I soon found out that it was not, so I retreated from it for a while, but came back and found many here who have a true desire to maintain and even to grow their faith. This was a wonderful revelation to me, as I have no desire to "live" in a home not my own (If you know what I mean). NoChristian friends who are respectful and over all cool to "hang with" are good to go, but those who see my faith as a hindrence to their own "growth", I have no desire to be around, as their views, as also have stated, have an effect on mine. For some reason it works that way. I thonk it's the inherent evil that is in every mans heart that is lulled towards darkness and away from the light.
A body builder cannot pump up, unless he pumps iron; he has to put his muscles to the test in order to build them up. So it is with our faith, it has to be tested in order to build it up, so that when the true test comes, we will not falter or fail.
God has shown me that the temptations that were so strong in me are but passing thoughts now, if even that. And not because of anything I have done to overcome temptation, but because He took the desire away from me while I was not focusing upon it. Example: I prayed and prayed that God would take this one temptatin away from me, becasue I knew it was hindering me from his using me more. One day when I prayed, He asked, what temptation? And I stopped and took note that I had not even thought of that thing for quite some time, and had no desire to do so afterward.
While I wasn't looking, He healed me.
@ShimmerBodyCream - I agree. "Not all who say, Lord, Lord, will enter into the Knigdom of God..." They "look like" the world because they are "of" the world. They have chosen to continue to live in the very world that killed Jesus, and have forsaken His sacrafice for the temptations and temporary satisfaction of the world. "In the last days, many will fall away", becasue their faith, whether little or great, is not based upon a solid foundation of truth in the Word of God, and so will crumble when tested, and burn up when brought to the fire.
@GreekPhysique - "Not all who say, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of God..." If the Holy Spirit dwells within a man, that man will reflect the image of Christ Jesus, because the Holy Spirit is at work within him, changing him and transforming him that he might be the perfect reflection of Christ. BUT, and even IF we "claim" His name, if we do not reflect His image in any way, then he is not in us. So it is written.
When I was in High school, and for many years after that, I would have acted just like those kids at your christian school, even though I "grew up in church". But now that I have been Born of His Spirit, I cannot act like that, because He has changed my thoughts and my heart so that I desire what Christ desires. I was born again - made a new creature in Christ. And so we all must be, IF we are to enter into the Kingdom of God. Otherwise we would enter in with corruption in our hearts, and that would eventually lead to another rebellion in heaven, like the one when Lucifer and 1/3 of the Angels were cast out.
@ShimmerBodyCream - @GreekPhysique - Don't forget St. Paul, "Do not be deceived: bad company corrupts good morals." (1 Chorinthians 15:33)
I think it is very unrealistic, especially as a Christian, to think that all one needs is strong faith to be able to surround himself with all types of people in the world. Just like the verse I quoted from Proverbs in my first comment, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." None of us are perfect, and everyone, no matter who you might be, is affected by their surroundings. Yes, it is easier for one with stronger faith to reject bad vibes around him, but you are not the primary tester of your own faith in order to consider yourself strong enough to do that. That is putting your trust in yourself rather than God.
Yes, Christ dined with sinners, but are all of us at the level of Christ's spirituality? Can all us hang out with prostitutes and bring them to repentance? If that was the case, we might as well all hide in our rooms for decades upon decades until our faith is finally strong enough to be completely immune to all sin around us. Christ showed us by His example to accept, love, and help those who are rejected from society. Greek, you mention going to a Christian school where they were not all that Christian-spirited, but that would be likened more to the Pharisees that Christ had to put up with and witness to rather than the broken sinners.
We are advised to flee from temptation, not to fight it. We only fight it when we cannot avoid it, but otherwise there is no point in going near the fire and hoping not to be burned. This is what Greek is talking about, he wants to avoid the fire so he is not burned. He is not rejecting anyone, but is rather humbly recognizing his weaknesses as a human being and knowing that no matter how religious and spiritual he is, he is susceptible to sin. That is the Christian way, to flee from sin when we can, and to make God our shield when we must fight it. Also, it is not like he is on those sites to preach. Yes, he, as a Christian, is a witness to all for his faith, but he is not about to force change upon those who have not even given thought to such a change in character.
