The Deadly Sin of Envy

The Deadly Sin of Envy

The final in the 7 part Series of the Seven Deadly Sins and that is Envy . It´s a sort of jealousy but on steroids. This is an all consuming sin that eats away internally at it´s owner and just like the other 6 Deadly Sins it will take you on a journey that will lead you to exactly the same place, but just via a different route. The place you end up will be your ultimate destruction. Once that is achieved it will have achieved it´s objective and just move onto it´s next victim and repeat the process all over again.


The Oxford Dictionary Definition

NOUN

1 [mass noun] A feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck:
‘she felt a twinge of envy for the people on board’

VERB

[WITH OBJECT]
1 Desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable thing belonging to (someone else):
‘he envied people who did not have to work at the weekends’
[with two objects] ‘I envy Jane her happiness’

Modern Day Society and Envy



Examples of How Modern Day Society generates Envy.

1. Mac Book Pro Owner 2016 V New Macbook Pro Owner with TOUCHBAR (latest reviews say this NEW machine is a lemon)
2. Car Registrations especially here in the UK. You have the 16 Mar 2016 Plate Latest Model your neighbour has gone one better with the 66 Sep 2016 Plate with Deluxe Alloy Wheels, New Shape Rear Funky LED Lights and Blacked out Celebrity looking Rear Windows as optional extras ALL for FREEEEE
3. The Rich and Famous and Celebrity Lifestyles are being bombarded into our lives via the Media and TV, The Glossies and with Reality Shows. Also Vloggers with their perfect and desirable lifestyles. People wonder why isn´t my life like that?
4. Promotions and Career You have been working for 10 years at XYZ Co and never been promoted, whereas Flashy Suit Jim gets promoted in 2 years and ends up as your BOSSSSS
5. Technology You´ve just bought the Samsung Galaxy S7 (exploding fire hazard battery model) and initially impressed the living daylights out of your friends only to find Annoying Rat Race Rebecca, has just gone one better and bought the Samsung Galaxy S7X with non exploding battery with FREE Beats by Dr Dre TOP of the range headphones and free Gym membership for a year at The Platinum Exclusive Fitness Club (non riff raff allowed) with FREE Personal Trainer 1 day a week.
6. Education. You´ve studied hard and got 5 Straight A grades and are over the moon, only to find Clever Clogs Celine has just got 6 A PLUS Grades and a special invitation to the A Plus Club and a mention in the HALL OF FAME at the University.
7. Beauty Your friend eats like a horse and is a constant Size 8, you have been dieting for years and you are still a Size 14, eat normally and you are Size 18 overnight?
8. Family Life and Lifestyle You´ve got 2 kids that are constantly screaming the place down, whereas your friend Nirvana Nicky has two kids and they are good as gold and angelic and quiet as mice? (when you see them anyway)
9. Holidays You go on holiday twice a year in the UK and sit in your Caravan and it always rains....ALWAYS. Your friend LUCKY LISA has four holidays a year on tropical islands living like the stars and comes back with a glorious tan and a big smile every time and has the cheek to ask how was your caravan holiday.
10. Employment You work in McDonalds part time and just make ends meet whereas your friend works full time in a posh and swanky restaurant mixing with the elite and gets MEGA tips.

We could go on here but you get the idea. Stick the word ENVY or ENVIOUS or GRRRRRR at the end of each sentence and you will get a good idea what envy is all about and I would say Envy is promoted by Modern Day Society. There is no rest with Envy, no peace, just inner turmoil. It´s what advertisers love and embrace and promote and it keeps the economic wheels turning, gets people spending, creates jobs, boosts the economic numbers to give us a feeling of prosperity and well being, so Envy is good RIGHT?

Where does Envy Lead?

Envy is a strange one, because the actual act of being envious doesn´t give a buzz, kick or short lived happiness or euphoria On it´s own it just gives a festering, internal rotting and there is no pleasure in that. BUT Envy will lead to one of the other Seven Deadly Sins which are normally Lust, Greed or Vanity. Wrath can surface as a result of Envy as well. Sloth and Gluttony are not really bed fellows of the Sin of Envy but in rare cases they can be. This one will lead to the same place as others, maybe not death but certainly can lead to loss of job, financial problems, homelessness, health problems that arise from this internal eating away such as Cancer. Ultimately though, just like the others it can lead to death in extreme cases. It´s the same destination but just a different journey to end up at the same place. All the Seven Deadly Sins overlap, if you suffer from one, it´s guaranteed that another is not far behind..

What does the Bible say about Envy?

All the Seven Deadly Sins will lead either directly or indirectly to breaking one of the Ten Commandments. For example Lust could lead to adultery. Greed could lead to theft or stealing, Wrath could lead to killing or Murder. Of all the Seven Deadly Sins though Envy is the only one that is mentioned as one of the Ten Commandments and is mentioned as Coveting in Exodus

Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

What´s the cure?
Modern Society yet again is geared up to the Seven Deadly Sins and simply turning and looking the other way will not solve the problem because it is everywhere and you will eventually become an Envy victim and turn into that green eyed monster, sooner rather than later. Everybody else is doing it so it must be OK??

All the Seven Deadly Sins are the desire of the Flesh and as a Christian you will be aware of these cardinal vices and will avoid them like the plague in the first place. If you are indwelt with the Holy Spirit you will not desire these things and will have the spiritual vision to see, whereas the rest of the world are Spiritually blind. You know you are on a different journey from the WORLD, a holy one that requires you to stay on that straight and narrow way......no matter what!

Matthew 7:13-14
13: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Conclusion
The Seven Deadly Sins represent the Broad Way and the Road to destruction. The trick is seeing and resisting them in the first place, seeing through the bright lights, special offers, the myriad of multi coloured balloons, the sugar coated and candy wrapped scenarios and other trickery. But if you do not have the Holy Spirit and are spiritually blind you cannot see and you will fall for these tricks, time and time again.

Bible Quotes:

Proverbs 14:30 - A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.
Proverbs 23:17 - Let not thine heart envy sinners: but [be thou] in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

Galatians 5:19 - 5:22
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

1 Peter 2:1 - Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

Galatians 5:26 - Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Proverbs 24:1 - Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.

Titus 3:3 - For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, [and] hating one another.

1 Corinthians 13:4 - Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

James 3:16 - For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

1 Timothy 6:4 - He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

Mark 7:20 - 7:23
20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

The Deadly Sin of Sloth

The Deadly Sin of Sloth or Laziness

Sloth or Laziness is the Sixth in the Series of the Seven Deadly Sins and this one stands out from the rest as it is a bit different, and initially quite comical, but it´s just as deadly as the others. Whilst most of the Deadly Sins are hot in nature such as Wrath, Lust, Vanity or Pride and Greed which are all characterised by immorality and activity, Sloth is cold in nature, the exact opposite characterised by inactivity but not always. It creeps in the same way just as the others and will lead exactly to the same place, it´s the route you will take that will be the only difference.

The Definition according to the Oxford Dictioanry:

NOUN

1[mass noun] Reluctance to work or make an effort; laziness:
‘he should overcome his natural sloth and complacency’
More example sentences Synonyms
2A slow-moving tropical American mammal that hangs upside down from the branches of trees using its long limbs and hooked claws.



