"That's not yours."

When I was a senior in college, I was engaged to my then-fiancee-now-wife. I was a twenty-one-year-old guy on a college campus (my future wife attended a different university, so we only saw each other on weekends).

During the fall semester, I played soccer, which meant that many weekends we would have road trip games. The women's soccer team also travelled with us. We would leave Friday nights, stay in hotels, play a game Saturday, travel to the next college, stay in a hotel, and play Sunday. Then we would road trip back to our school Sunday evening.

Needless to say, that put twenty in-shape, young guys in close proximity with twenty in-shape, young ladies.  All weekend.  When we were not playing matches, there was a lot of down time. Hanging out in hotel rooms. Lounging by the pool. You get what I am saying.

I was excited about being married. I was madly in love with my fiancee, who is now my wife, and I still am today. However, that environment was tailor-made for temptation, and I'll admit, there were times that I struggled. Nothing physical was ever going to happen, but at times it was tempting to look.  It was in one of those moments that God spoke to me and told me something I will never forget.

We were in San Antonio, getting ready to play Trinity University.  The women's team was playing first, and we were sitting on the sideline as they ran by us onto the field for warm-ups. Some of the guys made some remarks about the physiques of some of the ladies, and as I looked to see who they were referring to, God spoke to me.  He said three words.

"That's not yours."

Three words that completely took me off guard.  He didn't have to say anything else.

What God was saying was that He had created those young women. I believe that I was created for my wife and she was created for me. Therefore, those young women belonged to someone else. They belonged to the men who some day would marry them and call them their wives, just as those men whom they would call husband belonged to them.

God created them precious and attractive so that their future husbands would be blessed, just as God created their future husbands handsome and attractive so they would be blessed.  What God had created was sacred and more importantly, off-limits to everyone except for whom they were intended.

To all you men out there, and you ladies out there, that struggle with lust, I want you to repeat those same words God spoke to me- "That's not yours."  That lady that you work with?  That's not yours. That woman or teen girl on the website you frequent? That's not yours. The wife of your best friend that you enjoy flirting with? That's not yours.

Do you see how awful it is to lust over something that isn't yours?  Do you see the sin that is being committed?  That's not yours. Stop treating it like it is.  Stop treating HER like she is.

She's not yours. She was made for someone other than you. So hands off.  Eyes off. Thoughts off. THAT'S NOT YOURS.

If you face sexual temptation, if you face the temptation to look at women (or men) in a sexual way, call these three words to mind- "That's not yours." These three words have kept me from all kinds of trouble- all kinds of temptation have been defeated by those three words.  All kinds of marital strife and trouble have been avoided because of those three words.  All kinds of embarrassment and betrayal have been defeated because of those three words.

Maybe you men need to write these three words on a post-it note and stick it on your computer.

Maybe you men need to change the name of the contact in your phone, you know, the one that you can't delete because you work with her or something, but you get very excited when she calls, to "That's not yours."

Keep your hands and eyes off of God's people.  They're not yours.

The Importance of Practicing for Persecution

*On this topic, I typically get nothing but yawns. I sometimes feel like a flagman on a road waving his arms and shouting, "The bridge is out!!" while cars pass by me at seventy miles an hour. The plain and simple fact is that most people just don't want to think about anything negative, much less prepare for it. I am anticipating that this blog gets very little traffic.*


I've been playing soccer for 36 years.

Something occurred to me yesterday at practice (I coach a local middle school girls' team, so I have 12-14 year-olds on my team). I was demonstrating dribbling and shooting techniques for them, and many of them weren't getting it. I mean, they weren't even close.  Form was off, technique was off- they just couldn't do it.

I thought to myself, "How can you all not be getting this? It's so simple!" I watched, coached and corrected, and watched some more. Finally, most of them got it; some still didn't.

Then I realized why I thought it was simple- I had been doing these moves and techniques for 36 years.  They, however, were learning it for the first time.  I had done these dribbling moves millions of times in practice, hundreds of thousands of times in games under tight competition. I didn't even have to think. It just happened.

