Overcoming Bad Habits
Bad habits can be either destructive or distractive. Destructive habits are such things as drinking, drugs, or unfaithfulness. Distractive habits could be talking bad of others, procrastination, laziness, lying, or insincerity. It’s pretty obvious to everyone why one should avoid destructive habits, but distractive habits fly under the radar and, in the long run, end up doing much damage. But whether the habits are sinfully destructive, or simply distractive, bad habits are hard to break. Once something is formed in your mind as normal behavior in your life, it is very difficult to change. But a child of God is an overcomer, and overcoming is not just possible but certain! So let’s discuss how to kick those bad habits out of your life.
The reflective method:
- Is the habit constructive or destructive? Don’t just assume since a habit is not destructive that it is automatically constructive. Is what you’re going to do beneficial, useful, and advantageous? (1 Corinthians 6:12, 10:23)
- Does the habit make you stronger or weaker? Does it weaken or strengthen the roles and responsibilities (as a spouse, a parent, a friend, a worker, or a Christian) that God has given you?
- Does the habit enslave you or free you? If the habit begins to control you negatively, maybe it’s time to break free of it.
- Does the habit lift God up or put God down? Is your habit pointing others to the Lord or deflecting them from the Lord?
You must decide who is going to be the master of your life. As a Christian, you should be controlled by the Holy Spirit, not by the bad habits that have latched on to your life. If you’re going to be addicted to something, take the advice from 1 Corinthians 16:15 and be addicted to God and His service.
The replacement method:
Throughout the Bible there is a principle that is both powerful and practical. This principle, found in Romans 13:12-14, Ephesians 4:22-25, Colossians 3:8-14, James 1:21, and 1 Peter 2:1-2, commands a Christian to cast off certain habits and put on other habits. Whether an attitude or action, it must be replaced with God’s solution, or it will linger. For example, bitterness must be replaced with forgiveness. Hatred must be replaced with love. Laziness must be replaced with discipline. Stealing must be replaced with honest work. Bad influence must be replaced with good influence. Pride must be replaced with humility. Fear must be replaced with faith. Negativity must be replaced with Biblical thinking. You must first pinpoint the bad habit in your life, and then replace it with the correct habit. The best way to apply the replacement method is to know God’s Word and follow God’s wisdom. Proverbs is a great place to start reading and learning more about the practical truths God wants to teach you in your everyday life.
Let’s close out this chapter meditating on the old hymn entitled “I Surrender All.” The words should be a prayer from the heart of every child of God. Surrendering bad habits or obstacles should be the natural desire of God’s children.
All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow;
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
Excerpt taken from book Overcomers, A Study on Gaining Victory Over the Obstacles in Life by Jeffrey Bush