Out with the Bad, In With the Good

Habits.

They'll either make you or break you. A good habit is bound to help you achieve greater things whilst a bad habit can hinder you from getting to where you want to go. And the truth is, once you develop a habit, it can be quite hard to get rid of it.

The dictionary defines a habit as a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up. It's practically embedded in your mind at this point and it becomes second nature to you. Which is why having bad habits can be dangerous because they're just so hard to ditch.

The Bible talks about one of Jesus' habits, which was prayer. Luke 5:16 says: But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

Jesus made it a habit to pray every single day. It had become ingrained in his mind and so what others would have seen as a requirement, he saw as a lifestyle. And it's true that our habits end up becoming our lifestyle. If you have a habit of going to bed late and waking up after noon all the time, it inevitably becomes your lifestyle. If you tend to wake up every morning and clean up the house (without having to be told, mind you) it becomes your way of life, something you're accustomed to doing. So much that you find yourself doing it even when you're not in your own house.

A lot of us want to grow and become better people. But what we're forgetting to acknowledge is that, there are a lot of bad, unhealthy habits of ours that are preventing us from moving forward. Bad habits can take any form, whether it's biting your nails, watching movies when you should be learning, procrastinating, constant surfing through social media, eating junk food, and so on.

Anything that doesn't help you be better physically, mentally or spiritually can be considered a bad habit. Addictions are the worst forms of habits because your mind, body and soul are attached to your addiction; so even when you try to detach yourself from it, you find yourself going back again and again.

So, can habits never be broken?

Of course they can!

God created us, and although we may have bad habits that are difficult for us to change, nothing is difficult or impossible for God. Jeremiah 13:23 says that: “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good who are accustomed to doing evil."

A Bible commentary from the Enduring Word states this:

‘The question of the text is,‘Can the Ethiopian change his skin?’ The answer is, — No, no, no, no, no, no. Here is the other question, —Can the Ethiopian’s skin be changed? The answer to that is, — Yes, yes, yes, as emphatically as we have just now said no, no, no. Can the Ethiopian’s skin be changed? Can the sinner’s nature be renewed? Yes, for God can do everything.” (Spurgeon)

It may be hard for us to change our bad habits, but God through His Holy Spirit gives us the strength to change for the better and get rid of 'sin that easily entangles'. In this case, bad habits.

So what are some of the ways to curb your bad habits?

1. Commit your self to God and ask for His help

God is an ever present help in times of trouble and through the Holy Spirit, we can do all things. Scripture says that, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). Once we accept God into our lives and allow the Holy Spirit to take control, He works within us, fixing every broken part and taking away everything bad. So first, pray to God and ask that He help you break your bad habit.

2. Accountability partner

You need someone to hold you accountable, someone who will help make sure you don't go back to your old habits. It may be a friend, your parents, siblings, mentor, whoever you can trust to help you move forward.

3. 30 Day Challenge

So I've read about this thing called the 30 Day Challenge, and it's basically having a sort of 'trial period' for breaking your habit. You go 30 Days without that habit and within that time, your body and mind adjust to functioning without the habit. By then, hopefully, you've begun to live without going back to that habit and you can repeat it for another 30 days and so on until you've adapted to living without your habit. I think I'll try that and let you know how it goes. You should try it too.

4. Replace your bad habit with a good one

Trying to go days without a bad habit can be difficult especially if you don't do something in place of it. Try to find something healthy and worthwhile to do in place of your bad habit. Try eating more fruits and making smoothies instead of eating junk food, pick up a new hobby instead of watching movies, try sleeping early so that you wake up early.

5. Don't tempt yourself

Put in the necessary restrictions that will help you curb that bad habit and stick to them. If you know the onset of a bad habit, don't put yourself in the position where you're likely to end up falling back into it.

6. Ask for help, even if it's professional

God put certain people around us for a reason, so that they can help us with problems that we tend to face. If you really feel like you need help, especially if it's professional, seek it. Don't be shy or embarrassed. At the end of the day, you're working towards a better you.

Bad habits if not corrected can end up putting us in bad situations in the future. Deal with them now so that you have a better tomorrow.

Do you have any more tips and tricks to killing a bad habit? What are your thoughts on habits? Share your thoughts in the comments below or email/message me on social media. Enjoy your day guys.

Stay blessed and stay a blessing.