Self-Deception - Part 1 - Denial - Factor #3

We practice transference when we take the unresolved feelings toward one person and transfer them onto another. Cain's murderous actions against his brother, Abel, is an example of this form of denial (see Genesis 4:1-16). The apostle Paul wrote that in such a state of mind, our behaviors end up involving acts of sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like (see Galatians 5:19-21). An interesting side note here is the word rendered witchcraft. The Greek word Paul used here is pharmakeia, which is where we derive the word pharmacy, the underlying implication being self-medicating. In effect, acts of denial tend to result in discord, wherein our behaviors fail to line up with our awareness, perception, reasoning, or judgment. Whenever this occurs, we experience conflict in the form of dissonance. In such cases, we must either change the way we think or change the way we behave. In the end, our thoughts and behaviors must line up, or else we will live in distress. If we find our behavior to be problematic but choose not to change it, we must then practice some form of denial as a means to cope with the cognitive dissonance. The net result is all too often a cycle of sin and defeat.

Discover more about denial and how to overcome its crippling effects in my new book, The Conditioned Mind.

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