If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. - 1 John 1:8-10 NKJV.

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. - James 2:10 NKJV.

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like…. - Galatians 5:19-21 NKJV.

If you happen to see a green reptile, five feet long, with a long snout wrapped with tape and a long tail wandering around; call the U. S. Fish and Wildlife service. They've lost one! Just in case here's their website address www.fws.gov Dave Brady an officer for the service had a great idea after he captured the reptile. His daughter's school in Panama City Beach, Florida was having a show-and-tell day; and so Officer Brady taped up the alligator's snout, and showed off the reptile to his daughter's class. According to a spokesperson for the wildlife service “They were impressed.” However, when the officer was putting the alligator back into his truck it jumped out and ran to a nearby pond. So far, the alligator has escaped being captured and is still on the loose.

Some of us have pets that we keep, and we are very attached to them. I am not talking about little animals like dogs and cats, these pets are spiritual. These spiritual pets are what we like to think of as little sins that everyone does to some extent. Here are some of those spiritual pets that we become attached to: procrastination/laziness, lying, substance abuse, gambling, anger, lust, ambition, greed, gluttony, dishonesty, gossiping, envy, arrogance, foul language and, as Paul ends his list in Galatians 5, “and the like.”

We become comfortable with our little pets, and usually they are well behaved. It is rare if we engage in lying that we are caught in telling a really big whopper, and even if we are we can laugh it off. But if the FBI comes to your door, and you do not tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, you can end up in prison just like Martha Stewart and many others have. Our substance abuse may seem like a minor thing until the patrol car lights are flashing in our rear view mirror, and we face the embarrassment of arrest with our names in the newspaper, and possibly even some time in jail or prison. Lust is one of those sins that are insidious. Lust in the mind can spill out into the physical resulting in adultery, divorce, and even murder (as in the case of King David and Bathsheba).

Our little pet sins are usually kept under control, you know we have their snouts all taped up, and we try to keep them on a leash. What many people forget about alligators is that they can jump, and they can run. The same with our little pet sins, sometimes they have a mind of their own, and they can jump, they can run, and they can cause all kinds of havoc in our lives. So, before your pet sin makes a break for it, now is the time to remove it from your life. 1 John 1:9 is always a good place to start.