Source of Influence

Have you experienced the new freestyle coca-cola machine yet? Over 120 different flavors of carbonated and non-carbonated beverages from one touch screen machine. One of the main issues with the freestyle machine, long lines due to the extra time it takes people to decide on what combination of product to dispense.  I found myself trying to think ahead of what I might like to try, and I don't really drink much soda. Have you noticed that if there is something new around most people will try it? If there is a lot of sweets at the house, I find myself wanting to eat more sweets than normal, if there are no sweets at the house, I really don't want any most of the time. In life we often create unnecessary opportunities to fall or fail. We seem to stand before some sort of freestyle decision machine and if it doesn't say in black and white what we are looking for, we just pick our combination of flavor, and fill up our cup. Grab this thought for a moment: A young man is planning to marry his long time girlfriend, through all the planning and late hours to get everything just right, the young man is tired and is faced with a decision to sleep over at his girlfriends house. The young man knows the Word of God says that you should abstain from fornication, so he doesn't want to oppose Gods Word, he agrees to sleep on the couch. See where this is going? God didn't say the young man couldn't sleep on the couch, but what about Romans 13:14 saying "   make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof".? Or what about Proverbs 5:8 "Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:"? We can learn helpful details from the source of our influence if the experience is going to be good or bad. Solomon gives us a great illustration in Proverbs 1:10, he tells his son if sinners entice him do not go hang out with them. The source of influence is "sinners", if you go along with their influence, it's like asking a hungry lion if it's okay to come into his den. Realize the source of influence in making decisions, realize the goal of the decision, and realize the motive of the decision. You don't have to constantly spin in circles and grasp for breath while making decisions, make it a point to realize your source of influence, notice the biblical source of influence God has given you. The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. Proverbs 21:5