The Bible tells us that God is constantly at work in us so He can produce in us the likeness of Christ. This work is heavily focused on molding our character to be conformed to the character of Christ, who is the perfect and exact representation of the Father: full of love, grace and mercy.
Part of this process is the taking away of ungodly attitudes to replace them with Christ-like attitudes. What are the attitudes that God wants to take away from us? Here are a few.
1) Bullying
Did you know that Christians can be bullies sometimes? Some Christians bully fellow believers for various reasons:
- Abusive leaders lord it over the flock (see 1 Peter 5:3)
- Oppressive believers deprive fellow believers of good things and opportunities (see Ezekiel 34:18)
- Insecure Christian leaders don't allow new and rising leaders to lead and excel (see 1 Samuel 18:7-9)
- Husbands misinterpret what it means to be the 'head'
This attitude is very, very selfish and fleshly. We should never ever bully anybody except our enemy, Satan.
2) Playing the victim
This attitude has got to go. Friends, we who have received Christ are not weaklings, and neither are we powerless to make the right choices (see 2 Timothy 1:7). Sadly, there are those who love to portray themselves as victims all the time for the sympathy and favor they may get from unsuspecting people.
Some Christians use "sob stories" to escape responsibility for their mistakes or even sins. They tell a story highlighting how they were negatively or unjustly affected, while minimizing their own wrongs.
Adam and Eve did this after the fall in Genesis 3. God talked to Adam and Eve after they ate the forbidden fruit. Instead of merely admitting the fact that they indeed sinned, they chose to play the victim.
Adam told God that Eve enticed her to eat. Eve, on the other hand, told God that the serpent seduced her into eating. They thought they could get off the hook by playing the victim, but they could not because the sin was already committed.
Friends, we should stop pointing to others, blaming them for a mistake that we ourselves have done.
3) Manipulating people with Christianese
Lastly, here's one annoying attitude that many of us have. Have you ever known a Christian who tends to say all sorts of religious, even Godly words, but lives a life contrary to Christ's teachings?
Such Christians love to say the odd prayer and words such as "hallelujah" or "praise the Lord", but continue living a life that's totally contrary to the word of God (see James 1:26-27). They love to use the name of Jesus to push for their own agenda (see Exodus 20:7).
Such people probably live by the motto, "Jesus is my ticket to whatever I want." They love to use God's name to gain support, whether financial or not. They believe that if they mention Jesus to others, they will automatically gain favor from them.
We shouldn't use God's name and His word for our selfish pursuits.
