Recently, I graduated from Texas State University, which most people initially think is just a party school. As I would catch up with friends from my high school after a year in college, I convinced them that Texas State was the most Christian school based on how I would share how college was going. When I first got to college, I was on a weak faith foundation, and I was presented with the party life when I was at a low point in life. I had a friend from high school who consistently invited me to a college ministry there called Crosstalk, which I had declined many times prior. Finally, one night, I had the choice to fully chase the party and worldly life or show up to this Crosstalk thing.
I chose to check out Crosstalk, and as I walked through the doors, I saw that the Lord had shattered my heart in the most beautiful way during worship. To some people, it was a normal evening of worship, but to me, the Holy Spirit filled every crevasse of my life at that moment, and it was an overwhelming feeling of truth and love in life. The rest of that year, I read the Bible in a year while asking every question that came along the way, worshiped God all over campus with other believers, and thanked God every day for the small things. This passage in Ephesians is not just Paul telling us what to do and not to do. Paul is sharing how you can experience a greater depth in your relationship with God and others, even while surrounded by worldliness. Take time to think of how worldliness influences you most and how you can let the Holy Spirit help you to overcome those temptations rather than trying to face them yourself.