Self-deception is an attempt to distort the truth of your own thinking. It happens when self-gratification leads your motives. For example, you may believe in and are even familiar with God's principles, but when you also have a craving or desire that dominates your value/beliefs, you'll discount the importance of God in your life and decide to put your self-serving thought into action. (This disconnect is what produces cognitive dissonance). Denying the truth becomes a common, repeated, practice in your behavior that skews your perception. This is a natural and common temptation among people because human nature is unbridled (meaning our sinful nature

craves instant and self-gratification, rather than knowledge, understanding, and self-discipline (Psalm 32:9).  

 

The unbridled person falls victim to their habit of failing to foresee unintended consequences despite their experiences, which further distorts reality because it blurs the correlation between the law of reaping what you sow. Choosing to justify and rationalize your illogical behavior is a sign that you may be distorting the truth, and need to change, tame, or reprioritize. When you use justification and/or rationalization as a Christian, "I want what I want, when I want it", you have chosen not to conform your behavior to God's righteous standards, but instead have decided to act on your impulsive desires demonstrating that you have not prioritized pleasing God before pleasing self (Romans 12:1-2). This is an example of how routine decision making gets ingrained in behavioral habits. Without changing the goal and creating a new habit there will be no improvement and you'll default back to justification and rationalization. 

• Read more in "Intentional Value-based Decision-Making".

• Read Appendix 2H to see how society judges your irrationality.

 

To justify something is to provide an acceptable explanation for your own thoughts or actions. To rationalize something is what you do when you try to explain behavior that doesn't meet the norms of society or of God's kingdom on earth. (Your attempt at a logical explanation intended to defend or justify your immoral, dysfunctional or illegal behavior.) Self-justification is often used when you face this natural stress brought on from cognitive dissonance (behavior that is inconsistent with your beliefs). Being a Christian doesn't stop the temptation to rationalize your behavior. As described in Romans 7:7-24, even as a Christian, you can fall into the trap of justifying unrighteous behavior when you decide to discount God in your life. But as the Apostle Paul states, the power of Jesus Christ in you can overcome this human tendency.  

 

If instead, you do not bring your thoughts captive to the sovereignty of God, you'll decide to do what you want to do to satisfy a desire or try to maintain a positive self-esteem. You'll rationalize your desired behavior as you act on the unbridled thought and soon a cycle develops so that your use of rationalization, justification and/or blaming someone for the negative consequences that you are experiencing so you continue in your unproductive conduct

inhibiting the learning and change that comes from introspection.

• Read more about "Wishful Thinking" in Appendix 1D.

• Read about the "Cycle of Sin" in Appendix 1I.​

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When you are addicted, you are comfortable being stuck in what society would deem as unproductive habits. You formed bad habits (irrational thinking with behavior that satisfies it) that you will not replace until an unintended (or a denial of) negative consequences changes your thinking (because the universal law of reaping what you sowed broke through your irrationality). This is what awakens the desire to change and reform irrational behavior. The struggle is one of the past against the future. The desire to change is now at odds with your bad/old pattern of thinking/doing and now becomes the battle field for control (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). If your first thought is sinful, you need to use self-discipline (intentionality rather than impulsivity) to wait for another thought that meets the criteria for your goal-driven decision so the intended action results. 

 

For example, if you try to numb the anxious feeling you get from unmet expectations, a dysfunctional coping strategy emerges and unwanted behavior continues. In short, denial is avoidance of a truth that you either avoid by not paying attention to the universal laws in society and in God's kingdom or you have chosen not to correct your behavior/attitude. A person may choose to justify, rationalize and blame others for an unwanted situation and, instead of discovering the root cause, an addictive personality will try to bury the anxious feelings and/or cravings. When you do, you will never figure out how to handle the situation if it happens again which blocks God's natural law of reaping what you sow (Galatians 6:7, see Appendix 1G). 

• For an interesting article on the root of defensiveness, read more @ https://www.ananiasfoundation.org/accountability/. 

 

Other times people reject or deny a truth (either consciously, or unconsciously) when accepting it would generate feelings that stimulate fear and/or painful emotions (a thinking habit you have not confronted and conformed to the truth. Numbing acts to impede thinking while justifying and rationalizing acts to defend actions.) To justify behavior is to give into your temptation to continue old habits that satisfy the desire for pleasure or comfort (the absence of pressure from cognitive dissonance/anxiety). There is a tendency for denial in everybody. If not caught and corrected, and when it’s used to cover up problems, it results in self-deception, and/or codependency (an addiction to or over-reliance upon a substance or another person to feel needed, worthy and secure.)

• See more on the concept of bounded rationality in "The Art of Self-Mastery", to motivate "Intentional Christian Conduct" in Appendix 2L. ​

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Read the following statements and put a check next to any item you are guilty of. Then ask a loved one if you are guilty of any of these items. Do your answers agree or are YOU in denial?​