Carelessly tossing around the title of our Creator–GOD–has turned into a nothing norm. Everyone does it, no big deal, and anyway–is it really even a sin? Well, so what if everyone does it, it is a big deal and yes–the Bible says it is sin.

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 

If you’ve developed the inappropriate habit of taking or LORD’s name in vain, now is the perfect time to make a change. It’s a wonderful way to offer honor and respect for all that He is.

1. Prayer

The first thing you can do is to talk to God, tell Him you are sorry for wrongly using His holy name, and ask forgiveness. Tell Him you need His help to change your speaking pattern, especially if expressing His name as an exasperation just pops out in your everyday conversations–and you didn’t even realize it. (Evil has ways of making us sin, without us even knowing it!)

James 1:5-6 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 

Of course, God already knows our every desire and need. But when we pray we acknowledge to God in faith that He is in charge. And only through His grace are all things are possible.

Romans 8:31-32 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 

2. Solicit Help.

Ask the people you have the most contact with throughout your day to help you achieve your goal of not speaking God’s name lightly. Those people can be family members, friends, or co-workers . Because frequent bad speech habits begin to have a feeling of normalcy, you may not initially even realize you’ve been speaking His name in vain during a conversation. But believe me, when you ask others to confirm a flaw–they’re usually happy to oblige.

3. Write Reminder Notes.

I WILL NOT TAKE GOD’S NAME IN VAIN TODAY! Write that on sticky notes and stick them to your bathroom mirror, the refrigerator, and your computer. Any surface where you are sure to look at throughout your day. Write a larger NO OMG note and place it close to your TV. This will help bring awareness to you, as you watch television shows. I believe television and movies fuel the fire for this blasphemous habit, even in what is considered family centered shows.

4. Listen To Others.

Become aware of when others use His name. Note the difference when the names God, Jesus and Jesus Christ are used correctly and when they are mistreated. Hearing positive, holy misuse of G-O-D will reinforce your understanding of correct and incorrect usage.

5. Stay Focused On Your Goal.

As you work through this process of correcting a learned bad habit, stay focused. Change is a process. Be prepared that you may make mistakes. We hear God’s name misused so often in personal conversations throughout our day, we’ve become desensitized to the Truth about His name. These misrepresentations of our Lord, lead us to believe it’s “ok” to reference Him in a foul manner. But just because something is “popular,” does not make it right.

So be prepared that you may make a mistake. If you slip up, remember God gives us fresh opportunities with each sunrise. Eventually you will succeed. NOW is the time to change, for the Lord has already told us what will happen.

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 

6. Speak Positivity.

There is power in praising God and speaking positivity to Him. Speak these words out loud to Him after you pray:

• Thank you, God, I have stopped using Your name in vain
• Thank you, God, for your Divine help
• Thank you, God, I am committed to honoring Your third commandment.

Tool #1, Prayer, is essential to get you started. Prayer always helps us overcome evil. But please, don’t be afraid to ever call out His name again, for fear of unintentional misuse. No, this would be sad because God desires that we call to Him daily. He loves to commune with us, as we should also love to commune with Him. 

Let’s learn to call to God like we would call to any loving father. Let’s get back to showing love and respect to the title name of G-O-D. Let’s Lift Him Up.

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Learn and share the importance of keeping God’s name holy. Order my book, LIFT HIM UP DON’T PULL HIM DOWN, @ LULU.COM or AMAZON.COM for your next Bible study.

Join the movement, and click the Break The Chain tab above now! Share your commitment to G-O-D, by breaking the chain of OMGs and Lift Him Up in the glory that God alone deserves.