This is known as "muscle memory."  Repeated practice lays down a coordinated groove in both your mind and your body, so that the action becomes automatic. You do it without thinking, without effort- almost subconsciously.

These girls, on the other hand, were not there.  They hadn't practiced it enough.  We all know what happens in the game- they won't do it.  They might WANT to, but when the true test comes, they won't be able to come through. They simply haven't practiced enough. They don't have the muscle memory yet. It's not their fault- it's just the truth. They need to go through the same motion hundreds and thousands (and hundreds of thousands) of times before it becomes automatic.

The same is true in our Christian lives.  It's no great secret that it's open season on Christians in the world today. Christians are getting slaughtered in the Middle East, both by fringe groups and legitimate governments. Christians on university campuses in America are bullied and mocked openly. Christian businesses are facing Nazi-like public shaming by the homofascist movement, akin to the tactics used against Jewish businesses in 1930s Germany. In the years to come, it will get even worse.

What is your muscle memory when it comes to persecution?

Have you practiced?

I think it is time for Christians to decide- NOW- what you will do when you face persecution. I am calling all Christians to take time and decide right now what you will do in each of the following scenarios:

1) You are in a college dorm getting ready for class.  Two men with AK-47s bust in and ask, "Muslim or Christian?" If you answer "Christian," they will shoot you.  What do you do?

2) You are a Christian business owner. A reporter shows up and asks if your business will provide a product in support of a gay wedding. If you say, "No," you will be subject to boycotts, smearing on social media, death threats, most likely the loss of your business, and possibly lawsuits endangering your life's work, personal savings, and job security. What do you do?

3) You attend a church where your pastor will not perform same-sex weddings. You arrive on Sunday morning to see your church vandalized- graffiti on the walls, windows broken, church bus tires slashed, etc. You fix it one week and it happens the next. Social media calls everyone who attends that church a bigot, homophobe, intolerant. The pastor and his family receive death threats and his children are harassed at school. What do you do?

4) You are up for a job promotion, something you've been working for for years.  Right before you get the promotion, one of your co-workers discovers you made a donation in support of a traditional marriage amendment to your state constitution. When your boss finds out about it, he asks you about your views on marriage. You know that if you say, "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman only," you will not get the promotion. You might even be fired.  What do you do?

Each of these four scenarios, unfortunately, are not made up.  Scenario one happened at Garissa College in Kenya three weeks ago. Scenario two happened at Memories Pizzeria in Indiana three weeks ago. Scenario three happened about five months ago in Washington State. Scenario four happened at Mozilla to CEO Brenden Eich.

It is time to decide NOW what you would do in that situation. Practice it. Know your reasons. Prepare yourself. This is SO very important. When the day of trial comes, you don't want to have to decide. If you want to honor Christ, if you truly want to stay true to your beliefs, you will need your automatic muscle memory to take over. The temptation to back down will be too strong for most of us. We will fail at the time of reckoning if we don't have the muscle memory in place.

So, decide now.

We practice for all kinds of things. We practice for sports. We practice marksmanship on the gun range.  We practice art, music, woodworking, and scrapbooking. We practice all the time for the things we believe are important. How about your faith? Will you practice for the day of reckoning when you will be called upon to stand and be counted?

I have told both my congregation and my family that I will do jail time. I know I will. Not because I am a criminal or because I hate anyone, but because I will never perform a same-sex wedding nor will I ever say that it is compatible with God's word. The most likely scenario that I have prepared myself in advance for is that I will be threatened, and I won't respond. Then I will be sued, and I will probably lose the lawsuit. Then I will be fined, and I won't pay the fine.  That will lead to my imprisonment. That's okay. I am in prison every Tuesday morning anyway teaching my fatherhood skills class. I'll just teach it everyday, I guess. If God sees fit to put me in that mission field full-time, so be it. I would be in good company. That has happened to Christians for the past 2000 years. It even happened to the guy who wrote half of the New Testament. His name?  The Apostle Paul.

I've already decided. I've already made up my mind that that is the path I am going to take. That is the path I believe is most honoring to God. I remind myself every day about it. Therefore, like on the soccer field, when the time comes, I will already know what I am doing. Muscle memory will take over, and temptation will not take me. At least I hope it won't. One can only prepare so much.

