Everyone has habits. Some are annoying, like biting your fingernails, and others are good, like making your bed everyday. Some are even bad, destructive habits, like lying to your parents. Let’s dig into what habits are and how to think about good and bad habits.
What is habit?
A habit is an automatic response caused by certain circumstances. In other words, a habit develops once you’ve trained yourself to act a certain way in certain situations. For example, maybe you need coffee everyday to wake up. That is a habit that you’ve developed. Of course, some of the habits we develop are bad: staying up too late for no good reason, always being late to school, procrastinating, or always cursing with your friends. However, good habits can lead to a better life: studying, exercising, and eating well.
Christians can develop spiritual habits
God gives his people spiritual habits that are meant to help us grow as Christians. Spiritual habits include: reading the Bible, praying, going to church, and talking to others about Jesus. When you develop these habits out of love for God, they will bring you closer to him. These are great habits to develop in your life.
What are easier to develop: good or bad habits?
Clearly, bad habits are easy to develop, but they prevent you from enjoying life to its fullest.
2 Peter 2:19 They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.
If you are stuck in a bad habit, then that habit has a hold on you. You probably don’t have the power in yourself to break free from the habit. You are a slave to the bad habit.
Romans 7:15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.
This is what it feels like to be stuck in a bad habit. You do things you don’t want to do. You just automatically do the wrong thing. At most, you think about the benefits of your bad habits, but you don’t consider the negative consequences.
Learning to develop good habits
So, how do we break out of the snare of a bad habit?
Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Only God can change us. If we want to have new habits then we need to see things from God’s perspective. We need God’s priorities. Only God and his word can give you the right perspective on life.
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
- Make a list of some annoying habits. Do you do any of these habits? What can you do to stop an annoying habit?
- Make a list of spiritual habits. What is one spiritual habit that you want to develop in your life?
- Read 2 Peter 2:19. How do you know when you are controlled by a sinful habit?
- Read Romans 7:15. Describe a time when you did something that you knew was wrong and you really didn’t want to do it. Why do you think you acted sinfully in this situation?
- Read Romans 12:2. What does it mean to “copy the behaviors and customs of this world?” If we let God change our thinking, how will that change our habits?
- List one habit that you would like to change.
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
