I SHARED with you that I am even more intentional about my mind, body, and soul aligning throughout the year. I have cut certain things from my meals, and enjoy exercising more than anticipated, which is good. I am meditating more, and creating more time for critical thinking. I was chatting with Pastor Nath from Nigeria, and he recommended that I read his book, Toxic Detox, and I am happy I took his advice. I resonated with a similar situation Pastor Craig found himself in, and it just shows you how, as humans, we can err more than we would like to admit. I am better now, but I was so impatient. And when my daughters mentioned it, I was like, “What are they talking about?” I believe these excerpts shared from Toxic Detox by Pastor Craig Groeschel will resonate with many people

MUDDY WATERS

The Bible consistently reminds us to check our spiritual diet for toxins. Proverbs 25:26 says, “Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the
wicked.” How muddy is your water right now? Is your well polluted by all the cultural toxins seeping in? Or does your spiritual well draw on Living Water as its pure, thirst-quenching source? Maybe you are a Christian, and you’ve been made righteous by Christ, yet you become a muddied spring or a polluted well, and you don’t even know it.

Since we see ourselves from only one perspective, it’s incredibly difficult to get an accurate picture of ourselves. In order to see into our blind spots, we must use different mirrors held at different angles. I’d like to provide you with some of these mirrors in order to expose the toxic behaviours that tend to sneak up on all of us. They’re often present on a daily basis, and even though we can’t see them, they can accumulate inside us, and poison the well of our souls.

Why can’t we see our self-generated toxins? David answers this question in Psalm 36:2
-3 when he describes a deceived sinner. In their own eyes, they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. Notice how David puts it that some people flatter themselves too much. They lie to themselves, and don’t even know it. And they become so skilled at self-deception that they cannot detect or confess their sins. Basically, we manufacture our own poison, and administer regular doses to ourselves.

Chances are good you know someone like this. Perhaps you have a friend who gossips all the time. He says boastfully, “I don’t gossip; I’m just telling you, so you can pray for
them.” You and everyone else know he is a gossip. Or maybe you have a family member
who is off-the-charts rude. Yet she would tell you, “I’m not trying to be offensive; I just tell it like it is.” Odds are you know someone who has a drinking problem, yet this person denies having any problem, and adamantly believes he can quit at any time. You might have a friend who thinks he’s God’s gift to women, but you and everyone else know he’s an arrogant, womanising, self-centered jerk. You possibly work for a woman who thinks she’s a great leader at the office, but everyone else knows that she is a micromanaging, overbearing, control freak. Why don’t these people see it in themselves?

Recently, at church, I asked our congregation, “How many of you battle with self-.
deception?” A few people in the crowd raised their hands. Then I asked, “How many of
you know someone who is very self-deceived?” You guessed it. Almost everyone knew someone else who’s guilty of self-deception.

Chances are you do, too. You probably know someone who thinks more highly of themselves than they should. Or you might have a relative who thinks he’s funny, but everyone else thinks he is annoying. You likely know someone who has a problem, but will deny it until the cows come home. It is hard to be objective about ourselves.

I laughed as I explained to our church that we have a statistical problem. Almost no one in our church believes that they are self-deceived, and yet almost everyone knows someone who is. Why? Because we have an unlimited capacity to deceive ourselves.
As we lie to ourselves (“great singer”), we start to believe our lies. The more we
tell the lies, the more we believe they are true.

Before long, we wholeheartedly embrace a distorted reality skillfully created by a willed ignorance. We deny, suppress, or minimise what is true. By default, we assert, adorn,
and elevate what is false. When we finally see the truth, we think the truth is a lie.

We could say it this way: Those who don’t know, don’t know that they don’t know. If you are deceived, chances are pretty good you don’t know that you believe something untrue, otherwise you wouldn’t be deceived. If we never identify the lies and replace them with truth, we will forever crave a healthy life on a diet of poison, and always wonder why we are sick.

TICKED OFF

So, how do we begin identifying our self-told lies and replacing them with truth?
Through the process of ruthless self-examination. After my kids spend a long day playing in the woods, I always have them check themselves for ticks. They loathe this somewhat embarrassing self-examination, since it requires them to go over every square inch of their bodies slowly and carefully. But they know that catching a tick early can keep them from getting seriously ill.

Similarly, I’d encourage you to do a thorough internal self-examination. Just as those pesky bloodsuckers jump on you when you enter their environment; spiritual toxins infuse your thinking as you wade through our culture. Take an honest look at the way you live, how you think, and who or what influences you the most. Work hard to be  brutally honest.

Examine your life for toxic behaviours; anything you do that cripples your spiritual effectiveness or distracts you from your eternal mission. Look within for toxic emotions; any deep feelings  that lead you away from God’s truth. Take an honest look at any  unhealthy consumption; the media you consume, the sites you surf, the people you spend the most time around. The first step to defeating an enemy is to recognise your opponent. Though your enemy might be invisible, God can give you eyes to see.

