Some time ago, I shared a reel on Instagram that briefly talked about spiritual self-sabotage. It was well received, but I felt in my heart that it was a topic worth revisiting in more detail.
When I talk about spiritual self-sabotage, I mean those times when we end up putting obstacles in our own relationship with God. We want to grow, draw closer to Him, and move forward in our spiritual lives, but some of our decisions, habits, or attitudes end up taking us in the opposite direction.
The tricky part is that we do not always realize we are doing it. We can sincerely love God and still hold on to habits that are keeping us stuck. That is why it is worth stopping from time to time and taking an honest look at how we are living out our relationship with Him.
Subtle Forms of Spiritual Self-Sabotage
Spiritual self-sabotage does not always look like open rebellion against God. Sometimes it shows up in very ordinary things. You decide you are going to pray and end up distracted by something else. You plan to read the Bible, and five minutes later you are looking at your phone. You know there is a sin you need to confront, but you keep putting it off. Or maybe you have had questions and doubts for a long time but have never sat down to seriously look for answers.
It can show up when we become complacent and think we already know enough, so we stop seeking God with the same intention. Spiritual pride can also keep us from growing when we begin to think we are better than others or that we no longer need anyone to correct us. Other times, we isolate ourselves: we stop attending church, stop talking with other believers, and try to handle our spiritual lives completely on our own. We can also fill every free moment with social media, entertainment, work, and commitments until, by the end of the day, we never find time to spend with Him. None of these things necessarily began with the intention of pulling away from God, but little by little, they can end up taking the space we once gave Him.
And perhaps one of the simplest forms of spiritual self-sabotage is knowing what we should do and simply not doing it. James 1:22 says, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” We can listen to sermons, read the Bible, and know many verses, but at some point, we have to live out what we are learning.
Clara’s Story
Clara was a young Christian woman who sincerely loved God. When she began her walk with Him, she was very excited about her faith. She prayed every morning, wrote down Bible verses, served in her church, and enjoyed sharing what she was learning with others.
Over time, her routine began to change. At first, she would put off her devotional until later because she had to work. Some days she was too tired to pray and figured she would do it the next day. Then came more responsibilities and more distractions. Social media, Korean dramas, and other things began to take up a good portion of the little free time she had.
Clara had not stopped believing in God, nor had she decided to walk away from her faith. She still attended church and still considered herself a Christian. She had simply stopped taking care of her relationship with God the way she used to. And because the change happened gradually, it took her a while to notice.
She had good explanations for it too. She was busy. She had responsibilities. She had served a lot in church. And after all, God knew she loved Him. That may have been true, but it was also true that she had gone a long time without really seeking Him.
One day, Clara decided to open her Bible and came across Genesis 3:9, where God called to Adam and asked him, “Where are you?”
That was when she realized that she had been saying for a long time that she wanted to be closer to God while her daily decisions were taking her in another direction. She had expected her relationship with Him to stay the same without spending time with Him, without talking to Him the way she used to, and without making changes to the things she knew were distracting her.
Clara prayed that day and asked God to help her seek Him again the way she used to. She did not change her entire routine overnight, but she started making a few adjustments. She began setting aside time to pray and read the Bible again, paid more attention to how much time she spent on her phone, and stopped putting off some of the things she knew she needed to change.
Maybe This Is for You
Maybe you saw yourself in some part of Clara’s story. You may sincerely love God and still recognize that there are habits or decisions affecting your relationship with Him. Recognizing that does not mean you have to fix everything at once. You can start by identifying what is happening and bringing it honestly before God.
Maybe you need to start setting aside time to pray again. Perhaps there is something you need to confess, a distraction you need to get under control, a question you need to find answers to, or a decision you have been putting off for too long. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
God is not waiting for you to organize your life perfectly before you come to Him. You can come back today just as you are. And if you recognize that you have been putting obstacles in your own way, think about which one you can start changing. Maybe it is something as simple as setting aside time to pray again, putting your phone away while you read the Bible, or finally dealing with something you have been putting off. The important thing is not to stop at simply recognizing what is happening. Take action and allow God to continue working in you.
📷 Image: A woman looking up into the sky at the moon. Photo by Kirya on Unsplash.
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