The Deadly Sin of Sloth



Many people when they think of Sloth think of the incredibly slow moving animal or tie up this deadly sin with laziness which most people will think is pretty harmless. In most parts they would be correct but it´s where this can lead is where the problem lies. This tricky one can also manifest itself in other ways including indifference and a couldn´t care less attitude. It can also take another form of avoidance of issues by being overly busy in another area of your life such as a workaholic, this is a bizarrely another form of Sloth. This is mentioned very clearly in the following Bible verse

2 Thessalonians 3:11. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.

Modern Society yet again encourages us to be slothful with technology and services willing to do everyday menial tasks for us (at a price) so that we have more free time to be more productive and do meaningful things, or so they would have us believe.

There is an old saying that "An Idle Mind is the Devil´s Workshop" which rings very true with this Deadly Sin.

1 Timothy 5:13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

Here´s some Modern Day Examples of Sloth being forced upon us in our everyday lives in these Modern Times

Dog Walkers. Can´t be bothered to walk your dog.........pay somebody else to do it for you.
Personal Trainer. Not motivated enough to go out everyday to run and do excercises....pay somebody that will be there rain or shine.
Taxi´s Can´t be bothered with the hassle of driving in the city and can´t handle public transport. Get somebody else to drive you for a price.
Valet Can´t be bothered to park your own car....get somebody else to park it while you go shopping or while staying at a hotel..
Concierge. Carrying suitcases from your car to the hotel room just isn´t you.....get the hotel concierge to carry it but again they will expect a hefty tip
Gardening Bending down and getting your hands dirty and doing the gardening or cutting the grass .... pay someone to do it for you
Nanny Too busy working to look after your kids ................get a nanny to look after them and also get the shopping
Cleaner Is cleaning just too much of a pallava and beneath you.... get a cleaner to do the washing up, make your bed, hoover the house, do the washing but again it comes at a price
Coffee or Tea Can´t be bothered to make coffee or tea in the morning go to a coffee shop who will make it for you and put it in a fancy paper cup and treat you like a celebrity
Painting and Decorating Paint Brushes and Rollers make you nervous and it´s all just too messy for you.........pay a professional to do it
Food for Work Just can´t handle the hassle of making a couple of sandwiches for work or making up a salad.......pay over the odds for an eat in or take away meal and get someone else to do it for you
Sickies: Just can´t face going to work today and you´re not sick...........just throw a sickie and say you are sick and head in the following day
Duvet Day: On the weekends is fine but during the working week .......see above.
Automatic Cars Can´t be bothered to change gear in a car......get an automatic and let the car do it for you.
Ebay Listings. Want to sell something on Ebay but can´t be bothered with the hassle.....new firms will do it for you and list your item...but it´s not free
Servicing the Car. Just a bit too greasy, oily and confusing. Pay a garage to do it for you.
Cycling ...............too much effort to move those pedals on a bike...........get an electric one
Can´t even be bothered to work..........claim state benefits and have a lie in every day of the week.
Christmas and Birthday Presents. Not very good at wrapping Christmas presents or even buying them in the first place......... just can´t be bothered.....there are people out there that can help?
Electric Doors, Lifts, Elevators, Self Raising Boots and Tail Gates on Cars, Supermarket Shopping Delivery the list just goes on and on.

Sloth and The Modern Day Society Problem

Modern Day Society encourages Slothfulness with  all it´s pampering and laziness, it´s good for the economy, creates jobs, gets people spending and makes people feel important and frees up valuable time to do more important things? in this fast paced hard working Western Culture that we live in these days. But the consequences of Sloth are just as deadly as the others  as mentioned in the accompanying Sloth Video , it can lead to a dark place such as ill health due to inactivity, loss of your job, homelessness, financial problems. In extreme cases it can lead to death because Sloth by it´s very nature is "loss of interest in life".

Proverbs 21:25 The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.

Other examples of Sloth can be the avoidance of helping others in need but expecting those to help you or just indifference to people in general.

Where can Sloth lead?

Just like all the other deadly sins, this one can lead to the other Deadly Sins and they all overlap in some shape or form. So on the surface Sloth looks like one of the not so destructive versions of the Seven Deadly Sins, BUT it can lead to the other more vicious and destructive and cyclical versions and all the Deadly Sins lead to the same place ........... that is your ultimate destruction.

This is one that even True Born Again Christians can find creeping into their faith if they are not careful but keeping a rigid schedule and not straying from it will ensure that this doesn´t get a foot hold in your life. This Deadly Sin just like the others is creeping in nature and will start with the words like "Delegation" or "outsourcing" of some menial task, you´ll think you are being clever and quickly this  becomes addictive.

It can lead to Vanity and Greed and using these labour saving devices or people as some form of status symbol just like wealthy people have an army of Butlers, Nannies, Cooks and Security etc. The problem is they have vast financial resources to pay for these things whereas the normal person in the street earning 25-35K a year and paying half that in rent will hit financial problems if this Deadly Sin of Sloth is embraced fully on a permanent basis. We live in a day and age now where if you have the money, you would never have to leave your house, you could stay in bed all day and just get up to answer the front door for deliveries. It´s all very tempting but just like all the other deadly sins...... it will lead you to a  very dark place eventually.

Yet another clever, cunning and deceptive Deadly Sin, Sloth is up there with the rest with the capacity to derail your life....... in extreme cases for good!

Bible Quotes:

Romans 12:11 11. Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

Proverbs 13:4 - The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 - For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Proverbs 12:24 - The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.

Colossians 3:23 - And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Proverbs 15:19 - The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.

Proverbs 21:25-26 - 25 The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.
26 He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.

Proverbs 24:30-34 -
30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32 Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.
33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.

Ecclesiastes 10:18 - By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

Matthew 25:26 - His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

Proverbs 18:9  He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.

The Deadly Sin of Gluttony in our Modern Society

The Deadly Sin of Gluttony

Gluttony is another one of the Seven Deadly Sins, on the surface it doesn´t sound that deadly, but delve deeper, just like all the other Deadly Sins and you realise this is another sin that creeps up on you and gradually takes over your life, just like all the others. Gluttony is derived from the Latin Word to Gulp down. Gluttony normally applies to excessive eating of food or drink as defined in the Oxford Dictionary


Gluttony Oxford Dictionary Definition Noun: Habitual greed or excess in eating



The classic view of Gluttony
The classic view of Gluttony is somebody that is absolutely huge and stuffing their face continually, just for the pleasure of it. Although this is one case of Gluttony, this Deadly Sin doesn´t always work that way. Chris Donato of Trinity International University has this to say on the subject

Two mistakes accompany most discussions on gluttony. The first is that it only pertains to those with a less than shapely waistline; the second is that it always involves food. In reality, it can apply to toys, television, entertainment, sex, or relationships. It is about an excess of anything.

How Gluttony ties in closely with Greed
Gluttony ties in very closely with the other Deadly Sin of Greed and works in a similar way, but Greed is more concerned with Wealth, Money and Materialism to excess, a different sort of consumption but it can be applied to food and drink as well. The Deadly Sin of Gluttony is characterized by a limitless appetite for food and drink and overindulgence to the point where one is no longer eating just to live, but rather living to eat. Compulsive eating disorders are a modern day version that results in uncontrollable gluttony!

Gluttony from a Christian Perspective
However when we look at this Deadly Sin from a Christian Perspective it has a broader concept and can include not just food but alcohol and even substance abuse as in drugs so can cover addictions such as alcoholism and the modern equivalent of Binge Drinking and Drug addiction in it´s myriad of forms.