Let me warn you, though. The closer you get to uncovering a toxic killer in your life, the harder your enemy will fight to keep his grip. If you are like me, you might even
unknowingly betray yourself, and fight against the change. Denial is often our first line of defence. We’re skilled at taking responsibility for little, and justifying much.

Be careful when you hear yourself think or utter these phrases or something similar:

*I don’t have a problem with this.

* It’s really no big deal; this is one way I cope with everything.

* I’m not as bad as most people.

* I can quit anything I want to.

* This is just the way I am.

Those who are most defensive are often the most unknowingly guilty. It has been said that  the more convinced you are that you are right, the more likely you are wrong. If you fight back against those trying to help you, chances are you are fighting to keep your own lies intact. If someone who loves you tries to show you a dangerous pattern in your life,
you might be 100 per cent convinced they are wrong, when the truth is they are 100 per cent correct.

Peter, in the New Testament, is a perfect example. When Jesus explained that some of the disciples would fall away and deny him, Peter was convinced that he never would. With unshakable confidence, Peter replied, Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will (Matt. 26:33). Can you hear his self-deceived confidence?

As he flattered himself, Peter was unaware of his toxic self-deception. In the very next verse, we find Jesus explaining that before the rooster crows, Peter will deny him three times. But Peter stood his ground and declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you (Matt. 26:35).” Sure enough, before the day ended, not one, not two, but – count’em – three different times Peter denied even knowing who Jesus was.

If someone has been trying to show you something about yourself, and you continue to fight it, maybe it’s time to acknowledge that you might be deceived. Your spouse might
be convinced you have a problem with painkillers or alcohol or another drug, but you stand your ground and say that you don’t. Someone might have told you that you’re
addicted to video games or social media, but you don’t believe it. Maybe several loved ones have told you that you are a workaholic, but you don’t stop working to listen. If you
find yourself resisting or fighting back, be careful. Those who are most convinced are often the most deceived. Be careful not to flatter yourself so much that you cannot
detect or hate your own sin.

NO LAUGHING MATTER

Since it is hauntingly easy to deceive ourselves, we need outside help to become more objective about our blind spots. And if our shields are up, and our defences are
operating at full force, we may not be hearing what those around us are saying. Sometimes if we really want to change, we must ask God to show us what’s true about
how we’re thinking, talking, and living.

In my early years at our church, people complained to me regularly that I was being unnecessarily crude when I preached. To them, some of my illustrations and humour
crossed the line of what’s appropriate. I told myself that they were just being prudish, and didn’t understand my sense of humour and strategy.

Though more people complained, I stood my ground. After all, if they had known me before I was a Christian, they’d be blown away by how much I’d improved. Besides, my
slightly off-colour humour was connecting with unchurched people, men and women visiting our church for the first time. I couldn’t help it if these other “legalistic” people didn’t have the freedom that I enjoyed.

Many of our church’s most faithful leaders set up meeting after meeting to talk to me about my “problem.” To be honest, I was growing weary of their incessant complaints.They just weren’t as evangelistic as I was, and obviously didn’t have a good sense of humour. At the end of what seemed like the hundredth meeting about my jokes, an
exceptionally wise older gentleman asked me to pray. “Since you’re convinced you’re not doing anything wrong,” he continued sincerely, “would you ask God to show you if
he would have you change?” Just to get this guy off my back, I reluctantly agreed to pray, although I knew it wouldn’t change my stance.

Not wanting to break my word, a few days later, I half-heartedly prayed something like,  “God, I know all these people are wrong, but if there is something you need to show me
about cleaning up my act, please do.”

Be careful what you pray for.

The very next Sunday, my oldest daughter, Catie, who was seven at the time, came to the “big church” and sat with my wife, Amy, while I preached. I glanced at my innocent
daughter, smiling attentively, and holding her Precious Moments Bible proudly in its pink case. Right as I was about to begin with a colourful joke, I hesitated. In one sweeping
moment, God showed me clearly. I had been crude.

When I was about to say something that was truly funny but not totally clean, I realised that I wouldn’t want my seven-year-old daughter saying the very phrase I was about to
say while preaching. In fact, if I heard her say the words that I was about to say, I’d correct her, and tell her it wasn’t appropriate.

BUSTED

If I don’t want my daughter telling this joke, why should I?

For so long, I had been blind to my toxic words and risqué humour. All along, I thought I was funny and reaching people who normally didn’t go to church. Even when I was
convinced my method was solid, everyone else knew I was behaving immaturely, at best,
and sinfully at worst.

Since we can’t change what we can’t identify, ask God to show you any areas of
your life that may be harmful to you, offensive to the people around you, or displeasing
to God himself.”

The content in this book has prompted me to do some serious soul introspection as we celebrate this beautiful journey called in the New Year, BEYOND THE RUNWAY.