For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. James 3:16<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When God delivered the tenth commandment on Mount Sinai, he added a sweeping conclusion to the simple beginning: \u201cYou shall not covet \u2026 anything that belongs to your neighbor\u201d Exodus 20:17). Why add anything? Maybe God wanted to emphasize that any desire can morph into envy, and envy opens the door to a parade of other sins: anger, bitterness, obsession, even murder. As James said, envy leads to \u201cevery vile practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Danger of Desire<\/p>\n\n\n\n
James also cautioned his readers about the danger of desire: \u201cBut each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it is conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death\u201d (1:14\u201315).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Hebrew word translated \u201ccovet\u201d in Exodus 20:17 means to desire or to take pleasure in something in an ungoverned, unrestrained way. What starts as admiration\u2014\u201ca feeling of mingled wonder, esteem\u201d\u2014becomes desire, or covetousness, when we focus too intently and too exclusively on a person or object or goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Envy and Gender Confusion<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every human being struggles with envy, and any battle with envy can lead to \u201cevery vile practice.\u201d And those who suffer from gender confusion are no exception. They often develop an unhealthy focus on the opposite sex. What they admire about that person increases their discomfort with their own biological gender. That admiration can lead to desire, which leads to envy. The envy may manifest in cross-dressing at first but can lead to harmful hormonal treatments and surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLived in Hell\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chris Beck, a 56-year-old Navy SEAL combat veteran, lived as a woman for ten years. His spiral downward from admiration to envy to lust began before he admitted to a psychologist that wearing women\u2019s clothing made him feel comfortable. But when that so-called expert convinced Beck he was transgender, he underwent hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery in his quest for fulfillment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Beck announced in 2022 that he was detransitioning, he told Time magazine journalist Louise Chambers, \u201cI have lived in hell for the past 10 years. \u2026 I look back and see how I destroyed everything in my life that was holy, the temple of God, our bodies, what we have here.\u201d He also \u201csuffered symptoms of trauma including depression, anxiety, and adjustment disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, Beck is not an exception. Other former transgenders, including Chloe Cole, admit that the hormonal treatments and surgeries did not provide the physical, mental, or emotional well-being that psychologists and surgeons promised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Facts about Gender Dysphoria<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not disputing that some people suffer from gender dysphoria. They do. But our culture and many medical professionals now encourage these confused individuals, as young as ten, to act on their desires in life-altering, destructive ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Risky Behaviors NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) states on its website that the brain \u201cdoes not finish developing and maturing until the mid-to-late 20s. The front part of the brain, called the prefrontal cortex, is one of the last brain regions to mature. This area is responsible for skills like planning, prioritizing, and controlling impulses. Because these skills are still developing, teens are more likely to engage in risky behaviors without considering the potential results of their decisions.\u201d If this is true, then why are medical professionals pushing hormonal treatments on kids as young as 12 or 13?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vulnerable to Stress<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same webpage affirms that \u201cmany mental disorders may begin to appear during adolescence\u201d and the teen brain \u201cmay be more vulnerable to stress.\u201d So again, if this is true, why would medical professionals recommend treatments and procedures that could aggravate mental disorders and increase stress?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God\u2019s Prescription for Well-Being<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To say that hormonal treatments and invasive surgeries are the only way, the best way, or even a way to address gender dysphoria is wrong. The God who designed the human body and fashioned every neuron in our brain is the one who can best lead us toward wholeness and wellness. As Beck noted in his interview with Time, once he reconnected with God, he was able to see the destructive path he had taken by allowing desire to become envy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God Only Creates \u201cVery Good\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Envy is the fruit of dissatisfaction, so the first step is to make peace with the person God created us to be. Just as he looked at every single part of the created realm and pronounced it \u201cvery good,\u201d he looks at each one of us and says, \u201cvery good\u201d (See Genesis 1:31). If we are envious of someone\u2019s athleticism or intellect, we are basically saying to God, \u201cIn this aspect, you did not make me \u2018very good.\u2019\u201d When a gender-confused person is envious of the opposite sex, that individual is saying to God, \u201cThe way you designed me is not \u2018very good.\u2019 I can do a better job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
See Yourself as God Sees You<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ask God to help you see yourself as he sees you\u2014the male or female he wove together in your mother\u2019s womb, the person he gifted with a set of skills and interests that can be used for his glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
See Yourself as Beloved by God<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Second, God loves you\u2014the person he created, not some person you fantasize about becoming. He demonstrated that love by sending Jesus to die for you so you could live in relationship with him. \u201cThis is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him\u201d (1 John 4:9).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Replace Envy with Love<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Third, recognize that envy is the opposite of love. First Corinthians 13:4 says, \u201cLove is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.\u201d Ask God to replace the envy in your heart with love for him, which will help you love yourself and others in a way that honors him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Replace Envy with Praise<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God created desire, that \u201cfeeling of mingled wonder, esteem.\u201d Satan, of course, wants to twist that gift into something ugly and destructive\u2014an obsession with what God didn\u2019t give us. Don\u2019t allow him to lead you down that path toward \u201cevery vile practice.\u201d Instead, let the gift of desire lead you to praise the One who gave it to you.<\/p>\n