Wiregrass Church
The truth is, we all have the potential to be our own worst enemy. At times, we may ignore the tug of our consciences and sell ourselves on a questionable decision.
Have you ever been your own worst enemy?
Every single one of us has the potential to become our own worst enemy because…
You have participated in all of your bad decisions.
A single bad decision is always the first step toward becoming your own worst enemy.
Every habit begins with the first time.
Preemptive habits
The first thing that we must all do to ensure that we don't become our own worst enemy is…
Pay attention to the tension.
Don’t start selling.
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Start listening.
“If you get home and decide you don't like it, just donate it.”
“I see that you already have one that does everything this one does, but this one is newer.”
“Yes, siree. It is wrong, wrong, wrong. So just don't tell anyone.”
“Sure your husband would be hurt and offended if he found out, but your husband isn't bright enough to find out.”
“Yes, your girlfriend, would be devastated. But let's face it; she's not nearly as attractive as…”
Pay Attention to the Tension
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The moment you start selling you, you should hit pause.
Pay Attention to the Tension
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We rarely have to sell ourselves on a good idea
King David
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Israel’s Second King
1 Samuel 24:2 NIV
1 Samuel 24:3 NIV
God had delivered his enemy into his hands.
1 Samuel 24:4 NIV
Now the waiting was over!
But David felt something else as well.
I’m about to murder the king!
“I can't replace what God put in place.”
Conscience-stricken
(David) was able to pay attention to his irrational conscience, and it saved him from becoming his own worst enemy.
1 Samuel 24:6 NIV
1 Samuel 24:7 NIV
Are you so close?
Are you selling yourself on a bad idea?
Are you on the verge of becoming your own worst enemy?
Hit pause.
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Stop selling.
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Start listening.
1 Samuel 24:12 NIV
David decided not to use Saul's bad behavior as an excuse for bad behavior.
Are you considering behaving badly based on somebody else's bad behavior?
We rarely have to sell ourselves on the right thing to do.
Saul is humiliated by David’s humility.
That's the power of paying attention to that tension.
“How did we do on our test?”
“You told on yourself!?!”
The tension you're wrestling with right now falls somewhere between choosing whether or not to tell your math teacher you studied from an old test and murdering a king.
Let it bother you!
That tension may be God's way of protecting you from becoming your own worst enemy.
Is there a tension that deserves my attention?
Every habit begins with the first time.
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Every pattern begins with the first line.
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Every journey begins with a first step.
What oftentimes begins as nothing more than an uneasy feeling, over time becomes something that is supported with reason or insight.
COMMITMENT
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I will pause until I pinpoint the cause.
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I will explore rather than ignore my conscience.