Where does it lead?
As with all of the Seven Deadly Sins, Gluttony will lead you down exactly the same initially bright road with short term pleasure and buzz, but the road you will end up on will get gradually darker and darker. The problem is you will not notice that this is happening as it will be a very slow process, but everybody else will. Eventually it will take over your life, you will become a slave to it, and it will be just you and your Deadly Sin as companion and nothing else. If you have ever watched the film Seven with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, the man that got killed for Gluttony... that will give you a good idea what this one is all about in it´s extreme form. Nothing else will matter in your life except fulfilling this deadly desire which will never get fulfilled.

It´s the same old cycle as the other Deadly Sins with the familiar short lived buzz, euphoria then the crash down to earth, the guilt and shame, then the low and depression which then comes full circle to deal with this low and the whole process starts again. This is particularly true of Alcohol and Drugs and the same principle can be applied to Food. All people that embrace Gluttony will eventually hit problems in some shape or form. The common ones being extreme health problems, family problems, loss of job, loss of friends and a general sense of lack of control of your life. In extreme cases if help isn´t found in time, just like the others it can lead to death and not a pleasant one at that.. Gluttony nowadays is seen as an emotional cry for help and a way to fill a big hole or void in a persons life that will never get filled, not with this anyway.

Modern Day Society doesn´t help.
Our fast paced and over indulgent lifestyles don´t help with fighting off Gluttony. Being bombarded with special offers with Buy One Get One Free, Happy Hours, 6 cans for the price of 5, half price today only, buy 1 case and get a free bottle of Bubbly. TV Advertising is also guilty. With cheap drugs it´s the same. On the drug scene Crack Cocaine and the new Zombie Drug on the streets called Flakka come into this category, they are dirt cheap, highly addictive and have scary after effects, especially Flakka where people go into a wild Zombie like rage where it takes 4 full grown men or more to bring such a person under control.

What´s the answer to overcoming this Deadly Sin
Just like all the others, these Deadly Sins play on the carnal primitive emotions of mankind and they are at the base level and simply pure evil. You can try self help, alcholics anonymous, drug rehab, eating disorder clinics, all of these have varying degrees of success. To truly conquer this one, just like the others, firstly you have to recognise you have the problem in the first place and secondly you need something to give you the power to truly overcome this Deadly Sin and not gradually slip back to your old ways. With our modern day society pressures in the form of advertising, marketing, media and peer pressure from friends it will be very difficult to stay clean unless something fundamental changes in your life that gives you the power to see this thing coming. It´s called being Born Again and Saved. This is yet another Deadly Sin you will not beat on your own!

Gluttony in the Bible

Gluttony and Drunkards are mentioned many times in the Bible

Proverbs 23:20-21
20. Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
21. For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

Philippians 3:18-19
18. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19. Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
Luke 7:34
34. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

Dueteronomy 21:18-20
18. If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
19. Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;
20. And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.

1 Corinthians 5:11
But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

Proverbs 23:1-3
1. When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:
2. And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
3. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

Proverbs 25:16 - Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.

1 Corinthians 6
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Lust and The Seven Deadly Sins

Lust and The Seven Deadly Sins

The Seven Deadly Sins are alive and well in our modern day society and this article takes a wander into the world of the Deadly Sin of Lust. This carnal desire is one of the base human instincts that is difficult to control and goes back to our caveman days. It is still there in our primitive brain and subconsciously works behind the scenes in our lives. If you are not careful, it has the potential to take over our lives and the final result is the ultimate destruction of the victim concerned.

The definition of Lust in dictionary terms is the intense desire of money, food, fame or power, but we will focus on the three letter S word because that is what Lust is mainly about in Biblical terms.

Vid: The Deadly Sin of Lust in Modern Society



Just like the other deadly sins this one displays the same relentless cycle of Buzz, Euphoria and Bliss, then Guilt and Shame then Depression and a Low, then the whole process is repeated again to come out of this low. The problem with all these Deadly Sins is the "Buzz" phase never lasts so this becomes a never ending cycle that is hard to break, even with the strongest willpower in the world, you may prolong the period between cycles, but eventually things will catch up with you and you will fall into the same trap again and the process repeats.

Examples of Lust in our Modern Times
Lust in our Modern Day Society can include Incest, Rape, Prostitution, Homosexuality, Bestiality, Paedophiles to name just a few. All these will start off welcoming you with open arms and satisfy those desires in the short term but in the longer term you realise those desires never get satisfied for long and you keep coming back for more and maybe the more extreme or stronger version to get the same kick you used to get. This can lead you down a dark road which eventually can lead to all sorts of problems including health problems, relationship problems, loss of your job, mental issues and even imprisonment or again in it´s final stages death. This process can take months, years, decades or a lifetime but the result will always be the same.

Another example that is more creeping in nature and more socially acceptable in our modern times is Pornography. This works in exactly the same way as the other deadly sins and gives you that Buzz, Euphoria and Bliss, then the Guilt and Shame kicks in, then Depression and a low and then the whole process is repeated to relieve this low point and you will crave stronger and stronger versions to get that same kick. This behaviour is classed as an addictive behaviour, just like smoking or drugs or alcohol and is a difficult habit to break. This can ultimately lead to the same results as the previous mentioned forms of Lust.

Adultery again is another obvious one which is basically fornication as in having affairs and relations outside of your marriage. Again just like the other forms of Lust you may get away with it for a short while or even a considerable period of time but it will eventually catch up with you and the marriage will inevitably suffer as a result. Lust is not the same as Love. Lust is short term and Love is a longer term bond.

This is where the expression "becoming a slave to sin" comes from and describes this process which is like a merry-go-round going faster and faster, you want ot get off...but you can´t. All these Deadly Sins show the same qualities in that you want more and more, they become obsessions and they eventually take over your life. Lust is one of the more powerful and is one that tends to be hidden in society and tends to be kept quiet and hidden underground.

The thing is, people who are caught in this trap, know what they are doing is wrong but they just can´t break out of it. They may seek professional help and this may get them out of the situation for a certain period of time but it´s normally a temporary state of affairs and many eventually return to re-offend and continue in their old ways.

The Modern Day Lust Society
The problem with our Modern Day Lust Society, is this attitude "Everybody is doing it..... so it must be OK" and "Lust and Sin are Victorian concepts and don´t apply in these Modern Times" or "It´s only natural". Unfortunately both these attitudes do not change the fact that the Deadly Sins are still there and it doesn´t matter how society changes or how many other people are doing it, the Deadly Sin will still work in the same way and lead in the end to your destruction in some shape or form. The recent high profile celebrity cases (no names mentioned) reveal the deadly and destructive nature of the Deadly Sin of Lust and show no matter how famous or how much money you have, it can lead to devastating consequences in your life.

What´s the solution?

What´s the answer and escape from this relentless Deadly Sin cycle? From my experience and believe me, I was right in the thick of it, the only way is to be Born Again and Saved, that way you will control the flesh rather than the other way round.. You will not beat this thing on your own, there are just too many things in this world today that will lead you astray and back to square one because we live in a fallen world!

Bible Quotes

Matthew 5:28 - But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Galatians 5:16 - This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

1 Corinthians 6:18 - Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

Colossians 3:5 - Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

1 John 2:16 - For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

2 Timothy 2:22 - Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Romans 8:6 - For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Wrath. One of the Seven Deadly Sins

Wrath and The Seven Deadly Sins

Wrath is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, also it´s off-shoots and variations are Anger, Rage, Fury, Violence,  Temper and Revenge. This is one of the more obvious Deadly Sins when it flares up, but can lay dormant in some people and then appear rapidly from nowhere. Others may have a different temperament and have a cliff edge mentality, always appearing on edge and easy to anger and experience wrath. Either way it manifests itself differently from the previous two Deadly Sins of Greed and Pride or Vanity which have more of a creeping nature about them, but to onlookers it is obvious this person is overcome by Greed or Vanity.

