RESISTANCE AND DEFENSE MECHANISMS TO EVADE THE PAIN

RESISTANCE AND DEFENSE MECHANISMS TO EVADE THE PAIN
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
(Jeremiah 17: 9).
In the previous verse, the heart represents the place of the mind and the form which is used
to suppress the pain. Know the hidden thought is the work of the Holy Spirit during the
restoration process. He can understand and disclose any internal conflict.
Defense mechanisms are the way the person uses to give his own explanation on a painful
fact and it allows you to minimalize the pain and its intensity. The problem is that these
explanations become arguments that direct the mind and the emotions. Many of these
arguments are born from childhood, so these mechanisms are difficult to detect and even
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the same person unknown them. These are the thoughts that use the opponent to control
men and enslave him.
The Bible call them walls, fortresses, chains, and any obstacle raised against the truth of
God; arguments created in lying to not deal with guilt, the images of fear and everything
that causes pain, embarrassment or requires struggle. Most of the people prefer to live with
these defense mechanisms because to face and destroy them requires fight, change and
perseverance; they do not know that the price to pay is very high because they cannot grow
spiritually and feel free internally. Defense mechanisms are then lies that are opposed to
God's truth. The truth of God, which is His Word, has the power to set us free. As it is
written:
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8.32)
According to what a professional in psychology has explained regarding some of most
common defense mechanisms and that would be useful to understand the person, is
presented as follows:
• DENIAL: The person evades the real facts to not deal with the pain, the guilt and shame.
The person feels that it is better to think that nothing has happened, that everything is fine.
To defeat this mechanism it must be recognized that the denial does not change things, only
tries to hide the reality and chains him with guilt.
• RATIONALIZATION: This is another form of self-deception where reigns the self, selfcenteredness.
The person gives an explanation at his convenience to a fact or builds it
through his childhood and perception of the world, when he was a child, when he was not
able to understand the events, can therefore create arguments distant to reality but that help
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him to avoid facing up the emotional pain. This explanation is used so many times that this
lie becomes a truth of his life, and it doesn´t matter how ridiculous and illogical it looks
like
• PROJECTION: This is a reflection of the feelings that are projected in other situations or
people. The person reflected in other what really feel but do not want to admit; severely
judged, criticized, condemns it. An example of this is to assume that the thoughts of others
are negative with respect to himself because in the end is how he feels about himself. What
bothers him is seen in others because he cannot accept that it is within him. He may
consequently reflect hatred, but denies that feeling because as he believes that he is good
cannot admit that these feelings dwell within himself.
• COMPENSATION: Consists of going to the opposite extreme of what feels like way to
self-deception. If expresses that you are very beautiful, but finally believe the opposite;
imagine being holder of a future of fame and wealth, because he has a low self-esteem.
This form of self-delusion can blast in an explosive reaction of violence or crisis by the
internal pressure that means to hold a thought or emotion which has not been released by
fear to facing up a painful reality. These feelings are powerful in people with low selfesteem.
• BLAME OTHERS: Is the way to attribute to another the responsibility in order to avoid t
admitting the own responsibility, as in the case of Adam and Eve when they sinned
(Genesis 3: 8-12). They are people who in their daily life are seeking always to blame
others for their failures, and in this action the most affected persons are the weaker or closer
relatives. Not to assume the own fault is a way to defend ourselves from the fear of
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punishment and condemnation by God, the others and ourselves´ side. With this defense
mechanism the repentance and desire for change is difficult.
• CREATE FANTASIES AND LIVE THEM: under this mechanism, the person lives in an
imaginary world that serves to avoid the painful reality that does not match your desires
and goals and then sticks to an imaginary life with respect to his past, present or future.
All these mechanisms blind the person and obstruct the restoration. When the person comes
to know his defense mechanisms he is no longer slave to his own lie and assumes the truth
of God.
The preceding facts separate the person from God's plans for his life and inhibit him to
make the decisions in order to do His will.
Satan´s workshop is in this world of lies (darkness).
If you're willing, God will make that (walls, fortresses) defense mechanisms fall and will
carry out His Ministry, as it is written:
“I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and
cut through bars of iron” (Isaiah 45: 2)
“He will bring down your high fortified walls and lay them low; he will bring them down to
the ground, to the very dust” (Isaiah 25: 12).
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2.4.