1)  Begging off on other people.  ”Everyone does it.”  ”I am not as bad as her.” “They made me do it.”  These type of statements are examples of blaming others for the choices you make.  Such words deny personal responsibility.

2)  Thinking ourselves inadequate. “I couldn’t do that I am too old, young,  can’t speak well enough.”  Truth be told you are inadequate.  You need God.  God doesn’t call the equipped he equips the called.  So whatever your lacking, trust that God is fully aware of that and will provide.

3)  Blaming Ignorance.  ”I didn’t know better.”  Often times that is true.  But once you make that statement, it can no longer be your excuse.

4)  Blaming circumstance. The big red flag for when you are entering this danger zone are the words, “If only.”   “f only I had….more time, more money, were in a different church, understood the Bible better, weren’t so tired, etc.”

5)  Trapped in the past.   If you find yourself saying “I can’t because…” and then you fill in the blank with a story from your past, you are probably rationalizing.  The harsh truth is that was then and this is now.  What happened then may not truly have any bearing on your situation now except for in your mind.  The truth is admitting that you are allowing the wounds of the past to hold you hostage now.  Ask for God’s healing or release so that you can move forward in faith.

Freedom from Excuses

Whenever your find yourself doing the wrong thing or failing to do the right thing and your explanation begins with “I don’t” or “I can’t” you really need to slow down and see if what you are saying is truly valid.  Even if it is true, you need to make sure it is not a denial of what God can do.  Perhaps, you can’t, but God can.  Embracing your inadequacy and clinging to God’s providence is the first step toward freedom from your excuses.

Stop living in what you are or are not and start living into what God has been and will always be.

I love the story of the missionary, Gladys Aylward.  Aylward was a missionary to China who walked twelve days with nearly one hundred orphans in order to get them out of harms way of Japanese troops coming into the area.  At one point when she was beginning to feel despondent, one little girl said something to the effect of, “You going to get us through the mountains just like Moses got the Israelites out of Egypt.”  Aylward, confessed that she was no Moses.  The little girl was undaunted by this.  She replied, “Yes, but God is still God.”

Regardless of what excuse you are clinging to, it does not change the fact that God is still God.  So, abandon your excuse and trust God.  Blessings to you as you seek to be courageously honest with yourself.

Rationalizing

Brad used the word “excuses” in our conversation but after our discussion we both felt “rationalizing” was a more fitting word.  Namely, because I once heard it said that when you rationalize you are telling yourself rational lies.  The self talk you are doing in your head is rational in that it makes total sense to you.  The only problem is it’s not true. So why would you lie to yourself?  Rationalizing is a way to deceive yourself into believing that what you are doing is right.  It is a strategy for living in denial of sin.  It is a strategy to absolve yourself of guilt or any personal responsibility for your actions.

I am reminded of a story a counselor friend of mine once told me about a couple he was counseling for marital problems.  The husband was having an affair.  At one point in the counseling session the husband turned to his wife and passionately asserted, “But honey, I am a hundred percent committed to both of you.”  He could not see or hear how ludicrous the comment was coming out of his mouth.  He had lived in the lie so long he believed it.

Stacks of Lies

The big lies we live are often not single lies but complex stacks of little lies culminating in a sick mindset. Take for example the husband above.  He didn’t come to a mindset of being  ”a hundred percent committed to both of you” overnight.  I suspect he took small actions steps that he excused or justified that progressed into a full blown affair.  Perhaps, it began with flirtatious comments excused as just joking around.  May be a kiss or some touch occurred that was inappropriate and he told himself, “As long as no one finds out, there is no harm.”  Or, “I’ll just do it this once and it will never happen again.”  Overtime the seemingly little lies and indiscretions mount into a sick lifestyle.

Knocking Over the Stack

So how do we dismantle the stacks?  In short:

1. Identify a problem area–What is an area of your discipleship that is lacking right now?
2. Identify your excuses–What would you say to someone if they asked you why you aren’t doing something about it right now?
3. Recognize the lie beneath the excuse and admit it?–How is your excuse a rational lie?  What about your excuse isn’t true?
4. Live in the truth by stacking small action steps based on truth–What is the truth?  What change do you need to make if you aren’t going to continue that living in that lie or excuse?  What is one small step you can take right now?