We can’t possibly get rid of our defects of character until we first recognize them.
One way we hide them from ourselves is to blame others for our unhappiness. Are we lonely? It's because others are not friendly. Are we depressed? It's because no one cares. Are we disappointed? It's (yes, we even go this far) because GOD let us down! It's never because of us, it's always because of someone else.
Think about it, if that is true, then our situation is very sad indeed. If that is true, that everything is everyone else’s fault, then we have become the hopeless victims of others and we can do nothing to change our situation. We can't change others. We can only change ourselves. If we tell ourselves our problems are all caused by others, that we are perfectly innocent of any responsibility for them (not that we would say it aloud, but we think it in our hearts), then there is nothing to be done but to continue suffering.
We trap ourselves in our misery by not only blaming others, but by refusing to listen to others who have shown that they care for us. When they try to point out the defects of character that are causing our unhappiness, we make excuses, or we tell them they are not good friends because what we really need is someone to listen to us, not someone to "preach" to us. We even stay away from passages in the Bible that speak of our character defects and look only for what "comforts" us.
After having insulated ourselves from any responsibility for our sad situation and from anyone who might point out things we might do to change it, we settle down in our sand pile of self-pity and say, "Poor me!", “Oh woe is me!”
This just shows that we have not been truly working on building ourselves up with GOD Almighty, but have just been going through the motions. Our confessions were a charade. We have not faced our character defects and therefore we cannot pray and work against them. We have doomed ourselves to staying stuck.
The only way out is to stop blaming everyone else, open our ears and hearts, face our defects, ask The FATHER to remove them, and do what HE empowers us to do, which is to be as much like YESHUA, JESUS The CHRIST as we possibly can! Then, and only then, we will begin to know the fullness of HIS Joy!
Heavenly FATHER, Please forgive me for blaming others, even YOU, for my unhappiness, my issues, my defects. Please give me the Courage to face my faults fully, head on, and to renounce them, and seek YOUR Face to overcome them. Please give me an open ear and an open heart to those who offer good counsel. Thank YOU for all that YOU are. I Praise YOU and lift YOUR Name on High. Praying in The Precious Name of YESHUA, JESUS The CHRIST. Amen.
Reading Proverbs 28:21-26...
One way we hide them from ourselves is to blame others for our unhappiness. Are we lonely? It's because others are not friendly. Are we depressed? It's because no one cares. Are we disappointed? It's (yes, we even go this far) because GOD let us down! It's never because of us, it's always because of someone else.
Think about it, if that is true, then our situation is very sad indeed. If that is true, that everything is everyone else’s fault, then we have become the hopeless victims of others and we can do nothing to change our situation. We can't change others. We can only change ourselves. If we tell ourselves our problems are all caused by others, that we are perfectly innocent of any responsibility for them (not that we would say it aloud, but we think it in our hearts), then there is nothing to be done but to continue suffering.
We trap ourselves in our misery by not only blaming others, but by refusing to listen to others who have shown that they care for us. When they try to point out the defects of character that are causing our unhappiness, we make excuses, or we tell them they are not good friends because what we really need is someone to listen to us, not someone to "preach" to us. We even stay away from passages in the Bible that speak of our character defects and look only for what "comforts" us.
After having insulated ourselves from any responsibility for our sad situation and from anyone who might point out things we might do to change it, we settle down in our sand pile of self-pity and say, "Poor me!", “Oh woe is me!”
This just shows that we have not been truly working on building ourselves up with GOD Almighty, but have just been going through the motions. Our confessions were a charade. We have not faced our character defects and therefore we cannot pray and work against them. We have doomed ourselves to staying stuck.
The only way out is to stop blaming everyone else, open our ears and hearts, face our defects, ask The FATHER to remove them, and do what HE empowers us to do, which is to be as much like YESHUA, JESUS The CHRIST as we possibly can! Then, and only then, we will begin to know the fullness of HIS Joy!
Heavenly FATHER, Please forgive me for blaming others, even YOU, for my unhappiness, my issues, my defects. Please give me the Courage to face my faults fully, head on, and to renounce them, and seek YOUR Face to overcome them. Please give me an open ear and an open heart to those who offer good counsel. Thank YOU for all that YOU are. I Praise YOU and lift YOUR Name on High. Praying in The Precious Name of YESHUA, JESUS The CHRIST. Amen.
Reading Proverbs 28:21-26...