@liferemainsbeautiful - We all fall short of the glory of God, in this we are all equal. Are we going to make checklists about who leads us into temptation and who does not? The two greatest commandments are to love God with all of your heart and love your brother as you love your self.
To flee from someone because they aren't up to "spiritual par" because they may corrupt you suggests that there is a weakness. If you are spiritually sound others shouldn't be ab le to corrupt you. If someone asked me to murder a puppy, I simply wouldn't do it.
Again, I will state, I agree with GreekPhysique and I thought this was a good post and that he made good points.
However I don't think you should apply bandaid solutions to a cancerous problem.
If we all work on ignoring others instead of focusing on the inside - that is going to isolate people. Outward solutions can be temporary solutions while you try to focus on the inward problem. But changing the outside is not going to change the heart.
@ShimmerBodyCream - I am saying we should be honest with ourselves. Of course you wouldn't kill a puppy if someone asked you to, but didn't Christ say beware of the little foxes? Just like Greek is telling us, don't you think that if everyone around you were cursing all of the time, cursing might come more easily to you? Sure, his heart may be pure, but picking up such a bad habit from others is not that hard.
I am absolutely by no means saying that we should flee from anyone that is not "spiritually on par" with us, and I don't know how you understood that from my first reply. Of course avoiding anyone we "think" is going to bring us to sin is opposed to Christian principle and is judgmental. We definitely do not ignore others. But do you think that by hanging out everyday with a group of people who smoke will help them change their ways and that in the process they would never tempt you to smoke? The point is, he is not avoiding anyone, he simply knows his limits. These are chatrooms, not personal relationships that he is cutting off. There must be a balance. We work on the inward while being weary of what outside influences we allow inward. If you say that you are so strong that you are never influenced by bad characters, you do not know your limits. You start small, with people you can help and situations you can handle. You do not get baptized and then the next day go preaching to murders and rapists; you start with yourself, then your family, then your friends, acquaintances, and so forth gradually extending outwards--all the while our faith continuously growing. These are processes that occur at the time same. Inward growth as well as outreach.
So yes, I agree with you, we must have the ability to fight the temptation around us, but that absolutely does not mean deliberately putting ourselves into situations that we cannot handle. I did not say and did not mean that we should avoid others who aren't "good enough" for us; that is taking my words completely out of context. Again, I repeat after St. Paul, "Do not be deceived: bad company corrupts good morals."
@liferemainsbeautiful - I didn't say to put ourselves in situations we couldn't handle. But you need to look at personal temptation as indicative of the inner source - not the outside.
I don't know if what you are saying is essentially the same thing as what I am saying. Perhaps it is somewhat because I don't think he is wrong in his analysis.
I do think that your view is taking a defeatist attitude if we are to say, "Well, can't win em all guys, might as well go home and avoid temptation."
The point is - as Jesus said - The inside needs to be clean so you will have no temptation and then the outward actions will reflect the inside.
Throwing your hands up in the air and saying, "Oh, I can't be perfect, I should just avoid things I can't handle!" is silly. Totally against the principles of Christianity.
But if you can't handle something, by all means avoid it. Just don't use it as a coping tool to not spiritually examine the inside. That is where the disease lies.
Our faith or lack thereof defines us. It is the first and most important thing that I notice about people. We shouldn't completely restrict our associations to people "just like us" Jesus surely didn't, however we must recognize the types of associates that weaken us and not spend so much time with them. You seem to be doing a good job sorting out those things for yourself. You really can't count someone as a friend if they make fun of who you are.
@ShimmerBodyCream - I completely agree with your first and last statements, and that is exactly what I was trying to say.
I'm saying there has to be a balance. Yes, definitely, temptation definitely comes from within, and I'm not denying that at all, but that's not the kind of temptation Greek is talking about here. As for the middle portion of your comment, I don't understand why you keep taking my words to the extreme, I don't know how else to explain myself. All I can say is, that is the exact opposite of what I meant.
