Bible Question: How can a Christian overcome a bad habit? |
Bible Answer: Well, JVH, I don't believe "willpower" has much to do with breaking a bad habit. Those of us who have had any experience with trying to break bad habits and keep New Year's resolutions will likely agree that human "willpower" alone is seldom effective, if at all. I like the word "abide" -- it has various meanings in Scripture, but generally means to wait, to rest, to stand firm. A minister whom I know once had a mountainous problem with alcohol, both before he became a Christian and for a short time afterward. Here is a condensed version of what he had to say about his "demon." "I made resolution upon resolution not to touch alcohol again. I promised God I would stop drinking. Each day I repeated a little mantra to myself that I would not drink. But I continued to drink, even after I became a Christian. Finally it dawned on me what I was doing wrong. There was too much 'I will' in my life and even in my prayers, and not much 'God will'. I was not abiding in Christ (John 15:4) in the sense of resting in Him, surrendering my will totally to His, and simply waiting upon the Lord to deliver me from my bondage. I was still trying to do the job myself and was powerless to do so. The Lord delivered me only when I gave my life completely to Him." I love that testimony and it is true. In Matt. 17:21 Jesus said, speaking of demons, "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." I believe that the prerequisite to breaking any bad habit or addiction is, firstly of course, to want to; it is unthinkable to pray for something we do not want. After wanting comes surrender to God's will, prayer, and then simply to abide, to wait, and to trust, to have absolute faith in God. Jesus said in Matt. 17:20 that faith the size of a mustard seed can remove mountains. And bad habits and addictions can become real mountains in our lives. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said we should not worry about our lives, but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Putting God first in our pecking order is primary to breaking bad habits and in being empowered to live abundantly. To anyone who has the "demons" of addictions or other undesirable habits chipping away at his very life and bringing him to hopelessness, misery and despair, the words of Jesus in Matt. 19:26 "with God all things are possible" point to a clear and sure way out of the mire. --Hank |
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