May 12
“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissentions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)
Below is a partial list of sins that I think it is very possible for us to be committing on a regular basis but which are not for whatever reason obvious to us. Perhaps we are a little aware of them but view them as not all that bad, when in reality, they are far worse than we realize and are hindering others from seeing Jesus in us far more than we realize:
Anger, greed, fear, ungratefulness, selfishness, hardness of heart, hypocrisy, overreacting, being ungracious, saying cutting or hurtful things, being uncooperative, being negative, being lazy or unhelpful, being “passive aggressive,” being unwilling to speak up due to fear of what others may say or do, being overly concerned about what others may think of us, being overly concerned about our appearance, investing time and effort into things that will bear no fruit for eternity, being more concerned about things than the souls of others, wasting time, neglecting the scriptures, neglecting our relationships with our spouse or family members, being stingy with our money, tearing down others, over eating, stealing little things from our employers (including taking time away from our jobs to do personal things without our employer’s knowledge or permission), looking at others with envy, looking at or thinking about men or women with lust, gossiping and saying unkind or even untrue things about other people, boasting in ourselves, coveting others’ things or spouses or circumstances or blessings or family relationships, getting impatient with others, having a critical, impatient attitude toward others, indulging the lusts of the flesh, being quick to judge others, etc., etc., etc.
I could go on, but all of these are sins. Yet I think we do these things regularly as Christians, and often we hardly give it any thought! We have become accustomed to sin, even blind to it, even though it might be obvious to others around us.
Review the list above and reflect on your own life. Make a list of the sins that you do that you have grown comfortable with and are not pleading to the Lord to remove from you. Perhaps other people have convinced you that you are not sinning, or perhaps in your own observations you think you are not as bad as other Christians you may know, so you give yourself a pass because you believe you are better than someone else. Ask the Lord to show you if there are any areas that you have sin that you are not addressing. Ask others for feedback. Make sure you no longer are ignorant of your sins.