Telling people, they are the problem can have a double-edged sword effect. Don’t believe me? Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matthew 7:1-2, NKJV).  

It is not necessarily wrong to tell people they are the problem because they may very well be the problem. But if you are involved in the situation, you must also carefully consider yourself and your role in the matter before boldly declaring to others that they are the problem. Jesus said “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’, and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First, remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5, NKJV). Obviously, a plank is much larger than a speck, so Jesus’ point is that you could be the bigger problem even though you are telling others they are the problem, and therein lies the hypocrisy that Jesus talks about.

So, the next time you are tempted to tell others that they are the problem, remember, they can say the same about you—you are the problem. That’s the double-edged sword effect of telling people they are the problem.