One thing is for sure, though- persecution is coming. It's already here. You must prepare. You must practice. You must know what you will do before it happens. This is what the wise person who wants to live out his or her faith does. Be prepared and practice. What will be most honoring to God in your day of trial? Decide now, not when you are staring down the barrel of a gun or a lawsuit.

Why committed Christians can't seem to accomplish the Great Commission

If you are a believer in Christ and have spent any time in a church, you are very familiar with Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus tells us to "go into all the world, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

That's no great secret. Most Christians I know could quote that verse.

Unfortunately, that is the extent in the lives of most Christians.  Why is this?

Why is it that one of Jesus' most specific and directed commands is so routinely disobeyed? Why is this straightforward, no-gray-area, no-room-for-interpretation command of Jesus so absent in the lives of even very committed Christians and churchgoers?

I think it boils down to one thing.  It isn't desire, or relationship with God, or prayer, or devotion, or any of the other things we normally assume when a command of Jesus is ignored.

It is PROXIMITY.

Christians just simply aren't around people who need the gospel.

In America, it is perfectly possible, and even encouraged, to structure your life and routine to be around people whose needs are not apparent. If you live in a safe neighborhood, go to an affluent school, drive your car everywhere you go, hang out with safe friends, go to nice shopping malls, etc, you can spend your entire life without ever meeting the very people Jesus said to go and reach.

I've been to several different countries. Many of them are countries where Christianity is a very small minority. I've been to the rural areas of Nepal, the mountainous regions filled with Hindu gods, strict caste systems, and questionable electricity. I've been to villages in India where missionaries have been killed for bringing Christianity to the tribes. I've been in areas of extreme poverty, encountering orphans and widows and people living on less than a dollar per day.

We simply don't see that here in America. We aren't in proximity to obvious spiritual needs.  Here in America, spiritual needs are a private affair. People don't invite strangers off the street into their homes and ask them to pray for them.  We don't see bundles of orphans on street corners. We don't see old women who haven't eaten in three days because their husbands died, leaving them without work or support. We don't see people hungry for the gospel who, the first time they hear about Jesus, they become lifelong disciples.

Sometimes I'm envious of pastors in those areas. They don't have to go looking for ministry. The ministry opportunities are right outside their doors.

However, here in America, it is difficult to find ministry opportunities. Ministry opportunities have to be actively sought out. Ministry opportunities are not obvious- they are very, very hidden. Christians in America have to disrupt their routine, sometimes immensely, to find the people who are in need.

I believe this is why committed Christians don't take the Great Commission more seriously. They've looked around and don't see any opportunities.

Their friends are either all Christians or are so actively antagonistic to the faith that they don't bother sharing- one, because they already know the gospel, two, because they don't want an argument and a possible loss of friendship.

American Christians, here is the truth: Just because opportunities are hard to find doesn't mean we don't have to do what Jesus said. We just have to work harder than other folks.

Once you are determined to place yourself in proximity to people who need Jesus, you will find ministry opportunities everywhere.

Prison ministry is available everywhere- but you have to get certified and background-checked first, and oh, there's the entire "going to prison" thing. They won't come to you. You have to go to them.

Mission opportunities are everywhere- but you have to raise money for plane tickets and all that.  Oh, and there's the danger and the language barrier thing. They won't come to you. You have to go to them.

Homeless ministry is available everywhere- but you have to go to parts of town you normally don't go and be around people who are mentally unstable, hungry, and possibly don't smell very good. They won't come to you. You have to go to them.

Foster care and adoption is available, and hugely needed, everywhere. You have to be willing to bring hurting children into your home and possibly be rejected and hurt. They won't come to you. You have to go to them.

I guess what I am trying to say is this- place yourself in proximity to the people who need Jesus. You probably aren't in proximity to them. That's why you've been ignoring the Great Commission. You simply don't know any inmates, homeless people, foster children, orphans, or people of other religions in other countries.

If you DID know them, the Great Commission would flow freely from you, because when a true believer in Christ meets a person in need, it is very natural to love that person and share Jesus.

