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Have you bought into the “all about me” attitude that’s prevalent in our culture today? Even if you haven’t done it consciously, do you sometimes act that way? Do you always want to be first in line? Are you rude behind the wheel, trying to get ahead of everyone else? Do you want to have a better house, car or other possessions than those around you? Pride can rear its head in all kinds of ugly ways.

Pride’s family of behaviors includes conceit, self-righteousness, boasting, selfish ambition, showing off, vanity, and impatience. Discover how these vices can be replaced with humility. 

Feeling afraid? Is fear keeping you in bondage? Does fear influence your future?

Some fear may be natural and acceptable. But living in fear because you refuse to move on is another matter: it is sin. A person can have a sinful fear habit just as surely as an immorality habit or a drunkenness habit.

When we are not trusting in God’s care for us, we naturally react to our circumstances by trying to figure out how we can meet our own needs. It is a kind of homegrown providence, and it will never do. 

Feeling angry? Is anger destroying your relationships? Do you want to change?

Anger is a strong feeling of dislike, displeasure, or antagonism. It is connected to a host of other negative feelings and behaviors, including rage, hatred, bitterness, vengefulness, and violence.

What do you do if you are filled with rage or hatred or bitterness? What do you do if you are vengeful or violent? By God’s grace, you get rid of the sin of anger and replace it with the virtue of forgiveness. 

Do you eat too much? Do you find it hard to stop after one or two drinks? Overindulging can have serious consequences, from health problems to jail time, and more.

There are many ways people may let their appetites get out of control. A mother might spend far more time working out at the gym than she needs to keep in shape, neglecting her family responsibilities in the process. A young person might love the adrenaline rush from thrill-seeking activities, such as extreme skiing and class-5 river rafting, to the point that he risks his life. And what about caffeine? Or cigarettes? 

Addicted to porn? Giving in to sexual temptation? Feeling shame? Sex misused can destroy your relationships and your health.

There are many awful ways that the gift of sexuality can be perverted and turned into something degrading and shameful. But the bottom line is that the only place where sexual activity is acceptable is between a man and a woman who are married to each other. As hard as it may seem, sexual abstinence is the requirement for anyone who is not married. And for married couples, sexual attention can be directed only toward your spouse.

Feeling restless? Discontent with your circumstances? Does it seem that nothing ever satisfies?

We have so much, but we want more. If somebody else has got it and we do not, we want it. Even if we do not need it, and even if God has offered no indication that He wants to give it to us, we think it has got to be ours. This attitude goes by the name of envy or jealousy or covetousness. Whatever you call this attitude, it is an improper craving for something another person possesses to such an extent that you cannot be happy unless you have it. It is a sinful desire for things that belong to your neighbor.

Feeling guilty about that lie you told today? Or have you told so many that you have a hard time remembering what the truth is? Or perhaps you deceive subtly by pretending to be someone you’re not. Are your relationships suffering for it?

Do you tell falsehoods when it serves your purpose? Do you pretend to be what you are not? Do you trick others for profit?

It can be very tempting to shade the truth or present oneself in a false light for selfish reasons. Nevertheless, each of us must give up deception and learn the ways of honesty and integrity.

Are you critical of others? Do your words sometimes harm your relationships? Do you desire to tame your tongue?

Divisiveness can be a problem in any type of team or group. But in a church group, particularly, unity is essential to bearing fruit. It is as we are all in one accord that we move ahead, under the Spirit’s direction, to the future that God has for us.

When an individual is picking a fight with someone else or setting one part of a group against another, he or she is at fault before God and the body. Some people seem to have a knack for contributing to a conflict so that strife grows and grows. 

Do you have a hard time submitting to the authority over you at work, in your family, at church, or in other situations? Do you disrespect authority figures by refusing to comply, or doing a poor job?

The fact is that in life there are authority structures. In governments, in businesses, in churches, in homes, some people are leaders over others. In different situations, indeed, each of us is a follower and a leader. Except in certain limited situations, to reject or undermine properly instituted authority is to rebel against the order God has established in human society. 

Are you often late for appointments no matter how hard you try to change? Do you leave work, school or other projects to the last minute? Are you always stressed out because you can’t find things?

Irresponsibility manifests itself in many ways. Some people are irresponsible with time. They are habitually late for engagements, causing other people inconvenience as a result. Or they procrastinate, putting off doing what they know they ought to do. Others are irresponsible with material objects. They borrow things from others and either forget to return them or else let them become damaged while in their possession. Or they may take poor care of their own possessions.