Sin loves an idle mind

...Just for you, Klamecki.

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It’s about that time of year when things start to get really insane. There are just a few months of school left and you’re in the midst of big projects and papers. Your commitments, whether to school, or church, or work, are consuming your schedule. Every day it’s something else you have to worry about, some other deadline you have to meet. Then, like a beacon in the night, the long-awaited day off arrives. You finally have time to sit down and breathe; there’s actually a small window of… free time… in your life. What now?

Enjoy your free time, but beware of the dangers that come with it. Sin loves an idle mind. Paul writes in Ephesians 5:16, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” It is easy to think that in those rare moments of free time, you have somehow earned the right to use that time to do whatever you want. With this mindset, you naturally let down your guard, and it is then that sin will strike with most appeal, and with the subtlest of suggestions.

There are times when you are tempted to sin and you know it is sin. Whether you’re sitting around watching television or surfing the internet, the temptation to sin can be obvious and clear, but when you’ve got nothing else to do, it is more enticing. However, sin in that format is generally easy to pick out. Sin has the ability to disguise itself as innocent and harmless. It is far more dangerous for you when sin causes you to make small compromises that seem like nothing at all. Maybe this TV show isn’t bad, exactly, but is it beneficial? Maybe that website doesn’t have anything inappropriate, but is reading it a wise use of your time? Whether or not some particular activity is actually sinful, assess whether it is something that could possibly lead to sin, and whether there is something better to do with your time. On the internet, sin is always waiting at your fingertips. In our media-driven culture, sin, and the temptation to sin, is ever-present.

This does not mean that you have to completely isolate yourself from everything. The potential to sin is within you regardless of where you are or what you are doing with your time, so that would not necessarily help. It does mean that as believers, we need to get serious about hating sin. “But I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil” (Rom. 16:19). Flee from sin. The days are evil, and temptations surround. When idle time comes your way, prayerfully consider what the best use of your time would be. “Do not give the devil an opportunity,” Paul says in Ephesians 4:27. Are you engaging things of the world that are giving the devil an opportunity to tear you down? Do not allow room for sin to grab hold. Resist anything that presents sin as humorous or harmless. Look to the cross, direct your gaze toward the Savior. The cross was necessary because of how severely the Father hates sin. Will you then repay Christ by allowing that same sin the chance to take hold in your life?

Turn your eyes upon Jesus // look full in His wonderful face // and the things of earth will grow strangely dim // in the light of His glory and grace.