Why do I often want to avoid the things I shouldn’t?

2 Corinthians 6:2God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

Hebrews 3:8, 15Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness . . . Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.”

We may want to avoid things we shouldn’t because we think our plans are better than God’s or that his plans are too inconvenient for us. We need to realize that God’s call to us deserves and requires an immediate response. He will not ask us to do anything without giving the resources and power we need to accomplish it. If we avoid the opportunities God gives us, we will miss his blessings as well.

Jonah 1:3Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

Luke 10:30-32Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.”

We sometimes avoid God’s will for us because we erroneously think our plan is better or his plan is inconvenient for us. If we could see from God’s perspective or think his thoughts, we would realize that his way is best.

Galatians 6:4-5Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

We may avoid what we shouldn’t avoid because we are lazy or undisciplined. But great satisfaction comes from doing our work well. Avoiding our responsibilities will leave us feeling guilty and lower our self-esteem. We won’t feel the need to compare ourselves to others when we are satisfied with our work and are doing what God wants us to do.

Galatians 6:3If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

We may want to avoid what we shouldn’t because of pride. A prideful spirit cannot be tolerated in the heart of someone called to serve others.