@liferemainsbeautiful - Any temptation comes from within. What do you mean, "that is not the kind he is talking about." temptation=temptation. Are you implying a classification for it? I guess I don't get what you are saying.
I don't think there is a "balance," when it comes to Christianity. You strive to be good and close to God 24-7. Balance is a western philosophical notion. Regarding means and the like...
@liferemainsbeautiful - @ShimmerBodyCream - Sounds like you both are close enough, then
it's a tough topic, and I don't want you to start arguing out of confusion because you are just saying similar things in different ways. That's always sad on the 'net when that happens.
@GreekPhysique - If that is a friendly way of saying, "argument can be constructive but despite that fact you are flooding my Xanga inbox," ...I will go work on African studies now.
ha ha. The tags for this were hilarious. byeee
@ShimmerBodyCream - Ha! yes, my poor inbox is breaking under the weight of comment updates! And you have to ace the final so you can laugh at the people with the 50% average next time :-p
Aww, but seriously, I really liked the ideas you brought up here. I don't agree with them all, mind you. But you also helped remind me that Jesus died for a reason--one can't live behind locked doors and filters either. We should be stronger than SOME of the temptations, and if we feel weak on all--well, maybe it's us, not them. And you have a good memory for those Bible concepts, way to keep me on my toes. I was happily impressed. So thanks for the challenge. I'll keep thinking about this.
Easier to be pulled down than up. Great post.
Although, I would counter one final point made--you do, in a sense, owe them something. Having spent all this time with them, you should have shared your faith, even if indirect, minor ways. When your faith really, truly becomes that much of an integrated part of your life, it comes more naturally..but until then, conscious efforts to tune into the Spirit's nudging to speak up here or there in random convo must be watched out for and then taken without hesitation before the opportunities are lost. I look at my time with non-Christians partly as ministry opportunities. No, not to shove my faith down their throat, but to share God's love in real ways so they eventually wonder themselves about learning more.
But yes, by all means, if you see it affecting your own life in negative ways, time to cut down on the time shared together..before it brings you down.
@GreekPhysique - I've been doing this to you quite often, haven't I? =P
@liferemainsbeautiful - Seriously! Stop it, haha. First you got in that big argument with a guy who turned out to be YOUR FRIEND, and I was worried and feeling bad that you were ripping the poor guy for being brave and telling his true feelings. Then you both told me you knew each other, and I felt silly. Now you're commenting like crazy with a dear friend of mine, ha, and I feel like I have to jump in so that this post doesn't become 80 comments with two people commenting! Do you always do this? :-p ah, I'm just picking.
Great post... I can so relate to being drawn off track by other social sites that I oh so enjoyed but slowly ate away at my conscious. In this world guarding your heart means to me to guard my contact list and where I spend my time online. I've changed where I hang out online and I'm slowly chaning my thought patterns.
"But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth and some to honor and some to dishonor. If a man purge himself from these he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the Master's use and prepared unto every good work...but follow, righteousness, faith, hope, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
I appreciate that reminder! I know it's hard, but boy! Can't wait to see how God will honor you for taking that step!!! Being the social butterfly of the family, God continues to remind me how I need to leave my emotional needs at His feet, trusting that He will meet those needs through whomever and however He chooses for my best. It's not always easy...
Yeah, there's always that balance, being in the world but not of it. Good post!
~Sarah
@GreekPhysique - Okay okay, sorry. I just start good, thought-provoking conversation, you know? ^_^
Bad company is in the eye of beholder ;D
Good post; I know what you mean. After watching certain TV shows I find myself wanting to swear and I have always had a very clean mouth--like ridiculously. Or reading certain soccer blogs ... if it's a soccer blog written by guys I want to swear and if it's written by girls I start to objectify the players. Maybe I should stick with ESPN for my soccer news. Anyway, I always appreciate your posts; they make me think, not swear, haha.
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