The world is against us. In youth particularly we are so vulnerable. The efforts of the enemy are so strong to bring us down. Aimlessness is a great danger, to have no direction, no purpose. Sometimes people say, 'I feel so tempted by this and by that. I have been through different phases when I am so drawn and so tempted, and I could fall and I could let the Lord down.’ Yes, but perhaps there is a degree of aimlessness in your life, spiritual aimlessness. Even though you are converted, you are not fully engaged and occupied as you might be in proper, useful objectives, particularly in spiritual objectives. It is in the wandering moments that we are most vulnerable and Solomon gets that through to us.
Then what about our secret lives? These need to be particularly guarded. Our thoughts? We can be so quickly taken by flattery, by success in some area, by ease. Do you pamper yourself? Do you give way to yourself? Do you have a track-record of giving way to temptation? Oh, I think I will buy this, I think I will have that. It is rather finer than I need, it is rather finer than perhaps other Christians have and finer than I ought to have, but it would be nice. I am not suggesting that Christian people should go about in sackcloth and deprivation. Of course not! But do you pamper yourself? It is no good saying, I feel so strongly tempted. Are you a strong person, or do you weaken yourself? Every whim that comes into your head, innocent though it may be, you say, ‘I'll have it, I'll buy it, I'll do it.’ Every friend who says, ‘Come and do this’, you will come. Are you not putting the Lord and his service first and toughening yourself up? If you resist some of the little temptations, innocent though they are, we will be much stronger when the big ones come. Isn't that obvious? All the counsel of the Lord is here. Do we minimise the dangers? Do we think we are strong? Do we think nothing can happen to us? Keep your mind on what has happened to others when they have not taken these things seriously.