Despite it being one of the more obvious Seven Deadly Sins, Wrath can be a difficult one to overcome just like the others, it´s a bit of a nuclear bomb situation. Even if you try to make changes within yourself, there will always be external influences from other people and the pressures of modern day society that will cause Wrath to manifest itself in your life. We are Fallen Flesh and of Adam and live in a Fallen World.

Wrath. One of the Seven Deadly Sins in Modern Society



Wrath can cause arguments, destroy relationships and friendships, lead to health problems including heart attacks, lead to violence and in extreme cases serious injury. It can lead to loss of employment and financial problems and it can lead to imprisonment or even death. Wrath has been the precursor to almost all wars throughout history and is playing a part in the recent World War 3 headlines that have subsided of late.

Although many think of the Seven Deadly Sins as something from the Victorian era that do not really apply in this modern day and age as "times have changed", these Deadly Sins probably apply more now than they did back in the Victorian times. They were especially prevalent in the Middle Ages.

Modern Day Examples of Wrath

Modern day examples of Wrath include Computer Rage, Road Rage, Football hooligans, Black Friday Rage, Domestic Violence, Riots and Speech Promoting Violence

Wrath Symptons and Warnings

The symptons of Wrath or Anger include Irritability, Impatience, Raised Voice, Glaring Eyes, Hurtful Words and Bad Language, Explosive Actions, Relational Breakdown, Attitudes of Superiority and Physical Tension.

Wrath is just like the other Seven Deadly Sins and shows the same viscious cycle of Buzz or Adrenaline Rush, a feeling of Power and a releasing of tension then coming back down to earth followed by Guilt and then Depression which then leads to the next cycle for the whole process to be repeated again. Strangely Wrath is not a desirable trait in this modern day and age but many jobs and pressures in society produce this Deadly Sin in abundance and it is also promoted in TV, Hollywood Movies and the Media.

The Christian way of dealing with Wrath?
Christians will keep a close eye on Wrath and Anger as it is mentioned in the Bible as one of the symptons of the Flesh and Christians are supposed to control the flesh and not the other way round. If you are Truly Born Again and Indwelt with the Holy Spirit, there will be an inner stillness and peace inside you that no matter what goes on in the outside world that inner peace and calmness will remain. The Fruits of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control as mentioned in Galatains 5:22-23. You could say the opposite are The Seven Deadly Sins.

The Christian way of dealing with Wrath will be to let the storm blow over and then confront the situation afterwards when that other persons mind is more rational and not during a Wrath episode. There is a Righteous anger in some Christian doctrines, righteous anger is considered the only form of anger which is not a sin. A Christian should not be angry, but if our constructive outrage results in restoring people into a loving, healing relationships with Jesus, it then can be classed as righteous anger.

An example of this would be Jesus who overthrew the money lenders tables in the Temple in Matthew 21 in The New Testament. Joshua and also David and Goliath would be other examples in The Old Testament

Matthew 21.12-13
12. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13. And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Also in the Synagogue in Mark 3

Mark 3:1-5
1. And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3. And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

The Wrath of God

Even God has Wrath as mentioned many times in the Bible, but he always gives warnings, many warnings and is slow to anger, with the Wrath building over a long period of time such as decades or many hundreds of years, before the Wrath in the form of Judgement is released when there was no other option left.  This is always tempered with forgiveness in the End demonstrating a never ending and deeper love for mankind knowing that we are essentially flawed in nature.

Romans 1:18 - For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

John 3:36 - He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Conclusion.
Wrath will not have you wearing Gucci or Prada or have hair by Vidal Sassoon as in the Deadly Sin of Vanity nor will it have you, wearing Rolex Watches, driving Ferrari´s or living in the best part of town as in the Deadly Sin of Greed. Wrath works differently and is difficult to see on the surface until it flares up, the warning signs will be there, but by then it is normally too late and the Genie will be out of the bottle.  The only signs will be the trail of destruction in your life that will surface in the future such as applying for a job. There are courses in Anger Management, a hilarious film by the same title gives a good insight, you can take  tablets, change your job or even just work from home and never leave the house, but eventually this Wrath will flare up again in some shape or form. The only total solution to overcome this Deadly Sin just like the others is to be "Born Again". Check out the Video which gives other examples including some of my personal experiences before I was "Saved"

Bible Quotes:

(Ephesians 4:26–27, 30–32).

26. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27. Neither give place to the devil.

30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Proverbs 15:18 - A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:22-26
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Colossians 3:8 - But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Ecclesiastes 7:9 - Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

James 1:19-20 - 19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20. For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Proverbs 29:11 - A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

Proverbs 16:32 - He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

James 1:19 - Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

Proverbs 15:1 - A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Ephesians 4:31 - Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Psalms 37:8 - Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

Proverbs 14:29 - He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

Ephesians 4:26 - Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Greed and Materialism. One of the Seven Deadly Sins

Greed and Materialism and The Seven Deadly Sins

A delve into the world of Greed and Materialism and one of the more obvious Seven Deadly Sins, this one can still creep up on you unawares but will ultimately lead you to the same place as the other Seven Deadly Sins and that is ultimate destruction. It will be a roller coaster thrill of a ride but the destination is always the same.

The Oxford Dictionary Definition

Noun: Intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food:

What is Greed?

Greed is a sin that goes against the root of Christianity which is: love for God, love for our fellow man, and love for our bodies. Greed and it´s offshoot materialism (the love of THINGS) plays on the fact that everybody has desires (of the flesh) and wants the finer things in life and everybody wants quality, but absolute quality costs and will cost you dear. Greed encompasses the love, obsession and acquisition of money, acquisition and hording of expensive material possessions, gambling, trading and other activities to accumulate money and the focus on wealth creation and finally everything that this brings with it which is "Power". The old saying "He who has the Gold has the power" rings very true here.

Greed and Materialism. One of the Seven Deadly Sins



What are the Characteristics?

All of these activities have one thing in common they are characterised by excess with need beyond normal requirements. Gluttony is another Deadly Sin that works in a similar way to this one, but is more focused on food or drink, but Greed is the same bed fellow and shows the same characteristics and can be tied in with food as well.

How does it start?

It all starts the same way as all the other Deadly Sins. The first phase with Greed is what I call the "Seduction Phase". Bright lights, Loud Music, Fantastic Colours, Fanfares, Free introductory offers, 0% finance, Glossy Brochures and Tantalising Showrooms, buy now pay later SPECIAL deals, Black Friday Events, Free Glass of Bubbly, No obligation 14 day free trial and the hyper advanced sales techniques all polished off with sophisticated advertising that even a NASA scientist wouldn´t be able to figure out. If you don´t have the money, have this store or membership card and it´s yours....it´s simple!

If you take the bait with the massive hook in it and sign on the dotted line, you will sign up for a roller coaster ride  that initially will give you a buzz like nothing else, admiring glances, doors opening for you that were always closed, friends will suddenly turn up who you never knew you had and it looks like the beginning of one long never ending party. Things are good and will continue for a while to stay that way but as with all the deadly sins when you start to realise that you are on a one way journey and that roller coaster ride is getting faster and faster and you want to get off....you come to realise that you cannot get off this thing.