But the first step is proximity.  We have to be around the folks who need Jesus the most.

Once that foster child has a face, and not just a name, the Great Commission is accomplished.

Once that inmate has a face and isn't just a sinner in an orange jump suit, the Great Commission is accomplished.

Once that shoeless, toothless woman in a village in Nepal has a face and not just a nationality, the Great Commission is accomplished.

Once that homeless man who hasn't had a bath in three weeks has a face and a story, and isn't just a nameless number walking the streets, the Great Commission is accomplished.

Proximity.

Proximity.

Maybe one of the biggest sins we have committed in American Christianity is the deliberate structuring of our lives so that we never see the people Jesus wants us to go to.  If you a Christian, you want to see hell empty and heaven full. It won't happen without proximity to people who need Jesus.

If you are a committed Christian who does not accomplish the Great Commission- if you are a Christian who has never made a disciple outside of your own family- most likely you have structured your life so that you will never see the people God wants you to share the Gospel with. Don't take that lightly. Place yourself in proximity to those who are most receptive to the Gospel. Then watch the Great Commission be accomplished through you, to the glory of God.

Those who will not worship will need to be entertained

I heard a great quote, and it's something to think about as we approach Easter Sunday.  "Those who will not worship will need to be entertained."

What is your attitude towards this Sunday (and every Sunday)? Are you seeking to worship?  Or are you seeking to be entertained? Your answer to this question may completely reveal why Sundays are good or bad, relevant or irrelevant. Sunday worship is irrelevant to someone seeking entertainment; Sunday entertainment is irrelevant to someone seeking worship.

Unfortunately, our culture has prepped us to desire entertainment. There will always be more people seeking entertainment than worship.

Pastors and church-growth gurus have seen this trend and have responded- that's why the Willow Creek model of the megachurch in the 90's was so successful. They removed crosses, stopped talking about sin and hell, decked out sanctuaries with cool lights and fog machines, preached "Five Steps to A Happy Life" messages, and struck into niche of people seeking entertainment. Sunday mornings became less about worship and more about growing and maintaining a certain number of people in attendance.

Several years ago, Willow Creek announced to the nation that it had made a mistake. Their model was a failure- they had failed to make disciples.  I give them major props for that. To admit that you're wrong on that big a scale takes major character and humility. While they had drawn big crowds and entertained the heck out of people, they had not seen anyone walking closer with Christ.

So, what are you seeking this Sunday?

If you come to church this Sunday and will not worship God (meaning that you walk in unprepared to glorify the Name of God, unprepared to surrender your life to Him, unprepared to commit to His ways, unwilling to turn your attention to the One greater than you, unwilling to acknowledge everything that He is, ungrateful for the cross, ungrateful for His sacrifice for you), then Sunday morning will be completely irrelevant for you unless you are entertained by funny videos, cool music, lights, fog machine, and a slick message, because you want to be entertained.

However, if you come to church this Sunday and want to worship God, the funny videos, cool music, lights, fog machine, and slick message will be most likely boring and irrelevant to you because you want to worship.

Jesus didn't entertain.

Jesus provided an encounter with God.

Jesus specifically turned away people wanting entertainment.

In Luke 23:8-9, Jesus is sent before Herod for a trial. Herod was eager to see Him, because he had heard a lot about Jesus and was hoping that Jesus would perform for him. Jesus said nothing, did nothing, and refused to entertain. Herod was disappointed.

Any king Herods in our churches today?

Anyone seeking to be entertained by Jesus? Anyone wanting a great show, a great miracle, a great fun time, but unwilling to worship Jesus as Lord and Savior?  Unfortunately, yes. Our churches are full of king Herods, and unless the king Herods are entertained, they will leave.

So, this weekend, ask yourself if you are going to worship or going to be entertained. Those who will not worship will need to be entertained. 

The Biblical lesson Daxter Miles taught the nation last night

The internet is abuzz with Kentucky's blowout of WVU last night. What makes this win so particularly interesting to the social media savvy is the trash-talking given out by WVU player Daxter Miles before the game.

