Self-Destruction: Guarding the Gift of Life

Life is God's valuable gift, entrusted to us for His purposes. Yet it can be quietly dismantled by the attitudes we hold, the habits we practise and the relationships we enter. This article considers what the Bible says about destroying oneself — and how Christ came to restore abundant life.

The Gift of Life and Its Destroyer

People often allow themselves to be robbed of the vitality of life – both natural and spiritual – by holding on to hatred and refusing to forgive others. Such attitudes reveal a lack of discipline, and little appreciation of the power of the gospel or the purposes of God, through not valuing their own unique life.

Guarding and Restoring Life

Wrong decisions, unhealthy relationships, harmful habits and destructive substances all chip away at the life God has given. Such a lack of self-respect may lead to scorning or gambling with life, and can culminate in suicide. Guarding life therefore means dealing honestly with whatever is not life enhancing, and replacing it with God's purposes for us.

Sometimes professional counsellors and psychiatric practitioners are necessary to give guidance, as well as breaking destructive, demonic, spiritual forces that are oppressing people's minds. If you have trouble in these areas, seek out wise, trusted people who can help you come into victory in Christ, which is part of your legal inheritance.

To destroy or squander life is not merely a personal misfortune – it is a failure to value what God has given you: a life that can be used for the benefit of humanity and for His glory. Your life is not your own possession to spend carelessly; you are a trustee of it, and you are answerable to Him for your guardianship of His life within. None of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself: whether we live or die, we are the Lord's (Rom 14:7-8). Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and you are not your own – you were bought with a price, so glorify God in your body (1 Cor 6:19-20). Viewed this way, every year, ability and opportunity is entrusted capital, to be invested in the lives of others rather than squandered, as the parable of the talents makes clear (Mt 25:14-30). Choosing to guard, restore and grow the life within is therefore an act of stewardship – one that honours the Giver and blesses the people your life was designed to serve.

Daily ask for His protection over your life and family. Prayer is not a once-off precaution but a daily covering — as natural as the rising of the sun. Jesus taught His disciples to pray "deliver us from evil" (Mt 6:13), and to watch and pray, lest they enter into temptation (Mt 26:41); Paul likewise urges believers to pray always, watching with all perseverance (Eph 6:18). The psalmist describes the faithful as dwelling "in the secret place of the most High" and abiding "under the shadow of the Almighty" (Ps 91:1) — a covering entered into by daily dependence, not occasional crisis prayer. Job prayed for his children continually, offering sacrifices on their behalf, because he knew the enemy seeks an opening (Job 1:5,10; 1 Pet 5:8). So commit each day to God before the day commits itself to you: place your goings out and comings in, your work and rest, and every member of your household under His care, and stand in the victory Christ has won.

Reflection and Application:

• Value your life as God's valuable gift, and your response to it as your gift to Him.
• Identify attitudes and practices that rob vitality – hatred, unforgiveness, harmful habits – and deal with them.
• Avoid unhealthy relationships and destructive substances that erode discipline and self-respect.
• Seek wise, trusted help – both professional and spiritual – to come into victory in Christ.