Repost: That Dangerous "I Don't Care" Attitude

 This is one of our most visited pages. First shared November 23, 2012:

"I don't care. I am going to do what I want." 

Scripture tells us that we have to be humble to be useful to the Lord. The problem today is that most Christians lack humility. Pride is a rebellion against God. When we have that "I don't care!" attitude, we need to slow down and ask ourselves what it reveals about us and what we need to do to get it our will lined up with God's. 

Are we really saying: 

"I don't care... what the Bible says. I will do what I want to do."
"I don't care... how this affects my testimony."
"I don't care... who I hurt."
"I don't care... what anyone thinks about it. I am going to do as I please."
"I don't care... about the consequences of this action." 
"I don't care... because I have stopped believing in God's promises."
"I don't care... what the law says. No one will get hurt. I know better than the lawmakers."
"I don't care... if I make an exception to obedience in this one area. I am good enough/will make up for it in other areas."

We can ask ourselves the same type of questions with other sayings. That's why we call them "expressions." They express the motives of our heart. We like to drop the parts that we aren't comfortable with so we can do what we want to do. We make excuses and pat ourselves on the back in other areas to give ourselves permission to sin. Even when we get Christian counsel, we have to be wary. Sometimes counsel will give a pass on our sin so we will give a pass to theirs later. 

The Bible lists some serious consequences of stubborn pride. The consequences of the choices we make will not only affect us, but those around us. Even when my attitude is so far into the tank I don't care about what happens to me, I still care about what happens to my husband and children. They are a strong motivator to continue to do what is right and pleasing to the Lord. 

Diving deep into our hearts to do the nitty gritty work of self examination and making a course correction isn't easy. Honesty can be painful. Making course corrections in front of the people who saw us charge ahead into sin is humiliating. God knows "weeding" is a painful process. Yielding to His way of thinking and behaving means sometimes we give up our own. It can be quite a struggle. That is why He blesses us with incredible spiritual growth for doing it.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Colossians 3:5-10 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.