What's wrong with cussing once in a while? My wife gets after me and says I shouldn't do it, but I find it's a pretty good way to let off some steam when I'm upset. Anyway, you hear so much profanity on TV and in movies today that no one thinks anything about it. — L.S.

Sadly, you may be right; our society has become so saturated with profanity and coarse language that we seem to have grown almost indifferent to it. We have become like the people of Jeremiah's time: "They have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush" (Jeremiah 6:15).

But that doesn't make it right in the eyes of God—and He is the one you should be seeking to please. When we use the name of God thoughtlessly or blasphemously, it shows that we don't respect Him or love Him as we should. When we angrily condemn someone in God's name, it shows that we are trying to put ourselves in God's place—for only He is the true judge. Our language also reveals our hearts—and if we constantly use filthy language, it demonstrates the impurity of our inner lives.

This is why one of the Ten Commandments says, "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name" (Exodus 20:7). The Bible also says, "Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place" (Ephesians 5:4).

The real issue is this, however: What place does God have in your life? Have you committed your life to Christ—or have you left Him standing on the outside? Face your need of Christ today, and then open your heart and life to His cleansing power.