Destroying Old Bad Habits

Habits whether good or bad are a function of repeated actioned thoughts.

Sow a thought, reap an action, sow an action, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a character, sow a character, reap a destiny. 

We can see this statement tracked back in Genesis Chapter 3

‭Genesis 3:4‬-7

[4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: [5] for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. [6] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. [7] And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 

The enemy presented a thought, Eve allowed it to be sown and it reaped an action. The cycle continued in sowing the action, a habit came to be – seeking its own way which led to toiling, pain and sorrow. This metamorphs to a character – (the distinctive mark of habits) and ultimately reaped a destiny – death. The wages of sin is death.

What is distinct here is that the fall birthed old bad habits. Old bad habits are repeated actioned thoughts that are not aligned with God. Old bad habits are a function of the Old Man or old nature. When Adam and Eve sinned, we all by extension and natural birth inherited old bad habits.

‭Romans 5:12

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 

‭Genesis 6:5 

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 

Old bad habits express character. The character of independence from God. This is so crucial when we come to destroying old bad habits. The centre or core is independence from God. 

‭Jeremiah 10:23 I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.

We don’t discern correctly. We are too quick to see things on a surface level and deal with them at that level. 

A farmer when he sees a tree producing apples, would not say that because he no longer wants apples, will cut a branch off. Will that solve it? Of course not, the farmer will need to address that tree from the root. So also, when we are on a quest to destroy old bad habits, it is in addressing the root.

Look at it this way too. Old bad habits combine knowledge, desire and the skill (wisdom – the application of knowledge). Going back to the garden. Eve had this knowledge at her disposal. This was evil and contrary to God based on lies but she used the knowledge, combined with the desire to eat of it and finally skill. She applied the knowledge by picking and eating it – choosing her own way. 

Question – what knowledge are you feeding on today – the lies of the world or the truth of God’s Word? What are you desiring? Which wisdom are you operating in? 

Old bad habits are works of the flesh and evident:

‭Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 

Old bad habits is a carcass, it is dead. It stinks, it’s gross and when you wear it, adorn it, spray it, it’s still dead. 

‭Ephesians 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Notes about Old bad Habits:

1. Old bad habits give false comfort – take gluttony. Someone who is given to food, you will say is a glutton. What is beneath that is a false sense of comfort. Food can numb you of pain from your past or current fears. Those precede from the mind. Thoughts telling you you can never amount to anything so you eat to numb and feel better but it’s false because you come out worse than before. 
2. Old bad habits delay, stunt or altogether remove you from following God’s will for your life – Hebrews 12:1 translates old habits as weights or the sin that easily traps.  
3. Old bad habits represents an old identity – ‭2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
4. Old bad habits are weak in nature and feed on the power of agreement – they are only as valuable or powerful as you validate them.
5. Old bad habits rob you of the freedom you can enjoy in Christ – ‭Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. The law is breeding ground for old bad habits. Constantly self reliance to measure up. That is bondage.
6. Old bad habits translate to missed divine appointments or opportunities – that’s just who I am, we say what is on our mind take it or leave, I have no filter. Gossip and I are besties, just have to share this hot update. That repels people. You cave into a lie about yourself and miss God ordained appointments.

The chief problem we have as believers is a knowledge problem. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

Social Media is unforgiving for the man or woman that does not discern correctly. For the man or woman who has not exercised their senses to tell what is good and evil.

1. Knowledge 

The first step to destroying old habits is knowledge. We want to give ourselves to knowledge that is founded on the fear of the Lord. Knowledge not based on the fear of God is not true knowledge, they are lies.The summary of old habits is independence from God Genesis 3. In Christ, the Old nature died and so did old habits. 

• Be a living sacrifice – Romans 12:1 ‭I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. learn to depend on Him. Instead of making Google your go, make God your go to. Make Him, his Word your search engine.
• Renewing Your Mind – ‭Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. You are what you think. Proverbs 23:7 You have to take the Word like your mirror and look intently into it. Replace old thoughts with new ones – people spend too much time knowing their weaknesses and problem and not addressing it with the truth. The truth sets free when you continue in it.
  • Know that God is good
  • Get a revelation of God’s love for you and remain there – 
  • Know that God is committed to you – 
  • Understand His commands concerning you are good not grievous – 
• Make a habit of studying and meditating on the Word – God’s incorruptible seed in us has everything needed to live that Christ life. You need to plant and water that seed in your heart continually. Your heart has walls and needs to be broken down. That’s what the word does. His Word is a hammer. ‭Jeremiah 23:29 Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?; ‭Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

2. Desire – Pay attention to your desires Psalm 37:4‭ Delight thyself also in the LORD; And he shall give thee the desires of heart; Galatians 5:16-17 
   1. Pray continually – new life habit. Prayer is not petitioning, it is not asking. It is constant communion with God. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 prepare your heart to seek the Lord. Power of confession – speaking death over your old life and agreement with your new life in Christ. Paul said whatever I gained before became loss for the excellency of knowing Christ. Make God topmost in your life.
   2. Make delighting in God your lifestyle – 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice evermore; in everything esteem God highly. It changes your perspective.
3. Wisdom – ‭Hebrews 5:14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. As believers, we need the skill of discerning between good and God, right and wrong. To always make wise decisions per time. We do this by:-

1. Walking in the Spirit – Galatians 5:16-17  So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.
2. Pursuing godliness – Ephesians 5:1 ‭Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. It’s easy to imitate someone when you already have the DNA. We have his DNA.
3. Taking the oversight of others needs, not just your own – you can be addicted to ministering to others 1 Corinthians 16:15 ‭I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,). You truly lose your life when it is given to God and serving others. Greater love has no man than this, to lay down his life for his friends. Pouring and sowing into other people’s lives, is sowing and pouring into your life. ‭Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. The time is short. The Lord is returning at any moment.

Everything culminates to this: being conformed to the image of Christ. Romans 8:29. God in Christ destined before the world came to be that we are jointly formed to Christ. My one goal in life is to live Christ.

Our life ambition should be to attain that. Apostle Paul says to attain to the resurrection of the dead. Till we all come to that unity of the faith, your life will be unsatisfying and unfulfilling. Think of it. 

A caterpillar is brought forth and sets on a journey eating leaves, he gets fatter and fatter till the fullness of time comes to incubate and be transformed to its full potential. They call it the miracle of the insect kingdom – that a caterpillar transforms to a beautiful butterfly. Much more than that, we as children of God have the seed to transform the world within us. It is not to remain within but give expression to the world. Start today. Arm yourself with the knowledge of God’s Word as  your life – learn to depend on Him,  pay attention to your desires – habitually commune with God in prayer, with the Word train your senses to distinguish God’s best for you and walk in it.

The world is waiting for you.