The problem with bad habits

From our youth we have nurtured many things that have attached themselves to us sticking like glue. Some of the things we've nurtured were needed and necessary like for instance, bathing daily, eating and talking. Those are necessary habits that we are most comfortable doing and have established for many years.

Along the way we have also picked up bad habits. Those are the things that we participated in that bring no positive value to our lives; for instance, lying, gossiping, laziness and making excuses.

The longer we participate in either habit, the more difficult it will be to get rid of them. It has been said that "Good habits are hard to break and bad habits are hard to break." It is so true!

As Christians, we are exhorted in God's Word by instruction to be good, do good, and to obey the Lord God. The Word of God tells us what to put on (behavior wise) and what to put off (Ephesians 4:22-24). This verse speaks about stopping behavior that we had before we came to Christ and to put on the things that are associated with the new man, the regenerated man, the saved man with the Spirit of God who now indwells him. We need to employ the Lord's help in any area of our lives that lean towards bad habits. God expects us o make the effort to change all that we need to change in our life.

Bad habits are besetting sins. They are strongholds in our lives. They keep us from growing and making spiritual progress. They also hold us back naturally. These bad habits can impact work relationships, job performance and keep opportunities from coming our way.

A damaging bad habit is the habit of lying. When we're kids, we lie to keep from getting into trouble. When we're older and still are lying, we're now in the habit forming phase. When we are full grown adults and choose to lie, we have nurtured a bad habit and now it is ingrained within us to keep on lying. If a believer finds himself or herself in this predicament, they will be hard pressed to quit the habit.  

Proverbs 28:13 tells us to confess and forsake our sin. "Whoever conceals their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them they will receive mercy." It's not enough to confess our sin, there must be a desire to stop doing them. If we don't forsake them, they will swallow us up and disqualify us from serving the Lord with a good and effective testimony. Others will see what our problem is and we will bear the shame that goes along with it.

Let us go before God with all sincerity to break any bad habits we have and lean hard on God for His power to help us to break them!