Example No1 Rolls Royce v VW Golf
A prime example of excess or Greed is the Rolls Royce or Bentley. Take a trip to this website that sells high end cars and you will find the Rolls Royce Dawn is 300,000 GBP, that´s right three hundred thousand.

Now if we go down a few notches down to a perfectly respectable, reliable, quality but desirable car that most people can afford  the VW Golf. THE VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 5DR TSI MATCH EDITION list price is 21,345 GBP

Lets put things into perspective and some sort of reality here. For the Price of One Rolls Royce Dawn you could have just over 14 VW Golf TSI Matches. One for you, one for your wife and you would still have 12 left over. You could give one to your neighbour, one to each of your older kids, donate one to charity.....that still leaves 8! This is an illustration of greed. Both cars do exactly the same thing, get you from A to B, have a heater, radio/mp3 player, have seats, 4 wheels, somewhere to put your luggage or shopping, a steering wheel to go round corners, have headlights so you can see where you are going at night and windscreen wipers so you can see where you are going when it´s raining. Only difference is, the Rolls Royce will have a better ride (whatever that is) draw more admiring glances and pointing fingers and oohs and ahhhs and will turn more heads and is a status symbol, but will cost you a fortune in fuel and insurance. You have to be a millionaire to drive one.

Q: Which one is the Christian Car? A: The VW Golf............. but probably second hand!

You could apply this to expensive Art in the Millions, 5 or 6 bedroom properties when the average family is 4 people, massive mansions with massive grounds, super yachts and cruisers, Chandeliers that costs 100K and need reinforced ceilings to support them and the rest.

Example No2 My personal Experience
As mentioned in the featured video shot in the Knightsbridge Area I personally used to trade the financial markets, share or day trading they call it. Nothing big just 4 figure sums probably equivalent to a good jobs one months salary or double that before tax. That´s a lot but it´s peanuts  in the financial markets. When you play this game which is essentially gambling, two emotions will feature in your life 24/7 and they are Fear and Greed. Fear when you are losing money or buying when the market is going into free fall and everybody is bailing out, (that´s how you make the big money) or Greed where you are making money and you want to make more, and when you have made more you want more than that.

From my experience this roller coaster combination of emotions and some incredibly adverse markets led to myself nearly going bankrupt, ending up to my eyeballs in debt at the 5 Figure Level equivalent to a a good jobs YEARLY salary, debt collectors chasing me day and night and being homeless for quite some period of time. This is my personal experience of Greed, hence this article, I have been there got the T Shirt and lived (just about) to tell the tale. Others have not and may have taken their lives after such an experience (those thoughts entered my mind during that terrible time)

Example No3 Gambling Situation No2 The Gee Gee´s
Let´s look at a Gambling situation that demonstrates Greed and it´s associated emotions. You walk past a bookies and see a Free 50 GBP bet (terms and conditions apply) you walk in, get welcomed with open arms, sign on the dotted line, place your bet 50GBP on a 100/1 total loser horse with no form called "First Across The Line". The bookies willingly take your bet knowing this thing will never win and you have lost 50GBP (although you will have lost nothing it´s a free bet). You check online the following day expecting it to fall at the first fence only to find out it won and you have just won 2550 GBP (2500 plus 50 original bet).  BUZZING You go back to the bookies to claim your money but think you are on a winning streak and you see a horse called "Definite Winner" at 20/1 rank outsider. You think go for it, put all your winnings on that horse all 2550 GBP. Check the following day it´s won again you now have 51,000 GBP plus original stake 2550 = 53,550 GBP.

BUZZING EVEN MORE thinking WHOOOO HOOOO You decide to go for it, put the whole lot on another horse that looks a winner called "Rocket Speed!!!!!!" at 10/1. If you win you will have 535,550 plus original stake of 53,550. That´s nearly 600K. You decide to stay and watch the race. Your horse is in the lead with 500 metres to go, Ferraris, Champagne and Ocean Cruisers fill your mind, private beaches in the Bahamas. 200 metres to go and your horse is eclipsing the field, along comes the last fence, it falls and the rest of the field comes past. 600K and those fantastic dreams go up in smoke, you walk out head hanging low. The next day you return with 5000 GBP of your own savings for your kids education to try again. You see a horse called "Bermuda Dream" it´s at 50/1 with average form but you think if it wins you will be half way back to that 600K at 250K. With that name it´s got to win???. Of course the horse comes second and you lose your kids education money, you walk out feeling the lowest you have ever felt. Thoughts of remortgaging the House come into the mind. You just know where this is heading.

This is a prime example of the roller coaster emotional ride you will get on with Greed and it´s cousin Materialism. That Free 50GBP bet is basically Free Crack Cocaine to get you hooked and coming back for more. The Bookies never lost a thing, you never lost anything either it was afree bet, BUT you lost that 600K dream and you want it back and they know that. This is how gambling works and The Bookies always in. It can lead to rack and ruin, bankruptcy and worse. Casinos, online gambling, fruit and slot machines all work on the same principle. The trick is to win that 53,350 walk out and never go back again. The clever and Christian way is to never go in those places in the first place!

Other Examples
There are plenty of other examples of Greed, the famous Scrooge being one and the act of selfish hording, Greed can lead to people partaking in theft of valuable items, robbing banks or jewellery stores and this will ultimately lead to imprisonment or worse but these people think it is worth the risk. The acquisition of power is another example of Greed, politics is a good example and careers another striving to get ever higher on that ladder and making huge life sacrifices. The higher you go through the ranks the more devious methods you have to use to get to the top, a selling of the soul is part of the journey, which many willingly do to achieve that power and rank.

Another example of Greed is doing an average job and working 20 hour days 7 days a week with just 4 hours sleep a day (excessive overtime). I used to work at Heathrow Airport (one of many jobs I´ve had) and knew a guy who did this. 20 hour days with 4 hours sleep (at the airport). He looked terrible but he showed me his pay slip which was 3 times mine with a big smile on his face, Looked at him with jaw to the floor and congratulated him, but even back then when I was not in the faith,  realised he was paying a terrible price in the long run. I never followed his example although the opportunity was there.

How can you overcome Greed and the other Seven Deadly Sins?

Greed works just the same way as the other sins, your life will be starting to resemble one homage to excess, in Greeds case it will be money, power and materialism. It will display the same cycles as the others which is Buzz, Guilt, Depression.......Buzz, Guilt, Depression and you end up on a viscious cycle and become a slave to this sin and it will ultimately lead to your downfall. You will be perpetually trying to fill a hole that can never be filled. Could take months maybe even years but it will get you in the end. Greed is what the whole Western Economy is based upon. If people just cycled, drove basic cars, wore basic clothes and just spent money on food, water, heating and lighting, the economy would collapse as we know it. Hence the marketing and advertising to stimulate these habits in society.

If you want to really understand what Greed is all about watch the original version of "Wall Street" with Sheen and Douglas. It´s just a Hollywood film glamourising the financial world, but it´s a pretty accurate depiction of where Greed will take you..........that is to your ultimate destruction in some shape or form.

So what´s the answer? No man can conquer this on their own, there is just too many temptations in this world, advertising, special offers, credit card offers with 0% balance transfers, easy loans, buy now pay later, sophisticated sales techniques not to mention stores and online with their bright lights and loud music. These things are all there to entice and seduce to get you on this roller coaster ride.

