Five lies we tell ourselves when we are off-course

Copyright 2015 Theresa Harvard Johnson

Self-sabotage takes on many forms in our lives as scribes, artisans and just plain people of God. It is often drenched in chronic procrastination, extreme excuse making, a flurry of endless unfruitful activity and a host of other bomb-shells focused on self-directed implosion that work wonders in turning dreams and hope to dust.

How do I know? Well, because I have had to overcome them. I had to realize that God isn’t a time waster. He IS a finisher. Me, on the other hand, not so much without Him. I knew that if I was going to finish what he had entrusted to me that I had to do it in His strength — not my own. That meant Theresa had to recognize self, work at defeating those “Theresa-habits” and allow God to have his way.

Isaiah 14:24 NIV, “The LORD Almighty has sworn, Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.” While God is talking about a very specific situation here in this passage – this principle is true: He will have what he sets in motion. I just had to get with the plan. I had to lay down many elaborate excuses and other sabotaging techniques, face myself in the mirror outside of intense spiritualizing and confess that it was not “God’s perfect timing” in many of these instances that I had been waiting on all these years. Rather, it was that proven internal self-sabotage switch at work that I needed to shut off. Super-spirituality, however, convinces a person that it was “God’s timing”…. versus our own choices.

Holy Spirit checks are something else… right?

In the midst of this journey, I identified five lies that I told myself (and have seen other believers tell) when things begin heading off-course. In fact, I’ll start with the most popular lie first and move from there.

1. It must not have been the timing. This is a favorite. It is used quite often when we start projects or initiate things that never seem to get finished – whether it’s a book, a poem, a painting or something else. A big clue here is when you look around your “cluttered closet” and see “many” unfinished projects, not just one. Look over your life and consider whether or not this is a common pattern.

2. I need to manage my time better because I have so much to do. Psychologists will tell a person quickly that self-sabotage has absolutely nothing to do with time management. Rather, it is rooted in a combination of learned behaviors and very bad habits.[1] Most people who are chronically off-course are dealing with a life-long pattern, not just a one-time occurrence. All the calendar start dates and accountability partners in the world will not bring this stronghold down without a personal reality check and breaking point.

3. This project is under such spiritual attack. Really Theresa? Exactly who is attacking all your projects – not just that one on top of the box in the corner? Explain how this is happening to absolutely everything that you have been working on these past few years. I would say that most of the time, I was allowing distractions to disrupt me and failing to enter into the kind of discipline needed to complete what I had been given.

4. My lack of motivation indicates that “the Lord” does not want me to do this right now. For some reason, believers look at their own motivation as a point of reference regarding the completion of their projects. Feeling motivated or having a lack of motivation does not necessarily mean something super-spiritual. Maturity challenges us to not respond to life solely based on what we “feel” motivated to do or not to do. This type of thinking can cause great deception. Even more detrimental is that life changing opportunities can be lost here.

5. I didn’t get confirmation in prayer to move forward with this project. This lie can be extremely deceptive: (1) because we religiously pray about everything; and (2) because we are conditioned to wait until we hear for ourselves. The trouble with this is that people operating in sabotage seldom hear correctly. They could have 10 people all connected to them in a different way saying “move forward” and they will miss this type of hearing because they are waiting for an inward witness. I learned that whenever God says start something; that there is always the goal of finishing it.

Do you see yourself in one or more of these areas? If so, maybe prayer is not the most effective approach to take. Perhaps obedience is the appropriate route. Discipline yourself to follow-through. The lies listed above might not look exactly like those you have told yourself – but I am sure you can identify with the journey. Overcoming will take a close look in the minor and actual effort to break this sabotaging cycle and abandon the lies for His truth. Here are some other articles that offer solutions and insight to your process.

The Self-Sabotaging Scribe Series Article I & II, Article III