SABOTAGE YOURSELF

Sometimes you need to devise ways of subtly sabotaging yourself so you can get ahead in life.

In order to make worthwhile progress in life, at times we need to deliberately put obstacles in our own way to ensure we walk the straight an narrow. 

In order to mortify the desires of our flesh we must learn the salient art of self-sabotage because we are admonished thus in Mark 9:43, 

"If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out."

For example, as you get along in years, you know you need to stop binging on soda drinks, so you can make up your mind not to drink soda unless someone gives you, and also not to buy any with your own money unless someone buys one for you.

You can also take it a step further by ensuring that when you are offered a soda drink, you make up your mind just to drink a percentage of it and immediately pour away the remainder, so as to purposefully set limits for yourself, with the ultimate motive of one day putting an end to taking such unhealthy sugar-loaded drinks. 

Once you can psychologically get rid of the thought that though the drink was bought but the disadvantage of you finishing the drink far outweighs what it costs to purchase it, it becomes easier to dump it after having a few sips. 

Sometimes building up one's self-control needs to begin with little but meaningful steps to overcome some compulsive behaviours. 

I once went for an anti-drug abuse rally and I met a lady who was bold enough to say she was glad that she was not struggling with any addiction in her life. 

Instinctively remembering what addiction I knew that I was struggling with and having a premonition that she too may be having the same difficulty but had not accepted that it was an issue she had to deal with in her life, the Holy Spirit helped me to contrive a way to bring her issue out into the limelight. 

I quickly counted the witnesses around when she made her unwitting boast and proceeded to buy cold soda drinks for the people present, especially because it was midday and the sun was scorching hot. 

I purposely waited for her to lift the bottle to her lips and just when she was about to take the first sip I prevented her from doing so by holding back the drink.

Knowing she was about to protest my action I then told her that if she was sure she wasn't struggling with any addiction she should not take the Cola I bought for her but instantly pour it away. 

It took her a few seconds to process what I was up to but when she fully grasped what I did she immediately told me I was a wicked person, and that why would I do what I did to her. 

She subsequently guzzled down the drink while some of those around us chuckled and admitted the same type of addiction affected us all, but that we sometimes fail to recognise such cos we always feel someone else's own is more weightier than ours. 

Thank God everybody got the message and had sometime to reflect on the compulsively habitual issues they had to deal with in there lives, but had not realized or even bothered to reflect on. 

The self-sabotage tactic as a first-aid attempt to try and resist can be used on a myriad of addictive issues that we may identify in our lives but we must apply it with the most effective way of self-control, which still is to pray and have faith on the very words of God concerning why we shouldn't be addicted, knowing that as in 2 Timothy 1:7, "...the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."

Shalom