Most Christians have their own idea about what sins are the worst sins.  But the sins that we have to protect ourselves from are the mental attitude sins.  The reason these are the most dangerous sins is that our mental attitude provides our motivation in life.  When you are motivated by mental attitude sins, then your words and actions will follow.  We’ll look at a few of these mental attitude sins, and see what the Word of God has to say about them.

 

One of the most dangerous mental attitude sins is jealousy.  In the Old Testament nation of Israel, no other sin had its own special offering!  (Numbers 5:11-31)  Jealousy is a very hard sin to get over!  Your entire motivation becomes getting what that other person has, instead of being satisfied and focused on what God has already given you.  Look at some passages:

 

Proverbs 6:34

34 For jealousy enrages a man, (do you ever just lose your cool because you are so jealous?)

And he will not spare in the day of vengeance. (When you are motivated by jealousy, you will absolutely take any chance you can to get even.)

 

Proverbs 27:4

4 Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood,

But who can stand before jealousy?

 

I especially like how James puts it:

 

James 3:14-16

14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.

15 This wisdom (James calls it a “wisdom”, or a system of thinking!) is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.

16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.

 

When you have jealousy in your mental attitude, it takes over and becomes your entire system of thinking, leading to disorder and all kinds of evil!

 

Look at what else jealousy can lead to:

 

Proverbs 14:30

30 A tranquil heart is life to the body,

But jealousy is rottenness to the bones.

 

Job 5:2

2 "For anger slays the foolish man,

And jealousy kills the simple.

 

Make no mistake about it; as goes your mental attitude, so goes your physical health!  That is why we have to be especially careful about mental attitude sins.  When jealousy takes over, it becomes your entire motivation, and ends us destroying not only your spiritual life, but your physical health as well!