Not a person in this room has to struggle with the temptations that other people have. And every person in this room does in fact have to struggle against the temptations that present themselves, daily, to you.
Now as we all seek to establish our walk with Christ, one of the perennial temptations will be to evaluate ourselves based upon our relative freedom from the snares that have caught others. All of us could be hanging upside down, every ankle ensnared by the devil’s traps, and all of us gently bobbing, and our temptation would still be to think, “Well, at least I wasn’t caught by a gray rope like he was.” Or “at least I wasn’t caught by a three/quarter inch rope.” Well, good job all around! Shall we have prizes?
The lustful man tells himself that at least he is not proud. The proud man tells himself that at least he is not lazy. The vain woman is pleased that she is, at least, not a slattern. The diligent woman despises the one who keeps a low tone.
Now there is a standard that applies to all. The realization for us ought not to be a relativistic one. But the standard that applies to all is the holy Scripture, as interpreted and applied by Christ. And there is no way to place anyone else under that standard without coming under it yourself. There is a way to quote snippets out of the Bible, about lust or laziness, covetousness or pride, whatever the other guy is doing, in order to manufacture a convenient standard that has the veneer of holiness all over it. So as we guard our hearts against this, remember that we must bow before Christ, and He is not a territorial god. He is the Lord of heaven and earth.