Think Again!

Chapter 5: Pillaging Schemes #7-12 • 55

We dwell on lustful thoughts but are comforted that we are not actually committing fornication. We entertain hateful resentment toward someone but think, “At least I am not punching the person with my fists.” We have an amazing capacity to discount our own sin and look down on others who seem more sinful by comparison. In prison culture, the incarcerated recognize a hierarchy of crimes, with sex offenses at the bottom of the list. We are most vulnerable to danger when we discount sins as “normal” because “everyone does it” or because “I’m only human.” 24 This gives the enemy an opportunity to keep us from confessing our sins and receiving forgiveness. It allows us to be blinded with spiritual pride and makes us vulnerable to temptations. Whenever you hear the scheme, “It’s not that bad” let it be a reminder to confess your sins and receive his cleansing power, believing that you can gain victory over every transgression. Scheme #11: Big Begets Big We live in a celebrity culture built on assumptions about greatness, specifically that bigger is better . A related notion is that “big begets big.” Believing that whatever makes a big first impression will leave a lasting impression, we trust in the spectacular event, the home run that makes a big splash. However, it is a general rule that whatever grows quickly will also die quickly. That which grows slowly generally lives longer. 25 In the Kingdom, the imaginative steward takes what God provides and makes it grow slowly, over a long period of time. It is not the home run that produces lasting fruit, but the infield hit, followed by a bunt, a stolen base, and brought home by a sacrifice fly. In the world, big begets big, but in the Kingdom of God, small begets big . Jesus illustrates this principle in the