Self-sabotage is the way a person, through their beliefs, self-esteem, self-confidence, and past experiences, keeps themselves within their self-chosen, safe, and comfortable boundaries. When you keep yourself within these boundaries, you stop growing. You don't push yourself forward from point A to point B out of fear, apathy, or the like.
When you self-sabotage your own religious journey, you essentially become stuck in cycles of sinful habits and failures. For some, self-sabotage has become so embedded in their character that they don’t even know what they’re doing. It's simply how they live their life, not realizing that they could be happier. When we self-sabotage, we actively block God’s blessings from entering into our lives and make a hole for the enemy to sneak in and take control.
God has called each one of us to a life of abundance, joy, and peace. That doesn’t mean that everything will always go well but it does mean that God will be with us, guiding us and moving us to where He wants us to be. Here are the ways you causing your faith journey to stall, and how to move forward.
You procrastinate real change.
We all procrastinate. It’s not uncommon, however when you procrastinate to the point where you don’t even make an effort to get things done, that’s where self-sabotage steps in. You constantly miss deadlines, you forget to pay your bills, and you don’t honor your word to others. By constantly procrastinating you are preventing yourself from moving forward. When opportunities to step out in faith arise you don’t take it and when God says to move, you standstill. We all make constant excuses as to why we don't read the Bible or skip church, but then turn around and say "I will do better next week." Remember the phrase: "What is today but yesterday's tomorrow?" Don't wait any longer, and come up with a real action plan now to make changes.
You are struggling to fight the enemy back.
Do you notice that when you set out to do good for God, all hell breaks loose against you? Does it seem like when you try to press into a deeper relationship with the Spirit, the enemy works overtime to distract you, derail you and otherwise deny you? This might not be your own self-sabotage, but rather you have lost the strength to fight the enemy's attacks.
In the dictionary, sabotage can be defined as "destruction of one's property". Everything we own belongs to God, so when the enemy comes against what God has given us to steward, he's coming against God's property. This is something you are not alone in, and that the devil does with all Christians. The enemy's agenda is an all-out war to take you off God's track and oppress you, suppress you, repress you and depress you.
Instead of letting the enemy take control of your life and break you down, it's time to take a stand and push back. Do not continue to let the devil play with your heart and make you feel that your spiritual journey isn't one worth continuing. Go to church, pray with the Lord, read the Bible and get your mind-refocused on what is important: Jesus Christ.
You draw conclusions too quickly.
When we over-think we create ideas in our mind of how things are going to end. Most of these conclusions are purely due to fear, and aren't based on logic. We decide the worst is going to happen, so we ask ourselves why we should try. This sabotages any chances we have of going through the experience with an open heart that can accept joy, love, or hope.
If we choose to think that our Christian journey will be one that is too hard or is too scary to go on, then we will never move forward with a good relationship with the Lord. We have to allow Him the chance to transform our lives, even if you have doubts now. When we make assumptions that put us in a premeditated poor mindset, we are unable to see anything in a good light.
You don't see God as a priority.
When you start feeling those knots in my stomach from stress, anxiety and the depression life can bring, do you choose to turn to God first? Next time these emotions come up, look at how your relationship with God has been like lately. Have you been spending time with Him? Has it been missing, rushed, or demanding? Sometimes the demands of my life, caring for your family, owning a business, or keeping up with other commitments, are so pressing and present that they pull your focus away from God. These demands are real, and they require energy and attention, but it’s a mistake to confuse their urgency with making God your number one priority. When you put other worldly issues first, and don't choose to turn to God for His help to get through it, you are limiting your ability to grow as a Christian.
God is calling us to higher ground. He wants us to build a deeper relationship with Him and have a purpose-driven life. Living an active Christian life means that we are becoming more like Christ every day. It is a process and one that is not easy. All Christians struggle to find their way at one point or another, so do not feel discouraged if you have fallen off the wagon. Self-sabotage is part of human nature, but by knowing the signs you'll be able to fight back against it.