To overcome these deadly sins requires a change of Heart. Power does not come from yourself to change the heart. Only God alone can make you a new creation and give you a new heart which will make you walk in his ways. When this event takes place in your life, the seven deadly sins of gluttony, envy, sloth, wrath, pride, lust, and greed will start to fall away and the power they have in your life will also ease away. Only the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in your life can achieve that and then you will desire to live a life based on the Bible and not of The World and it´s desires. Non Believers will have a difficult time overcoming these deadly sins without this help which is only achieved by being Born Again and Saved.

Ezekiel 36:26-27
26. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Bible Quotes about Greed

Matthew 6:19-21
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Proverbs 15:27 - He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.

1 Timothy 6:9 - But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

1 Timothy 6:10 - For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 - He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

Vanity. A Deadly Sin in our Modern Society

Vanity. One of the deadliest sins in our modern society

Part of a new series of articles on the Seven Deadly Sins which was covered extensively in an article in the past. This will be looking at and just focusing on each one of these Deadly Sins to reveal what they are all about, how they start, the warning signs, where you could end up and finally how to overcome them in the first place.

Vanity is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, the others being Wrath, Sloth, Gluttony, Lust, Greed and Envy. These are also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins. The deadly sins are those behaviors or habits that directly give birth to other immoralities. True Believers are well aware of these, they class them as evil thoughts or spirits that someone needs to overcome and are equipped to recognise and overcome them. The problem is most normal people are not aware of these Sins, or they are aware and choose to not be aware. Either that or they think that Sin dates back to the Victorian Era and doesn´t apply to modern day society. If everybody else is doing it, surely in this modern day and age it must be OK....right? You may want to think again!



These sins take the form of abuses or excessive versions of a persons natural faculties, desires or passions. Gluttony would be a prime example, which abuses someones desire to eat and takes eating to excess.

Pride or Vanity is one of the most subtle of the deadly sins and is a sly one and will creep into your life whilst you are unawares. It will gradually increase it's presence over time, until one day you realise you have a major problem and your life is starting to go off the rails, by then it is too late.......the damage has been done.

The biggest culprits of the Sin of Vanity I would say are Beauty and Fashion and their associated industries. Both will do the same thing, bring you admiring glances and fuel your ego and give you that initial buzz, but over time if you are not careful you are walking on a trapeze wire without a safety net and you could fall.The initial buzz just like crack cocaine never lasts and you end up coming back for more and increasing quantities of it or stronger versions  to get the same kick. You end up in a vicious cycle of Buzz, Guilt and Depression, Buzz, Guilt and Depression. This is a never ending cycle that takes you into a downward spiral which eventually leads you to a very dark place and trust me I have been there. All Sin does this.

So how does the Sin of Vanity apply in our modern day and age and how does it all start. Beauty and Fashion are good examples to demonstrate this. There is no harm in wanting to look good and wearing some makeup and looking your best. This is normal everyday life, but when your desires start to take over and it becomes an obsession and starts taking over your life and you start pursuing some media created dream this is where the problems start. Celebrities and the "Industry" perpetuate this airbrush driven impossible to attain look but people want to look like this and they will give all their money if that´s what it takes.

Vanity Example 1 Designer Brands
Images are everywhere of women that are an impossible Size 6 or 8 when the average woman on the street is probably a size 14. We see music videos with people covered in tattoos and we want to be the same. We can´t afford the Gucci, Prada, Burberry and Dolce and Gabana but we want those things and are pressurised by the constant barrage of adverts saying if you don´t have these things, you are missing out on some sort of exclusive party or club. These designer stores are all too willing to give you a store card or take your credit card. You get that initial buzz, you will get the envious looks, soon though it wears off or goes out of fashion. So you go back and buy more, you no longer shop at the major High Street Chains and eventually your credit card or store card gets tapped out. You ask for an increase on your limit, you get it.... and you get your fix again only to be tapped out again and it dawns on you that maybe you have a problem and some form of addiction is in your life. You cannot make the repayments and reality has kicked in....but it´s too late.

Vanity Example 2  Selfieville
Social Media is another example with Instagram and You Tube being the main candidates. Instagram is the poseur website of choice and is a Vanity playground waiting to leap onto you and take over your life if you are not careful.. It's the likes system that generates this wander down the road into the world of Vanity and Sin. Once you are on this road you are not aware you are on it, it will start making you do things you wouldn´t normally do just to get those extra likes and feeling of web fame. You continue to take more and more extreme measures to climb up the ranks of selfiedom to become a selfie guru that everybody aspires too but you realise that every waking hour is taken up to achieve that status and it dawns on you, that you have no life but you can´t give the fame up, by then you realise you have a problem but then again it´s too late.

Vanity Example 3 Extreme Beauty Techniques
Another example of beauty is anti ageing creams or using more and more makeup to paper over the cracks as you get older. After a while you realise you can´t fool people anymore with these techniques so you opt for minor surgery or Botox. The celebrities do it so why can´t I, you think. The difference is staggering and the first few months things are great and everybody says how young you look and you are on what you think is a permanent high, but the ageing signs start to creep back, the buzz wears off, so you go back for a "touch up"..it works but again only last 3--4 months...you go back again. This time the surgery and botox are not minor but are the next level up to bring you back to where you were before. The minor surgery was 1000. This surgery is now up to 5000. You pay the money and sell the car and decide to use public transport. You look great again although you notice you have a permanent grin on your face like the Joker out of Batman, you can´t frown but who cares, you are buzzing and are on a high again. 6 months to a year later the effects wear off again, you are back to where you were before maybe worse. To bring back those looks that you had before, again you are told you would need major surgery and a facelift. Cost 10000. You go away and think about it. You remortgage the house and go for it. I could go on here but you can see where this is heading. A massive Pop Icon that died recently went down this route and this is a prime example where Vanity can lead you. To a very dark place indeed.

Vanity Example 4  The Makeup Slave
Makeup in general is another example. Once you have worn it you cannot go back and from that day forward at least half an hour to 40 minutes everyday for the rest of your life is involved in getting your face on before you can even leave the house. Again it´s not just the time but the money involved can be another issue once you start going down that designer/top brand miracle beauty route.

Vanity Example 5 The Gym Slave
Another example is Body Building. You start off wanting to enhance what you have, get a six pack, bulging biceps. You get the look after a lot of hard work then think maybe lets take this too the next level after looking at those Body Building Mags and want to look like Vin Diesel. You know where this one is heading with high protein powders, chemicals and the rest. You realise that once you have this look you are stuck with a punishing workout regime at the gym EVERY DAY...once you stop the look starts to fade.

Vanity Example 6 The Tech Image Slave
Vanity can express itself in materialism and can spill over into one of the other deadly sins called Greed. Examples would be wanting the latest tech gadget to improve your image and how people perceive who you are. Wanting the top of the range and latest Iphone or Samsung mobile would be another example. He or she has the Samsung S7 ultra cool with tungsten casing......he/she must be cool? You can´t really afford but you sign the 24 month contract and the first couple of months everybody goes wow but then the next phone comes out the Samsung S7X, this one is totally off the scale awesome and makes your S7 Ultra Cool look prehistoric and ultra not so cool. What to do..... with still 20 months to go on the contract.....again you can see where this is heading.

