Have you ever been naughty?

Have you ever purposely done something that was sneaky when you knew you shouldn’t have?

I remember one specific time during my teen years when I did something that was really sneaky and bad.

Some of my basketball teammates were talking about a certain movie and it sounded so cool. I wanted to be a part of the “in crowd” like them. I didn’t want to be that homeschool girl who only knew every line from every episode of Little House on the Prairie.

I wanted to be way cooler than that.

My parents weren’t as concerned about my coolness as I was. In fact, I knew they wouldn’t have approved of that new movie at all. They had multiple conversations with me in the past about why those type of movies weren’t honoring to God and wouldn’t be beneficial for me to watch.

So, I did what every sinful, rebellious, self-pleasing daughter would do – I thought up a sneaky plan to get around their rules. I desperately wanted to solve my “stuck in the 90’s” movie problem. I had recently gotten my drivers license and I knew the perfect spot to get what I wanted.

Wally World.

FYI – this is before Redboxes existed.

At six foot two, I inconspicuously (riiight) made my way to the back of Wal-Mart where the stash of movies was located. Not only did I find the movie I was hoping for, but it came in a buy-one-get-one-free 2 pack along with another movie that I really wanted.

Major score!

I took these two movies home and secretly stashed them away in the back of my sock drawer (classic, I know). When the sun went down and the house was asleep, I opened up my laptop, popped in my headphones and had a little solo movie night.

I did the same thing with the other movie the next night.

Everything was going great until the third night.

Have you ever had that sick feeling in your stomach when you know you’ve done something wrong? Yep, that was me.

Party over.

The Holy Spirit began convicting me about my “sneaky naughtiness” until I couldn’t bear it anymore. I couldn’t think about anything else! God knew what He was doing when He gave us consciences.

I finally gained the courage to confess my sin to my parents one night and to seek their forgiveness. It wasn’t fun. They were shocked by my actions and very disappointed in my decision. We had a good little heart-to-heart, and in the end they forgave me.

A huge weight was lifted from my shoulders and I felt free again!

Can you relate to my story at all? Unless you’re a perfect angel, I know you can. We’ve all chosen the naughty route at some point or another. In fact, some of you might be in the middle of your naughtiness right now…?

Unfortunately, our world is full of easy-to-make naughty choices. Being naughty is now the new cool. As a 21st century Christian girl, you have seductive temptations and allurements coming at you from all angles.

So how do you stay afloat? How do you survive?

The biggest dog wins.

I heard an amazing illustration once. There are two dogs standing side by side. One of them is named Naughty and the other one is named Nice. These are your dogs and they go with you on a leash everywhere you go. Every time you make a godly choice you have to feed “Nice” and every time you make a sinful choice you have to feed “Naughty.”

Whichever dog gets the most food is the strongest and pulls you forward in that direction. The other dog becomes weaker and weaker to the point that you’re having to drag him along.

Our spiritual life works the same way. The more you choose to fill your mind with worldly influences the stronger those influences become in your life. If you find it really hard to resist certain temptations, it probably means you’re feeding the wrong dog.

In the same way, the more you feed the good dog (reading your Bible, praying, plugging into Bible studies, having accountability, etc.) the stronger you will grow in your relationship with Christ and the easier it will be to overcome temptations. You will be pulled forward in a God-honoring direction.

Which dog are you feeding?

My movie example is a great illustration of what happened to me when I put my focus on pleasing the world. My heart was set on being popular with my friends and that pulled me forward in the wrong direction. In fact, it influenced me so much that I was willing to sinfully purchase and watch those movies behind my parents’ back. I was feeding the wrong dog for sure.

Here are my questions for you:

• Which dog do you feed the most in your life right now? Be honest!
• How much time do you spend filling your mind with godly, holy and pure influences versus worldly ones?
• How many hours do you spend on Facebook, Instagram, watching movies and TV versus the time you spend in God’s Word?
• Are you more attracted to pleasing the world than you are to pleasing God?

Our culture is enticing you to be naughty everyday. Becoming a godly girl won’t happen without a lot of hard work. You have to intentionally (daily) fill your mind and heart with the truths from God’s Word.

When the pressure’s on, the biggest dog will win; so make sure you’re feeding the right one.

Photo credit: www.flickr.com | Sciain