I'm not going to jump on him and gloat. It's bad enough that these 18-year olds have a national following and their words are repeated more than most world leaders. I actually feel bad for them- higher levels bring higher devils and what is normal unwise bantering of a teenager, for them, becomes national and international news. I think if most of us think back to the stupid things we did or said when we were 18, or 19, or whatever, we would be very glad they weren't broadcast to a national audience and splashed all over the world.

However, Daxter Miles taught us a Biblical lesson yesterday.

Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before a destruction; a haughty spirit before a fall."  That was confirmed last night.  Boy, did WVU fall.  Even worse, Daxter Miles fell.

If he had just been another player who kept his mouth shut, it would have just been another win for the juggernaut UK basketball team. However, due to the statements made, it turned into something much worse.  Why would Daxter Miles say the things he said against an obviously greater and better basketball team?

Well, pride does something to us. It gives us an untrue view of ourselves. Pride causes us to overestimate our abilities and underestimate the abilities of others. It causes us to continue a course that will destroy us even with everyone shouting at us to stop.

In the book of Exodus, God rained plague after plague on Egypt. Locusts, frogs, rivers turning to blood, cattle dying, hail, darkness- all of these things straight from God to convince Pharaoh to set the Hebrews free from slavery. Pharaoh wouldn't listen. His pride blinded him. His advisors begged him, "Let them go!  Can't you see that Egypt is ruined?" His pride went before his mighty fall, and his destruction was complete.

Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. We see pride in every area of our national life- in politics, with leaders failing to listen to constituents, continuing courses that are bankrupting and destroying our nation but still refusing to change; in the church, with pastors removing the word of God from their pulpits, watching their churches decline into nothingness as frustrated Christians abandon the pews but still refusing to change; husbands and wives lashing out at each other, refusing to repent or change, watching their marriages disintegrate before their very eyes, and the list goes on.

In each case, pride has given an untrue view of reality. Politicians, pastors, husbands, wives, Daxter Miles- all have untrue views of their human abilities. All are setting themselves up for a fall, like Miles did last night in the basketball game. When the fall happens, it is thorough and complete.

We in America would do well to learn this lesson.  Pride will destroy you. Better to walk in humility and let your actions speak for themselves than to walk in pride and watch your words destroy you. Better to remain humble, quiet, and reserved than to boisterously proclaim your folly on the national stage. Let your actions be the statement, not your words.

One last word to my friends and fellow UK wildcat fans: do not make the same mistake as Dexter Miles. Gloating and rubbing an opponent's face in his own downfall is a sure way to make sure that it happens to you. WVU, because of its most recent win, had an overinflated view of itself. Don't let that happen to us. Also, remember that until Goliath fought David, he was undefeated. We are the Goliath of college basketball right now, and Goliath's pride was his undoing. Let us simply support our team, rejoice in their wins and successes, and nothing more. We won't remain undefeated forever. Sooner or later, we will lose. I'm afraid that if we gloat and mock when we win, people will gloat and mock when we lose. Let us win and lose gracefully and in the spirit of true competition, because pride goes before a destruction; a haughty spirit before a fall.

Two times couples should never argue . . .

I've been married almost 19 years. I'm not an easy man to be married to, and my wife gets major props for not only staying married to me, but continuing to love me through all the difficulties we've been through.  A ministry marriage is particularly difficult due to the fact that many times people are looking for your family to be the model and the example- the "perfect family."

So, a combination of me not being easy to be married to, plus a ministry marriage, has provided us with excellent opportunities to be in conflict. Over the last 19 years, however, we've learned a few things, and one of the things we've learned is this:  there are two times when couples should never argue.

There are two times where nothing should be discussed other than the weather. Two times where unless the house is on fire or an axe murderer is threatening the children, nothing should be discussed.  If couples would avoid these two times, upwards of 90% of conflict could potentially be avoided.  Ready for the two times? It's not rocket science. What I am about to say will seem so trivial, so minute, that many will disregard it.  However, it's something I've learned slugging through the blood, sweat, and tears of marriage.

The two times are 1) When you are tired, and 2) When you are hungry.

