Watch the video above and talk about it with a group or mentor. Learn more.
Changing who you are is one of the hardest things to do. In fact, it’s impossible on your own. Does this mean that you are just going to be stuck like you are right now for the rest of your life? No. God can change you from the inside out.
What happens if you don’t replace a bad habit with a good one?
If we are going to change our bad habits, we have to understand that eliminating a bad habit is only half the problem. You have to replace your bad habit with a good habit. Otherwise, something else will take the place of your bad habit, or that bad habit will only come back stronger. Jesus talked of a person who had been possessed by a demon being possessed again because he lacked the Spirit of God.
Matthew 12:43-45 (NLT) “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation.”
The point is that you have to replace sinful habits with something or they will only come back in a stronger way. The key is to replace your bad habits with good habits.
Where do good habits come from for Christians?
To change your habits, are you just supposed to force yourself into acting differently? No. You can’t change your habits that way. Perhaps you can change your behavior for a little while, but lasting change will only happen when Jesus changes your heart.
Ephesians 4:21-24 (NLT) Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
As Christians, God gives us a new nature. This means that we can live a life of God-honoring habits, not a life of sinful habits. Good habits come from a God-directed life, not through our own willpower.
How do you get the new nature?
It’s important to understand that this new nature, becoming a new person, is a gift from God. You receive this gift when you accept Jesus as your savior. Jesus comes into your life and makes you a new person. Being a good person doesn’t make you a Christian. Instead, when you trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, he begins to make you a new person.
Discussion Questions:
- Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
- What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
- If someone wanted to change something about themselves, what is the first thing you would tell them to do?
- Have you ever stopped doing a bad habit and then started doing it again a few weeks or months later? What happened? How did that bad habit come back?
- Read Matthew 12:43-45. What might Satan do if we don’t replace our sinful habits with godly habits?
- Why can’t you just change yourself by your own willpower?
- Ephesians 4:21-24. Describe the sinful nature and new nature in this passage. According to this passage, what is God’s role in creating new habits in your life?
- Why is it important to accept Jesus as savior before you focus on becoming a better person?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
