HOPE AND HOLY HABITS

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking the complex and overwhelming tasks into small, manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”” – Mark Twain.

Ah…the morning routine. Over 88 percent of people always or often have a morning routine.  Approximately 43 percent of Americans said they view drinking coffee as the most crucial part of their morning routine, while 32 percent said they are in the habit of exercising each morning. Your daily morning routine may be different. Maybe you hit the snooze button several times before accepting the reality that you need to get up. Maybe the first thing you do is check your email.

Whether you’re looking to be more productive, get healthier, or just start the day in a generally better mood – the secret key to success might not actually be so secret. The benefits of establishing an effective habit have been well documented, and that includes spiritual habits. Hope is good, but real change typically requires a change in habits. Our habits are shaping us into a certain kind of person, whether we realize it or not. This is why, as believers, we should be aware of what makes up our regular practices as we strive to become more like Jesus.

Here is where habits become an issue. Even if we have a desire to be like Jesus, we still have sinful desires. Habits can keep us on a trajectory of pursuing Christlikeness, or they can cause us to veer off in the wrong direction. This can be a hard reality to accept, especially because most of us would likely say that we love the Lord and desire to worship Him. But because we live in a sinful world, we will experience obstacles in our walk with God. And how do we become aware of them? By examining our habits.

Changing habits can be hard, especially if they are something we have done for a long time. But we are not on our own in the process of forming holy habits. Through the power of the Spirit, we can fight against unholy habits and substitute those with what is God-honoring.

Forming holy habits takes time. Repetition breeds discipline, so don’t give up if the process of changing or forming habits takes a while. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and rest in His grace when you fail, but keep aiming for holy habits. If we are what we love, we must set our gaze on the One we love–Jesus. When we do, we will walk in holiness that makes us more like Him.

Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Discussion Questions:

1. Who do you want to become? What habit do you need to start to get there? Based on who you want to become, what habit do you want to break?
2. Talk about some of your current habits. In what ways are they honoring God? How could you use these existing habits to start one new habit?