That's it.

Sound simple?

If you are married, think back to the worst arguments you've had.  I'm not talking about arguments over adultery or abuse or something monumental like that.  I'm talking about arguments that you really don't know how they started, why they kept going, or why you were arguing in the first place.  I would be willing to bet that in the vast majority of them, someone was hungry and/or tired.

It is wise for couples to pay attention to their physical state. The body, mind, and emotions are all connected.  When you are tired and/or hungry, it does something to your emotions. You lose perspective. You are more easily irritated. You are more likely to say something you don't mean. You are more likely to carry an argument further than it needs to be carried, all the while stirring up more and more emotion, so that at the end of the two-hour argument, you haven't solved a thing and everyone is MUCH madder than when you started.

I was counseling a couple just last night.  They expressed the fact that they were unable to communicate.  Her words to me were, "He won't talk to me. When he does, he just blows up. Then I get angry, and we just keep going and going and going. I just don't know what to do anymore!" She was at the point of tears.

I asked, "When do these arguments take place?"

Their mutual answer, "Late at night. We don't argue in front of the kids."

So I said, "So, you wait until you are exhausted from the day to discuss things?" (Both work full-time).

He spoke up, "I can't stay up past 10. I am literally propping my eyelids open past 10, and that's when she wants to talk about everything I need to do, how I haven't done what I need to do, etc. I just want to go to sleep, but I can't, so I just lose it."

I said, "I want you all to do something for me. I want you to set an alarm at 9:30 pm. After 9:30 pm, the only thing that happens is sex and sleep. Nothing needs to be discussed at that point in time. If there is an issue, it can wait until the morning when you are well-rested and eaten breakfast. You will be AMAZED at how much better your discussions will be."

She spoke up, "But what if it is important?"

I said, "Unless the house is on fire or an axe murderer is threatening the children, there isn't anything a 9:30 pm that can't be solved the next day.  You just have to exercise self-control. I know you want to talk about it. I know you think it's important. BUT IT ISN'T THE RIGHT TIME. Your husband is tired.  You are tired. You're both irritable. Neither of you is in the right state of mind to solve anything. Plus, by not exercising self-control, you are destroying your marriage."

I continued, "That doesn't mean you drop the matter. It just means that you attack the matter with a fresh set of eyes, a rested mind, a heart at peace, and a full stomach. You'll be amazed at how much smaller your problems seem when you are rested and fed. I want you to set the new house rule- nothing after 9:30 except sleep and sex. Replace those late-night arguments with some intimacy, and if there are problems, deal with them in the morning. Give it a shot and see what happens."

I recommend that for everyone.  For all married couples- do not try to solve anything when you are hungry or tired. It doesn't work. It's not worth the irritable spiraling-out-of-control-we-don't-even-know-what-we-are-arguing-about-anymore fights each night. Most things aren't that big a deal anyway. Just go to bed.

Sometimes, the only thing you need is a new perspective on the problem, gained by a good night's sleep and a good breakfast. Try it and see. 

Changing the 7 deadly sins to something more palatable

We live in a consumer-driven society. Our entire way of life depends on the fact that we will produce and consume enough goods and services that our economy grows. We have jobs because people will buy things. We have GOOD jobs because people will buy things they don't need. We are in TROUBLE because people will neglect family and God to work more to get more money to buy things they don't need.

Don't think that this way of life evolved easily.  We had to do some major shifting in our beliefs about right and wrong in order to pull this off.  Our great-grandparents, if they were to come back and visit us, would have trouble listening to the way we describe right and wrong.

First, we had to change our minds about debt. Our great-grandparents saw debt as something to be avoided at all costs.  Going into debt was WRONG. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who would say that today, let alone live it out. The average American household has over $200,000 in debt (credit card, mortgage, and student loans- not counting car loans and other types) and yet no one feels  much guilt about that. In order to support our consumer-driven society, we had to change our beliefs about debt.

