"But EVERYONE else is doing it..."

We live in a world today that is Godless. In fact, in Ephesians 2:1-2 the Bible says, "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience." Let's break this down:

• We all were once like this... we were all born into sin. Paul is speaking to people who have had their lives changed by the Jesus and reminds them that their OLD life is in the past. In other words, when they came to know Christ, their lives CHANGED. If you "meet Jesus" and nothing about you changes, then you didn't really meet Jesus. THERE MUST BE LIFE CHANGE! Not that you will be perfect, but you will be different.
• The reason there is sin in the world is because Satan, the devil, rules over it. He is the prince and power of the air (things not seen) and he has a lot of power over those who don't know Jesus.

So, if this world is a Godless one because Satan rules over it, what is the job of Christians who are living in this world? To do what everyone else is doing? To blend in with the sin of the world? To be ruled by Satan and obey our flesh whenever we want to? No, no and NO!!! We are called to be DIFFERENT than the rest of the world, which is ruled over by Satan! We are called to STOP SINNING and then making excuses! We are to be CONTROLLED by the power of the Holy Spirit!

So, if you are a Christian, these words should NEVER come out of your mouth: "But everyone else is doing it." So WHAT!?!?! If everyone else is having sex with their boyfriend/girlfriend... SO WHAT! If everyone else is drinking under age... SO WHAT! If everyone else is looking at pornography... SO WHAT! If everyone else is sleeping til noon, wasting their life watching TV, and disrespecting their parents... SO WHAT! Be different...

Christians MUST look different. You will NEVER be perfect, but you should be different. If you aren't different, then ask yourself: do you really know Christ?

Take a look at these verses for a further study: John 12:31, John 16:11, 1 John 5:19, Romans 12:2, 1 John 2:15-17