Self-Sabotage: The Other EnemySample

A New Day Has Come

Yesterday we mentioned that the enemy's powers are limited. The fact is, he does not know the future (Isaiah 46:9-10), and he cannot touch us at all without God's permission (1 John 5:18). He is always subject to God’s sovereignty. According to John 8:36, part of the way God exercises His sovereignty is by choosing to give us free will and authority. I call these our superpowers. 

The first strategy for winning over the deceit of self-sabotage is to activate these superpowers by renewing our minds. This starts as a purposeful decision to stay focused on who God is, and who we are as His children. We are to do so by thinking about what is true, honorable, excellent, and worthy of praise. 

Renewing the mind, however, does not end there. It also acknowledges our human limitations and humbly hands over the deeper work to the Holy Spirit through faith. For you and me, that’s great news—God trusts us enough to choose to get out of our own way, but He also knows that we will need a helper. 

By partnering with the Holy Spirit for the renewal of our minds and hearts, the patterns of the past do not have to be the story of the future. Change can be achieved.

Reflection Questions: 

1. Do I trust that I have been made new in Christ, or am I holding on to destructive patterns from the past? 

2. Am I overly reliant on myself, or am I choosing to be humble so that the Holy Spirit can do a new thing in my heart and mind?