Why Excuses Don’t Work

by | Jun 1, 2022 | Blog, Devotional, Health, Inspiration, overcomers, Purpose, Uncategorized

Why do we have excuses? Excuses are dangerous to us because they keep us from doing what God wants us to do which is always the best for us. We must figure out how put them in our past and move forward with what we know God has in mind for us.

Overweight woman with head in hands, looking sad.

An excuse is very similar to a stronghold because it has an element of truth to it and yet, we all know deep down inside that it’s basically a lie designed to keep us from doing what we don’t want to do but know we must do.

So, why do we have excuses in the first place? An excuse helps us not have to put forth the effort to change. We want to continue to do what we want to do. Many times that’s because we know it will take more time and effort than just coming up with an excuse that we tell ourselves and others.

Excuses Are Dangerous

This is dangerous, especially for a Christian, because we are making excuses for why we can’t follow God in some particular area. It feels too difficult or overwhelming but that isn’t a good enough excuse because it makes us sound like a wimp. So we make up other more elaborate excuses that we can live with. Many times these excuses are so that we can continue to do what we’ve always done before.

Listen to what Paul says about excuses in Ephesians 4: 20-24 MSG: “My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to Him and been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it!

“And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces His character in you.”

Hinders Spiritual Growth

When we are making excuses for what we know God wants us to do, we are not growing in Him. Spiritual growth should be an ongoing goal of every Christian. We develop excuses to convince ourselves that we can’t do what God wants us to do so it’s ok to ignore what He’s convicting us of. It’s like we have this one area we turn a blind eye to. But Paul tells us that we do not have the excuse of ignorance. Everything connected to our old way of life or the way of the world has to go.

Our goal is to live a God-fashioned life, renewed from the inside out. We have to allow God to help us do away with our excuses. Why? Because we want our conduct to reproduce God’s character in us.

God Connection

Those who are members of my Overcomers Academy coaching group know that the first thing I require of them is commitment to changing whatever part of their lives is most disconcerting. With most women who come into my group, that is their weight. And yet, at first we don’t focus on weight. We focus on our connection to God.

We do this because without a solid connection to Him, we won’t be able to hear what He’s telling us about our addiction. Food addiction is so difficult to overcome because we need to eat. We just need to eat what is best for us and not use food as a companion, comfort or protection. We may not even realize that’s what we are doing. Or we may realize it but just think it’s part of who we are.

I felt for years that all of those things were just part of me like brown eyes and freckles. I couldn’t change. I knew the scriptures. I knew that it says in Psalm 139:13 TPT: “You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside,

and wove them all together in my mother’s womb.”

It’s God’s Fault Excuse

My first huge excuse about why I was eating everything in sight and couldn’t help it was because God made me this way. It was the fall-back excuse I would tell myself every time I went on a diet, lost weight and then went off the diet when I reached my goal and began eating everything in sight. And, of course, gained the weight back plus more.

It was, “God, this is Your fault. You made me this way. So fix me. Make it so I can eat what I want and not gain weight.”

It’s very ridiculous for us to blame God. That’s like telling Him we know better than He does. Romans 9:20 TPT: “Who do you think you are to second-guess God? How could a human being molded out of clay say to the one who molded him, “Why in the world did you make me this way?” 

Addiction and Surrender

Now that I’ve gone through the process of understanding that I am a bonafide sugar addict, surrendering that to God and allowing Him to lead me in this area, I realize I am a person who is very prone to addiction. I have been addicted to diet coke, sugary foods, breads, carbs, money and work. It is part of my personality but it does not have to be negative. I can be addicted to something positive. I can be addicted to Jesus.

Many of our excuses replay on repeat in our brains. We have to learn to stop excusing away what God wants us to do. What are some of your excuses that you know are basically lies that you use to get out of what God wants you to do?

For more on this subject, don’t miss Sweet Grace for Your Journey podcast episode 135: Excuses, Excuses by going to https://Teresashieldsparker.com/podcast/. Doors are open for Overcomers Academy. Go to https://Teresashieldsparker.com/overcomers/.