Be a Quitter

Say "No" to Bad Habits

Breaking Bad Habits

Romans 12:21 KJV 
"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good".

You can break up with your bad habits just like you can break up with a horrible boyfriend or girlfriend. Bad relationships are one of the hardest habits to break, but if we choose to end them, we can spare ourselves a lot of trouble and pain in the long rule. Let me explain.


For years and years (more years than I care to count; really), I had a habit of getting upset (mega anxious really) when things were not going very well in the lives of my grown children. Or my own personal finances started to dip a little on the low side for reasons that were completely beyond my control. It never failed that I would always imagine the worst case scenario of how things would unfold. It was a habit and a nasty habit at that!


Maybe that isn't your bad habit. Maybe you gossip a little too much or cuss a little too much or drink a little too much, or watch a little too much TV or spend money on things that you don't really need (and often wonder after the fact why you bought it). Whatever your bad habit is, you can break it.


I'm not going to say that breaking a bad habit is easy - nothing that is good for us ever is, but it's God's desire for us to take authority over our bad habits. He doesn't want us to be "bossed around" by our emotions, or controlled by our bad habits. He wants us to have victory; to have dominion over these things.


Breaking a bad habit requires making a series of good choices, one after the other on a continual basis. Day by day baby steps. Most of us will try to do that on our own without the help of the Holy Spirit. But eventually (usually after we have failed repeatedly) we finally figure out that we can not please God without God helping us. It just isn't possible. We are flawed human beings. Without God to help us get beyond those flaws then we are doomed to failure. We set ourselves up to fail. But; with the assistance of the Holy Spirit we can have victory. We can break bad habits.


The Amplified Bible refers to the Holy Spirit as our "standby." He's always standing by in case you get into trouble and need a little help. But He won't just show up uninvited. You have to ask Him for help. That's hard. We have become so pre-programmed into thinking that we must do everything on our own in order to be considered 'successful' in the eyes of others that we often have to dig deep in order to ask for help. Even from God, from Jesus and from the Holy Spirit. Admittedly it is a humbling experience to have to ask for help but the reality of the situation is that without this Supernatural help we can not succeed. We just can't.


Romans 12:21 says we "overcome (master) evil with good." That's one of the biggest secrets in the Word of God. It's a lot easier to make the right choice when you're focusing on God and your victory over bad habits instead of focusing on the fear of failure.


Make the choice today to walk in the Spirit to overcome bad habits and live in victory! You'll be better for it. I promise! ~wink~