The Analysis

People who end up going down this road normally have a hole in their life which they are desperately trying to fill. You can temporarily fill it with these things and with the accompanying buzz that these things will definitely bring but just like with drugs or alcohol you will end up back where you started and that hole returns and I would say bigger than before. So you rinse and repeat and rinse and repeat. This in Christian circles is called being a "Slave to Sin" and you are on the Buzz, Guilt, Depression, Hole cycle. All sin works this way regardless of what it is. It´s pure evil plain and simple, but people don´t see it when they are caught in this vicious cycle and because everybody else is doing it............it must be alright?

Personally I have many experiences with Vanity from other people whilst doing Street Style Photography which is a form of Raw Fashion Photography, been to many of the London Fashion Week Events and also photographed many celebrities (mainly the women) over the years and you see Vanity staring you straight in the face everytime. The term "Fashion Victim" is a very real one.

So what´s the answer?
If you are a non believer, then there is no answer if you continue in disbelief. You will keep seeing adverts on TV, in magazines, in the papers on the web and you will always succumb to media or peer pressure and cave in to your desire (that wouldn´t have been there before without the media). One thing I´ve noticed with vanity is most of these things costs a lot of money to buy but once you have had them a couple of years they are practically worthless. If they have no value after a couple of years what does that tell you about that item..........it had no value in the first place.

So what can you do. Turn off the TV, PC, Laptop, Tablet and Phone, don´t walk past the Apple store, scrap reading magazines and newspapers, look at the floor when you see that Samsung S7X billboard, don´t look at bus sides, stay away from department stores? You could try, but the media and advertising is so pervasive in our society it´s almost impossible. What do you do when a close friend has the Samsung S7X? Check my advice in the video above, that would at least be a start.

I´ve worked in Fashion, The Media and in The Celebrity Game and seen Vanity at work. The colours, the music thumping, the adrenaline, the free samples, the free bubbly and brochures, the go on try it on, the come in and join the party mentality, the EXPRESS yourself mentality and don´t do boring, the in your face beauty............that´s how it all starts. But what they don´t tell you is where it all leads, if you are not careful and what it´s like when you fall off that trapeze. They don´t mention, anorexia, bulimia, psychological disorders, financial problems, drug habits and the rest. That´s all kept quiet.

There is only one answer that gives you the power and the ability to see Vanity as the sin that it really is and avoid walking that trapeze without a safety net, otherwise you are running blind with no hope of ever overcoming it, because you are spiritually blind you cannot see that you are indulging in it in the first place. Judge people by their inner appearance, not the outer and that will stand you well in this life. Proverbs 31:30 - Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

More Bible Quotes:

Psalms 119:37 - Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.

1 Samuel 16:7 - But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

Jeremiah 4:30 - And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.

Ecclesiastes 2:11 - Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

2 Peter 2:18
For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

Job 15:31
Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.

Psalms 144:4
Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.

Ecclesiastes 2:26
For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Hebrews 13:5 - Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Death by Selfie. The dark and disturbing new trend?

The Death by Selfie is a recent phenomenon made popular by Social Media such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. On the surface a Selfie is just a bit of innocent fun, but does it have a darker side that initially does not make itself known, but creeps up on you in the more advanced stages of the "Selfie Habit". What on earth does this have to do with "End Times"? It has a lot to do with End Times as will be revealed.

The reason for this article are the two featured photos in what can only be described as disturbing pictures, the one above which was taken moments before her death, these people were very young. I have to say they shook me up a bit, they have a haunting quality about them and sum up quite succinctly where this world is heading.....as in off a cliff. This by any stretch of the imagination cannot be classed as "normal" behaviour? This article is also a continuation on from "The Seven Deadly Sins" article and will illustrate quite strongly that taking a Selfie is a Sin which has consequences. As the Bible says "the wages of sin are death".


We will take a look at why Selfies are a Sin and the warning signs that you may be on the same road as some of these victims of Narcissism. Sin is a small word, one of the smallest but is one the biggest in consequences.

What is the dictionary definition of the Selfie
Selfie is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as "a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website".as at 19 Nov 2013

Selfie you could say is derived from the word "Selfish" which plays into one of the 7 Deadly Sins which is Pride or often known as Vanity, the sub part of it and the very root of Selfies would be Narcissism. But hey "Sin" is nothing to worry about these days, we´re not living in those old biblical times anymore. We live in modern liberal times where anything goes right? You think.....read on

[caption id="attachment_1130" align="aligncenter" width="680"] The disturbing new trend of Extreme Selfies in the name of social media fame[/caption]

What is Narcissism?
According to Wikipedia "Narcissism is the pursuit of gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of one's own attributes. The term originated from Greek mythology, where the young Narcissus fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool of water".

Narcissism is a sub set part of "Pride and Vanity" and is the deadliest of the lot and most destructive. Why, because it can lead to one or all of the other 6 deadly sins.

So what is the problem with taking a Selfie?
The actual taking of a normal selfie is not the problem but it is the beginning. As with all Sin it starts with an innocent play around or try of something which then becomes a habit, then an addiction which takes over your life and eventually that persons life is affected adversely to such an extent that they become a slave to it,........ ultimately it can lead in extreme cases to death as the Bible says.

In relation to Selfies, taking a picture of yourself and putting it on a Social Media website in itself is a fairly harmless past time but it is where it can lead to, as in darker places. The real issue is this, the person concerned is not even aware that they are heading down this dark road or that this process is happening. That`s the danger.

So what are the darker places?
Vanity can be a destructive force, but it is a crafty one, but just like say "drug addiction" it can creep up on you unawares and gradually seep into your life in ever increasing strength. To get the same buzz you have to take or do stronger versions and things can escalate and get out of control without you being aware.

The actual picture taking in a normal situation that does not involve putting your life on the line is not the problem it is where the photo goes....that is the problem. The root of all this narcissistic behaviour is social media.

As everybody is aware Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and other social media websites have "Like" and "Share" buttons. The more popular and shared a picture is the higher the Like and Share numbers are. And this is where the problem lies and is the root of this modern day Selfie Culture narcissistic behaviour.

Scenario 1
Girl takes normal selfie puts on Instagram, it gets 20 likes in 1 day. Looks at other girls of similar appearance and sees 1,000, 2,000 and 1,500 likes in one day. How does that girl feel about herself after comparing herself with other Instagram Accounts. She is a bit "chubby" and the other girls are slim so she decides to go on a crash diet within weeks she is on 800 likes on her photos per day. She diets further starving herself for days at a time she is now up there in the 1,500-2000 likes a day. You know here this is heading!

Scenario 2
A rooftop selfie expert has thousands of followers viewing his photos of him taking selfies whilst drunk on the roof of houses in London with the London skyline as a backdrop. He has noticed recently though that the likes have dropped from an average of 3,000 per photo down to 2,200 per photo per day. He decides to really up the stakes and start taking photos from office block rooftops that have better views, after "having a few beers". His likes per photo skyrocket into the tens of thousands and his follower count jumps up in tandem, he is in heaven? He decides to take the ultimate Selfie from the roof of the Shard with a beer in one hand and without any safety harness. You know where this is leading

Scenario 3
An attractive model posts photos of herself regularly and gets on average 1,000 likes per day but has noticed some of her competitors get double this amount but she is fully clothed and they are in bikinis. She decides to try a bikini selfie and her likes skyrocket and she is now level with her other model counterparts. She decides to take things to the next level to show these other models "who´s the boss". We all know the path she is walking down here.

Scenario 4
An activist selfie expert who enjoys taking selfies in the middle of demonstrations and riots gets a lot of views and likes on his selfies but the likes have reached a peak in recent months as other copycats have started to appear and he is wondering how to increase his following and likes, so decides to go to the more extreme riots where guns, grenades and other weapons are being used and more danger is present and the risk of death is very near. Likes increase dramatically. The outcome of this course eventually is clear.

