But in reality most of the dragons we
face are not the type that exist outside
of us. Most of the dragons that threaten
us are ones we have incubated, nurtured,
and raised in our own hearts. Lust, pride,
greed, selfishness in all its forms, hatred,
the abandonment of responsibility, lack
of self-discipline––these are the kind of
dragons that usually destroy us. And in
fact it is these “small” internal dragons
that become the huge external ones
mentioned earlier. Take abortion, for
example––a dragon of genocide that has
claimed hundreds of millions of innocent
human lives. At its core this boils down
to a decision to worship at the altar of
convenience. It is part of the zeitgeist of a
generation that has little value for life and
a supreme love of pleasure.
tears of feeding and coddling. This is the
reason Jesus was so radical when He
said, “If your hand or your foot causes
you to stumble, cut it off and throw it
away” (Matt. 18:8–9). Jesus was trying
to express how brutal our attitude toward
sin ought to be. It is not a side issue. It
is not insignificant. Sin can destroy our
lives, both in this world and in eternity.
Not only that but it can also destroy the
lives of those around us. If we could get
the right perspective on sin, I believe we
would become absolutely ruthless in our
intolerance of it.
How do you kill your pet dragon? Whether
it has grown into a murderous man-eating
serpent like Tiny, or it is still the size of
a kitten, the way Billy Bixbee’s dragon
started, here are a few words of wisdom
that can give you victory over your pet
dragons.
Get It Young. The easiest way to kill a
dragon is obviously to smash it while it is
still inside its egg. If you can kill it in its
gestation period, you will never have to
battle a monster. Bit things start small. Big
addictions come from simple curiosities.
Big sins grow from small seeds. If you
can be honest with yourself, you will often
realize what is going on. When you realize
you are coddling a monster in the making,
kill it quickly!
Show No Mercy; Take No Prisoners.
Things like this don’t grow overnight.
They are often the product of many
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Admit It Exists. This is actually a biblical
principle. James 5:16 says, “Therefore
confess your sins to each other and
pray for each other so that you may be
healed. The prayer of a righteous person
is powerful and effective.” Why should we
confess our sins to one another? Because
when we walk in accountability, we are
able to receive help and grace from other
people. Without this transparency, our
sin stays in the dark. This is where little
dragons grow into big ones. But when we
bring these monsters out into the light,