SOUL
DETOX

Clean Living in a Contaminated World

CRAIG
GROESCHEL

Dear friends, I warn you as
“temporary residents and foreigners” to keep
away from worldly desires that wage war
against your very souls.

— 1 PETER 2:11 NLT

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Epigraph

Introduction: Coming Clean

Part 1

TOXIC BEHAVIORS

1 Deception Infection: Telling Ourselves the Truth

2 Septic Thoughts: Overcoming Our False Beliefs

3 Lethal Language: Experiencing the Power of Life-Giving Words

4 Hazardous Waste: Uncovering Our Hidden Sins

Part 2

TOXIC EMOTIONS

5 Bitter Roots: Digging Up the Destructive Source of Resentment

6 Green with Envy: Scratching the Poison Ivy of Comparison

7 Rage Rash: Neutralizing the Acid of Anger

8 Scare Pollution: Unlocking the Chokehold of Fear

Part 3

TOXIC INFLUENCES

9 Mood Poisoning: Purging the False Promises of Materialism

10 Germ Warfare: Cleansing Our Lives of Cultural Toxins

11 Radioactive Relationships: Loving Unhealthy People without Getting Sick

12 Religion Gone Bad: Tossing Out Moldy Legalism, Spoiled Churches, and Sour Christians

Conclusion: Clean and sober

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Praise

Copyright

About the Publisher

Share Your Thoughts

Introduction

Coming Clean

God doesn’t seek for golden vessels, and does not ask
for silver ones, but He must have clean ones.

— Dwight L. Moody

When I was growing up, it seemed like all grown-ups smoked, all the moms continually twirling Virginia Slims between their fingers while the dads talked with a Marlboro or Camel dangling from the corner of their mouths. They all enjoyed their cigarettes, which I gathered were probably better than what most of them smoked in the ‘60s. My own mom and dad, although wonderful parents in too many ways to count, fit right in with their peers and smoked at least two packs a day.

Being raised in a house filled with smoke, I was never bothered by the smell. A nonsmoking guest would have instantly identified it and likely complained, but my family thought nothing of it. Most of us probably have a smell we associate with growing up — our mom’s pine cleaner or our dad’s Old Spice. For me the smell was cigarette smoke. I found it strangely comforting because it was what made home smell like home.

Since all my buddies’ parents also smoked, their homes had the same odor — all except for Mike’s house. Although I didn’t know why at the time, I remember loving the way Mike’s home smelled. Each time I walked in the front door, I felt like I’d just entered a Sea Breeze commercial. It’s hard to describe what “clean” smells like, but I thought Mike’s mom knew the secret formula. Not only did every room sparkle, but they smelled so fresh, lemony, and bright, as if his mom had just finished dusting with Pledge before we walked in. Looking back, I know that the fresh, cool smell wasn’t just the presence of air freshener but the absence of cigarette smoke. No one lit up at Mike’s house.

While the health risks of smoking were well known at the time, it was a few years before ...