A Personal Story and Experience
I can give loads of other scenarios or examples but here is one I had a personal experience with when I was in the Celebrity Photography game. I had lots of contact with fans and autograph hunters and dealers and knew the lengths they went to to get those autographs and selfies. You just would not believe.

One such autograph hunter and selfie addict tipped yours truly off on a new Fashion store opening in Mayfair. So I went along with him as it was quiet that day, just managed to get a couple of shots of a new emerging star in Leicester Square and that was it. There was the possibility of some big name fashion type such as Kate Moss, Cara Delevigne and Stella McCartney amongst others turning up at this thing. Arrived about 7pm, had been out since 7am. After about 2 hours at this event it was pretty much apparent that nobody of any consequence was going to turn up, even the Security staff hinted that nobody of any importance was going to be there. So 9pm I packed my camera away and called it a day. At that exact moment a chauffeured Bentley or similar turned up and my selfie friend said "get your camera out quick that could be Kate Moss" I turned round and said "No, I`m going home it takes 3 hours to get back and I have to be up in the morning at 5am" He looked at me as if I was mad and I turned round and said these words "My Friend, I´m going home, I really could not care less who is in that car. Don´t let these people take over your life....they will not show any appreciation or thank you for it" He looked at me in shock, it hit home pretty hard. Saw him the next day he said he stayed till 1 or 2 in the morning, saw nothing let alone got a selfie and slept on a park bench in Central London. He looked liked he had not washed or anything. He could not see he had a problem. Luckily I saw the light and packed in Celebrity Photography about a month or two later.

Here is an interesting fact. In August 2014, selfie was officially accepted for use in the word game Scrabble!

Selfie related deaths seems to be on the rise. A recent article from Pricenomics says there has been 49 Selfie related deaths since March 2014. The Telegraph wrote that, in 2015, more people were killed taking selfies than by shark attacks although this is under debate.

The article has a good quote that highlights the general way that Selfie Culture is heading

"It's all about me. It's putting me in the frame. I'm getting attention and when I post that to social media, I'm getting the confirmation that I need from other people that I'm awesome," says lead researcher Jesse Fox. "You're not thinking about the consequences of your actions, so who cares if you're dangling off the side of the Eiffel Tower?" Extract From Pricenomics




Words and feelings associated with Selfies
Take a look at some of the words associated with Selfies. Would you regard these good or evil traits?

Betrayal Boasting Egocentrism Egotism Empathy (lack of) Envy Fantasy Grandiosity Hubris Magical thinking Manipulative Narcissistic abuse Narcissistic elation Narcissistic rage and narcissistic injury Narcissistic mortification Narcissistic supply Narcissistic withdrawal Perfectionism Self-esteem Self-righteousness Shamelessness Superficial charm Superiority complex True self and false self Vanity

Real Life Examples of Selfie Death
Here´s some real examples not fictitious scenarios of Selfie´s taken to the extreme that have resulted in deaths all in the name of Vanity one of the "seven Deadly Sins".


Presumed unloaded gun kills person taking Selfie
The most recent selfie-related death involved a Washington State man who shot himself in the face with a gun while taking a selfie. The Concrete, Wash. resident was with his girlfriend at the time, and she said he believed the weapon was unloaded. via Time

Accidental Explosion
Two Russian soldiers in the Urals region west of Siberia were posing for a selfie with a live grenade. The handheld explosive detonated unexpectedly and, going off in their faces. Only the phone with the photo survived. via Rolling Stone


Romanian Girl loses life after getting electrocuted on train roof
A teenage Romanian girl had attempted to take the special selfie on top of a train in the northern town of Iasi, Romania. According to a friend, 18-year-old Anna Urso was planning to post this "ultimate selfie" on Facebook. Urso decided to lie down on the roof of the stationary train car, but when she reached up with one of her legs to pose, but she hit an overhead live wire that shocked her with 27,000 volts. via Rolling Stone


Polish man and woman die taking Selfie on Portugeses Cliff while children watch
A Polish man and woman taking selfies at the cliffs of Cabo Da Roca in Portugal on Saturday fell to their deaths. According to investigators, the couple had been taking photos of themselves when they fell down a cliff and into the Atlantic Ocean, via Washington Post


Summary
On the surface we are living in a world where it could be said we literally have "never had it so good". BUT after reading all this, it becomes pretty clear there are some worrying underlying trends that are emerging that have one or more of the "7 Deadly Sins" woven into their very roots. These sins are as relevant today as they were back in Biblical Times. We are living in an increasingly crazy and narcissistic society full of Pride, Arrogance and Vanity being the main drivers, a symptom of the End Times we are living in and Death by Selfie is one of those symptoms. These things on their own are not desirable traits, but it´s where they lead is the disturbing problem and it´s all being driven by the social media explosion we are witnessing around the globe.

If people start to take a selfie while walking in front of a moving train, hanging thousands of feet off the ground from a skyscraper, or handling an actual live grenade, and somehow...... you end up dead, you have got to ask yourself 1. Is this normal behaviour? and 2. What is happening to our world?

The problem is it is "the nature of the beast" in that once people see Selfies that are extreme in nature to get those into orbit views and likes you have to do the same otherwise your normal selfies are a bit "old school" and don´t "cut it" as they used to. That´s the inner workings of the mind of a Selfie Addict.

Personally as followers of this website will know, I have a number of Twitter accounts of which The Twelve Gates @ThatFJ is the biggest one. This account currently has over 16K followers, which is nice but the numbers even now go up and down like a yo yo. Put the wrong tweet out and see the follower count drop, put a good tweet out and watch it go into orbit. Do I lose any sleep about the numbers? Not really which is probably the secret to that accounts success,

I could instead of Tweeting every 2 or 3 hours via laptop and occasionally mobile, tweet every half hour or even every ten minutes and be right on top of the news as it happens and watch the follower count and retweets sky rocket. In reality I tweet what needs to be said and the truth rather than tweeting what people want to hear as it happens within a nano second. I could put pictures of me with the Archbishop of Canterbury or get a Selfie with Theresa May or some major celebrity and the follower count would go into orbit as well, but I know where that would lead and the original purpose of The Twelve Gates Twitter and this website would have been lost in the sake of coolness and vanity and a few extra likes and followers.

Should people stop taking selfies. Of course not, selfies down the pub or a nightclub or on holiday or anything else that is not putting your life at risk is normal behaviour. The problem is when it starts taking over your life to the exclusion of everything else and is leading you to a dark place and becoming an addiction.........that where the real problem lies.

This article is therefore a warning of the evils of this world that are out there. Evil is crafty, seductive and enticing and entices you with "Sin", and as you can see Sin is a dangerous word and not a thing to be messed with. The journey all starts innocently but at the other end in extreme cases can lead to the loss of life!

Bible Quotes

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 John 3:8
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Proverbs 31:30 - Favour [is] deceitful, and beauty [is] vain: [but] a woman [that] feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

Psalms 119:37 - Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; [and] quicken thou me in thy way.

1 Samuel 16:7 - But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

Ecclesiastes 2:11 - Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all [was] vanity and vexation of spirit, and [there was] no profit under the sun.

Matthew 16:26 - For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Proverbs 18:12 - Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour [is] humility.

Proverbs 16:18 - Pride [goeth] before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.