And We All Fall Down- My Challenge

I see people stumble and fall, including myself, on a daily basis. You see, the odd thing is that people think that they don’t sin, or they think of sin as BIG sins like murder or violent crime or drug abusers or, yes, alcoholics. But I am constantly reminding people that we sin when we are hateful, lustful, jealous, vain, greedy, selfish, or mean…and the list goes on. Our first sin is how we think about things. ***************************************************************************************************************************************** What the bible means by sin is (loosely stated): “missing the mark, transgressing God's law, rebellion, lawlessness, or failing to do what is right, stemming from a deep-seated human condition of falling short of God's glory, which separates people from Him.” ******************************************************************************************************************************** We battle against sinful thoughts almost constantly. I dare you to say otherwise! (Well, you can say otherwise but it isn’t true.) You see, the world would have us believe thinking and talking the way that we do, or they do, is normal and just the way it is. But I say, and the bible says, that our biggest fight against making wrong choices is in how we think, or our stinkin’ thinkin’. ********************************************************************************************************************** Mat 5:28: “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” **************************************************************************************************** Mark 7:20-23: “And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” *************************************************************************************************************** To prove this, try what I tried. Wear a rubber band around your wrist (not tight mind you) and every single time that you have a negative or sinful or uncharitable thought, snap it. You just see how long you can stand correcting your thinking by aversion therapy, which is what you would be doing. ***************************************************************************************************************************** Furthermore, every time you snap the rubber band on your wrist, I dare you to rebuke the bad thought and replace it with something nice… or better yet, with a scripture of how you should think. You will quickly understand how easily we are contaminated by the world’s idea of ‘normal.’ ***************************************************************************************************************************** Phil 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” ********************************************************************************************************************* It is not easy. We surround ourselves with people who are like our worldly selves or more negative and toxic than we truly want to be. One of the reasons why the bible tells us to be “equally yoked” with whom we choose. But also, why our center (Adult & Teen Challenge) guides students to relinquish the environment and people who trigger them or encourage their substance abuse, alcohol use or bad behaviors. It is one of the things that people truly struggle with: recognizing or ‘discerning’ people who are bad for them. *************************************************************************************************************************** Television, commercials, movies, social media; they inundate us with sexual, hateful, laziness, vengeful, lustful, vain, toxic, images constantly… and would have you think, from its frequency, that it is acceptable and normal. We desensitize to it and begin to believe that this is the way it is… but it doesn’t have to be. *********************************************************************************************************** • We think it is funny to watch videos about “Karens” who rant and rave and people who out them. This is considered normal. **************************** • Or girls and women dressing provocatively with their duck lips, liposuction and permanent make up on social media and television, desperate to get your likes. THIS is the world’s normal. **************************************************************************** • Normalizing sexual deviants ************************************************************************* • Deceitful business practices that are considered normal; like deceptive marketing, bait & switch, hidden costs, unfair pricing, worker exploitation, data misuse, retaliation against whistle blowers, subornation of perjury, sexism… intentionally marketing a knowingly dangerous product until they are sued/caught. ***************************************************************************************** • Bigger and better (greed)************************************************************************ • Destruction of our forest and environment for ‘mankind” (an oxymoron if I ever saw one MAN KIND) **************************************************** • Putting algorithms on our software and websites designed to be overstimulating and addictive: just look around at how many people have to have constant stimulation with the phone in their face and can’t watch a whole movie anymore. They want ‘shorts’. ************************************************************************************************ I won’t go on. I could… but no. The world is FULL of darkness and misinformation about what is good and normal. ********************************************************************************************************************** The students in our program who chose to stay want to help others, yes, but they also see what the world is truly like and they desire a peaceful, God filled life where they are fairly safe from all of the ‘triggers’ like these in the world. I mean, the daily pitfalls and inundation of unappreciative bosses, hateful or totally sexualized music, people who have to vape, smoke cigarettes, curse every other word, drink alcohol, neglect their kids or overindulge, smoke weed or do drugs at every function or in the privacy of their homes, to feel normal. ******************************************************************************************************************************* Students who do graduate and choose to leave often aren’t prepared for the world as it is. They are forewarned but it is always the “not to me” comments where they think they won’t fall prey to the world. They forget that they must be self motivated to stay on their path, hold tight to the Word, steer clear of all of the people who could hurt or trigger them. It is especially hard when those people are family. ************************************************************************************************************************* Romans 1:28: “Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.” ******************************************************************************************************************* The only way through this is God, people. You will not understand if you are not chosen. You will never discern the Truth if you are not meant to. And many will fall prey to the lies and darkness in the end of days, even Christians, so one can only stay vigilant and ask for eyes that see the truth. Lean into those who are like minded and help you along the way with love and encouragement. I encourage you to ask for discernment and seek peace. ******************************************************************************************************************** Merry Christmas