However, it goes much darker than that. Sociologist James Cote said this, "In order to support the massive consumption that drives modern economies, North American societies have redefined the seven deadly sins into a new pleasure-focused way to be adult:

         1. Pride has become self-esteem, individuality, and vanity.
         2. Greed has become acquisition and "taking care of yourself."
         3. Anger has become competitiveness and drive.
         4. Lust has become sexuality, sex appeal, love life, fashion, and liberation.
         5. Envy has become initiative.
         6. Sloth has become leisure and relaxation.
         7. Gluttony has become "the good life."

When we redefine sins into something more palatable (after all, who wants to be a glutton? Let's just call eating, drinking, and consuming more than we need "the good life" and we will all be happy) we blind ourselves to the evil that they produce in our lives.  Let's look at the results of this redefinition in our modern day society:

1.  When Pride becomes self-esteem, individuality, and vanity, we set ourselves up for the inevitable fall which accompanies pride.  "Pride goes before a destruction; a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18). By not guarding against pride, we also rid ourselves of pride's opposite- humility. By embracing pride as something good, we rob ourselves of God's blessing ("God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" James 4:6). By redefining pride as self-esteem, we set ourselves in opposition to God and rid ourselves of His grace.  Not a good idea.

2. When Greed becomes acquisition and "taking care of yourself," we put an inordinate emphasis on having more and more. We push out God's desire for us- generosity- because all of a sudden being greedy is desirable.

3. When Anger becomes competitiveness and drive, we drop our guard for the subtle ways anger destroys us. Anger has been so redefined in our culture that men regard expressing anger as a statement of masculinity and manliness, not a petulant loss of self-control. When we as a people become comfortable with anger, we drop our desire for anger's opposite, which is forgiveness.

4. When Lust becomes sexuality, liberation, sex appeal, etc, we drop our guard against the powerful drives which inhabit all of us. We see no problem with disregard for God's will for man and woman and marriage- we become a society that openly rebels against God's standards and will pay/are paying the price every day in terms of divorce, pornography, STD's, broken hearts, a 41% out-of-wedlock child birth rate (which leads to increased childhood poverty, illness, violence, and diminished prospects for education and employment).

5. When Envy becomes initiative, we constantly compare ourselves to things others have, abilities others have, and lifestyles others have. We see nothing wrong with the seething anger that grabs us when someone has what we don't have. We see nothing wrong with criticizing, belittling, even stealing what they have because we are envious. We miss out on the opposite of envy, which is contentment. A contented person is much more pleasant and at peace than an envious one.  However, without envy, we wouldn't sell nearly as many products to the consumers, so envy stays.

6. When Sloth becomes relaxation and leisure, we see nothing wrong with taking for ourselves what others have worked for. We see nothing wrong with someone else providing for our needs. We even begin, as a society, to demand that others meet our needs so we won't have to work for them. Sloth is taking over our society right now, with the highest numbers ever recorded receiving some kind of government assistance. When Sloth becomes a way of life, we miss out on the blessing of work and the fulfillment and character it creates.

7. When Gluttony becomes "the good life" we will have no problem whatsoever with indulging whatever appetite we have at the moment.  Gluttony is more than just overeating- gluttony is buying more house than you need, more car than you need, more clothes than you need, more accessories than you need, more gadgets than you need. Gluttony is "living by your stomach, not your head." Gluttony is what causes us to be up to our necks in debt, fatter than 90% of the people on this planet, and constantly unsatisfied. When we embrace gluttony as a culture, which we have, we diminish the desire for self-control. We even mock those who exercise self-control, calling them "prudes," "sticks in the mud," and "off the deep end." A society that lives for gluttony, under the banner of "the good life," experiences the hedonistic paradox, which states that the more pleasure you run after, the less you attain.

Christians must take a serious look at these sins in our lives. Most of us are completely unaware of these seven deadly sins in our lives. Most of us are perfectly fine HAVING them in our lives, because we have bought the cultural redefinition of the sins and now are marching in step with what our Western culture dictates. I urge you to reconsider how these seven deadly sins have been redefined in your life and make changes today.  Call pride, greed, anger, lust, envy, sloth, and gluttony what they are. Repent of them. Rid yourself of them. Then, go live in the freedom that God offers you.