Dharius Daniels - This Bible Verse Will Help You OVERCOME Self-Sabotage

Uh, maybe you’ve heard it said that the greatest enemy is not the enemy; it is the inner me. That’s a simple statement but is incredibly profound because the greatest threat that we all deal with is not an external threat; it’s an internal threat. It’s the threat of self-sabotage. What if I told you that overcoming self-sabotage isn’t just about strength; it’s about a skill? I want to show you what that skill is in this video. Stay tuned! [Music]

Well, listen, one of the truths that I pull from the pages of Scripture, especially in the creation narrative in the Book of Genesis, is this: Satan cannot make me do anything. He cannot destroy my life. He can influence me to make decisions that destroy myself; we call that self-sabotage. Even if you look at Satan’s interaction with the first humans in the Garden of Eden, one of the things you’ll see is he suggested that they make decisions that were sabotaging decisions. He could not take the fruit from the tree and force it down their mouths; he couldn’t make them chew the fruit or digest it, but he simply suggested that they make a decision that ultimately ended up being self-sabotaging. What he did in the garden back then is what he’s doing in our lives right now, and that is attempting to influence us to make decisions that create self-sabotage.

Now, this revelation, I really think, can cause a revolution in our lives. It’s truly empowering for me; it’s really encouraging for me, and I hope it’s empowering and encouraging to you because it reveals to us how much power God has given us. God has given us—not just responsibility—but response-ability. The enemy suggested, but Adam and Eve had to make a decision to respond, and they had the ability to respond in a way that was consistent with what Satan suggested or to respond in a way that was ultimately in their best interest. This is empowering; this is revolutionary because no matter what you’re facing, no matter what temptations or suggestions you’re wrestling with, I have the ability—and you have the ability—to respond.

Here’s the truth of the matter: all of us, from time to time, respond in ways to triggers, stimuli, and suggestions that are not in our best interest. If many of us are honest, we could say that, even though we’ve dealt with some external opposition—maybe from some people or some places—but if we’re honest, the truth is that the greatest hindrance to us being who God has called us to be and doing what God has called us to do is not external opposition; it’s internal. As I said earlier, sometimes the greatest enemy is the inner me.

So the question becomes: how do I stop the cycle of self-sabotage? What do I do now? What ends up happening in many cases is that people say what you need is strength. I’m not underemphasizing the importance of strength, but if your strength alone were enough to be who God has called you to be and to do what God has called you to do, then the Bible wouldn’t have told you and me to be strong in the Lord. If you and I, in and of ourselves, had the ability and the capacity to do everything God has called us to do and become all that God has called us to become, then the Scriptures would not say that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all you ask or think according to the power—not your power—but the power that is at work in you.

What I am saying is that without God’s assistance, humans cannot be free of the cycle of self-sabotage. Why? Because there are times we engage in self-sabotaging behavior, and we don’t even know it’s self-sabotaging behavior. It’s one thing to know it is not the right decision on the front end, but there are times, seasons, and situations where we don’t realize a decision wasn’t the right decision until we deal with the consequences of that decision. We thought it was the right choice.

Consider something as simple as relationship choices. I know there are times when people say there were flags and signs that I missed; generally speaking, that may be the case, but that is not always true. You know why? Because people do change, and sometimes people enter into a marital covenant or a long-term relationship with someone who is actually a healthy, current, safe version of themselves. However, when we talk about people changing, sometimes we assume that when everyone changes, they change for the better—and that’s just not true. Sometimes there is formation, and other times there is deformation. There are times where people change for the worse. We can look through Scripture and see examples of this. Joab, who was one of David’s confidants and comrades, did not experience transformation into something good; it was deformation into something bad.

So you don’t always know a bad decision is a bad decision when you’re making it. Are there times when you know that’s the case? Yes. But is that always the case? No, because some trapdoors in life look like regular doors, and you don’t know it’s a trap until you get to the other side of it. So if the answer is not just my strength but also God’s strength, this also means that the answer to getting free from the cycle of self-sabotage requires skill. It’s not just strength; it’s strategy.