Prayer For help To Let go of Defensiveness

 We spoke and prayed yesterday about not giving in to stinking thinking either by living in self-pity or fear. 

Another aspect that attaches itself to stinking thinking is defensiveness and letting go of defensiveness is one necessary adjustment we need to make in order to experience growth and success in our life with God today.

It's hard to admit weakness or mistakes.  We've all spent so much time covering up those things in one way or another.  It is a real challenge and never easy to hear truth and admit truth when there is something negative in our lives that needs to be faced.  We feel insecure and none of us enjoy the painful emotions that go along with these realizations.. 

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.  Psalm 25:5

One of the first signs of being defensive is that we blame others or find excuses for what took place.  Now and again there is a valid reason for the problem we face, but more likely than not our excuses come from a place of defensiveness. 

To sort out what’s really going on when we are defensive, we need to turn our attention to God and ask for His help to reveal what is true. 

Accusations from others are not necessarily any truer than our own fearful rationalizations.  We want clarity and God wants to help us see what is right.  When we see, then we can take the next right step. 

When I felt my feet slipping, you came with your love and kept me steady and when I was burdened with worries, you comforted me and made me feel secure.  Psalm 94:18-19

We can give ourselves permission to be a “work in progress” without ignoring the need to take corrective action.  Our self-worth is not altered by whatever the situation is or by the criticism we are hearing.  We need to listen well and maybe even get help to determine a truthful response, but these actions need to grow from a place of value for who we are rather than a desire to cover up a feeling of inferiority.  In fact, when we come to a place of valuing ourselves as God values us, we will welcome the opportunity to make positive change rather than hiding in defensiveness.

Heavenly Father, We want to live in the truth of who You say we are and what You know about the situations we are facing.  We’re not perfect people.  You don’t demand that of us but You do tell us that if we want to live with peace and freedom we have to proceed in truth.  So, that’s what we need today – both the comfortable and the uncomfortable truths and let us know where we are at today.

When we come to these realizations and feel defensive about it all,  help us to turn to You so You can comfort and guide us in the way we should go.  We give ourselves permission to be “works in progress” without making excuses for things done wrong and changes that need to be made.  

We don’t want to give undue attention to false accusations but we also don’t want to avoid the corrections we so often need  both from you and from others.  Help us, at all times, to sort out our thoughts and our feelings on the basis of Your word.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.  2 Timothy 3:16-17

Amen

Well let’s live there today.  Let’s be active, not defensive.  Let’s be about the good things God has in mind for us.