July 11, 2024

Overcoming Bad Habits

Treasures

Audio length: 12:20
Download Audio (11.3MB)

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.—Matthew 6:13

We all have habits, both good and bad. Anything you do automatically without consciously thinking about it, or without specifically deciding to do it, has become a habit. Good habits or practices—such as courtesy, kindness, and ethical behavior—are reflective of our Christian faith and values. But when the habits we develop are negative or destructive, they become vices or negative patterns of behavior.

The good news is that the Bible has promised that “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Of course, we must choose to follow God’s exit strategy and “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,” believing that “He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

The story has been told of a man who owned an eagle and for many years had chained the eagle to a stake. Over the years, the eagle had walked around that stake so much on the end of his chain that he’d worn a rut in the ground. Finally, when the eagle was old, his master felt sorry for him and thought, “These are his last days, so I’m going to set him free!”

To this end, he took the metal ring off the eagle’s foot, lifted him up in his hand and tossed him into the air. But the old eagle had almost forgotten how to fly, and he flip-flopped back down to the ground, walked over to the stake and started walking around the rut as he had done for years. No longer constrained by the chain or bird band, he was held prisoner to the habit.

Samuel Johnson once wrote: “The diminutive chain of habit is scarcely heavy enough to be felt, till it is too strong to be broken.” And Horace Mann wrote, “Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it every day, and at last we cannot break it.” These sayings reflect our need of a Savior and the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives to overcome bad habits.

The reality is that, in our human nature, we are all sinful and fallible, and subject to weaknesses and temptations, which can turn into a variety of bad habits or addictions. When we entertain and give in to temptation or certain weaknesses for a prolonged period of time, they become ingrained behavior patterns, and we can become impervious to the reality of how they can endanger us or our health or our relationship with others.

One of the first steps to breaking oppressive bad habits and negative patterns of behavior in our lives is to acknowledge the problem and identify its root, and to study the truth of God’s Word to know and develop a conviction of what is wrong and what is right. Claim God’s promised help in times of need. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

It is helpful to remind ourselves of God’s promises in His Word to save and deliver us “from every evil work” and to preserve us for His heavenly kingdom (2 Timothy 4:18). Remember that “he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). No matter how difficult it may be to break the chains of bad habits and addictions, the Bible says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Bad habits and addictions come in many forms, including the obvious ones such as alcohol, drugs, smoking, gambling, eating disorders, computer gaming, and pornography. Alcoholism, for example, is a vice that has plagued humankind for millennia. Although drinking wine in moderation was common in Bible times, the Bible has much to say against overindulgence in alcohol: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). The Lord can not only deliver us from bad habits and addictions, but He can also give us the willpower to continue to resist the temptation. “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear” (Isaiah 59:1).

There are also spiritual sins that can grow into bad habits and ingrained patterns of behavior that can be destructive if we allow them to grow in our lives, such as hatred, bitterness, pride, and deception. The Bible tells us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (Ephesians 4:31).

Fear and worry are also negative emotions which can become habitual responses and are detrimental to our spiritual and emotional well-being. Fear can become a form of bondage, keeping us from walking in faith and trusting in the Lord. But the Bible promises us that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” [or self-discipline] (2 Timothy 1:7).

A starting point for overcoming bad habits and besetting sin in our lives is to recognize the problem and confess it and be willing to yield to the Lord in that area of our lives. We have to make a decision to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1). The next verse explains the key to doing this: “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Jesus said that “if you abide in My Word, … you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32), and once we are saved and know the truth, we also become accountable to live according to His Word. This is why God’s Word says, “Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27). Rather we are to “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22–24).

When we “give place” to bad habits or besetting sins in our life, it’s like having an evil boarder in our house. He’s not in control of the house, but he causes trouble and damage. You tell him to leave but he won’t leave, so finally by the authority and the law—in this case the authority of God’s Word and the name of Jesus—you literally throw him out!

It’s sad when we as Christians go so long without seeking complete freedom and deliverance from deep-seated vices and bad habits. When we harbor them and allow them to persist in our lives without getting rid of them altogether, we are failing to recognize that we are allowing sin a foothold in our lives rather than standing on God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome them.

We have to be willing to recognize when we are being besieged by a bad habit or addiction, and confess our sin before the Lord, and cry out to Him for help. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). We may also need to confess to others that we need help and prayer, or seek professional help as needed, because some vices have such a strong grip on people—including Christians—that they’re almost powerless to overcome them on their own.

If you have a serious problem and you cannot seem to overcome it through private prayer or trying to resist it on your own, it can be helpful to contact other Spirit-filled Christians whom you know and trust and ask for prayer. “If two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). There are also professional counselors who are trained to provide the support and assistance needed.

When you pray, remember to quote promises that God has made in His Word. Cling to His promises, memorize and quote them continually, and believe that God is going to answer—and He will. If you sincerely pray for deliverance from bad habits, the Lord will help you. Jesus never fails! He always answers when we call upon Him with a whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

But even after prayer, it sometimes takes a while to completely break free from a bad habit. You may still have the ingrained habit and the temptation or tendencies along that line—especially if a certain weakness or vice has been a problem or habit for many years. But don’t give up! “God is faithful, and he will never let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

As human beings, we will all face temptation. Jesus told His disciples to “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). Nobody can keep temptation from coming, but we don’t have to yield to temptation. As Martin Luther once wrote, “You cannot keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair!” Our part is to “be sober-minded and watchful” and not give place to temptation (1 Peter 5:7–8).

In God, we have the power to overcome every trial and temptation we face—and even when we falter or fail along the way, He has promised to never leave nor forsake us. Because Jesus Himself suffered temptation (Hebrews 4:15), He is able to sympathize with our weaknesses and “help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). The power of God is greater than all earthly temptation and is able to break every chain that may bind you! For whom the Son sets free will be free indeed (John 8:36).

From an article in Treasures, published by the Family International in 1987. Adapted and republished July 2024. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.

Posted in: audio, conviction, discipleship, learning, perseverance, treasures