Forming Helpful Habits

—Living as a Christian in the Real World

Andrew Fountain – Nov 12, 2017

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Forming Helpful Habits

The goal is to learn some ways of replacing
unhelpful habits with helpful ones
because our lives are of great value to God
and we live for him.

What are Habits?

Automatic habits: things we can do without thinking
- e.g. making breakfast, chewing & swallowing, brushing our teeth
Semi-automatic: conscious choice, but we do it anyway
- Have yet another piece of chocolate, another drink, check Facebook
- Flare up angrily at the person who always annoys us
- Turn to God in prayer when we feel stressed

Ephesians 4:17–24

So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
…
But that is not how you learned Christ!—
assuming you heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus.
to put off the old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
to be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
and to put on the new self who has been created in God’s image — in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.

The image is like clothing
What can we learn from these verses?
- A Christian still has their old self, an old set of behaviours that belong to this fallen world
  - Literally “put off your old man” or “your Adam”. The part of you that comes from Adam’s rebellion against God
- But there is a new self living alongside the old
  - Literally “put on your new man” if the old man is Adam, the new man is Jesus
- There’s the life of Jesus that has been created inside you that lives differently
- We are told to do this! not to just pray, sit back and wait for it to happen
  - It’s the power of the Spirit, but we actively co-operate” with him
- Paul doesn’t tell us exactly how to do this
Non Christians sometimes are very successful at breaking bad habits and replacing them with better ones
- So what’s the difference?
  - My Granddad managed to stop smoking. Great!
    - He lived longer, but he never turned to God
  - Our allegiance is either to God, or to something else, e.g. ourselves
    - Something is only of eternal value if done because we love God
So the most important question is not “how to change habits” but “why?”
- What is the goal of your life?
  - I challenge you to give your allegiance to God
  - He will make your life count for eternity
  - He will put new creation life inside you—simply pray to him and ask him!
So before we even begin this journey, we have to decide what habits we want to have:

Romans 12

Do not be conformed to this present world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God
— what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

7 steps to changing habits

with prayer and the power of the Spirit

Be clear about your goals
Identify the trigger
The weakness of the flesh (“Stop System”)
Replace the old with the new
Use and strengthen the “Go System”
Don’t crash when you fail
Ask others to help you

1. Be clear about your goals

We love because he first loved us. [1 John 4:19]
For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments.
And his commandments are not burdensome. [1 John 5:3]

If the new creation inside us is in the image of Jesus,
and Jesus lived to please the Father,

then our new goal should be to please him above all else.
Getting clarity on this may sound simplistic, but it is absolutely vital
- In the thick of trying to replace an old habit with a new, any unclearness about the reason will sabotage it
- Here’s this delicious temptation in front of me. Why am I not supposed to have it, I can’t remember right now
  - Blam, we’ve fallen to the temptation
It really helps to write this down
- If you keep a prayer journal, or the “Mark in a Month” journal, write it there.
- Give your reasons for what you want to change and why
- Every bit of clarity here will help you.
Having goals set by the new creation person in us will engage the power of the Spirit
The best goals are not unattainable

Goals

~~To be the perfect Christian~~
To be growing and maturing every day
e.g. Speaking the truth in love, to grow up in every way... into Christ [Eph 4:15]
Write down some “process goals”

2. Identify the trigger

A habit can be defined as a behaviour that reponds to a trigger
Much of the time we are unaware of the triggers

3. The weakness of the flesh (“Stop System”)

Understand that humans are made with a limited capacity to simply stop.
We blame ourselves for lack of willpower
There is a better way...

4. Replace the old habit with the new (Eph 4)

Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, each one of you speak the truth with his neighbour…
The one who steals must steal no longer; rather he must labour, doing good with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need.
You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear.

7 steps to changing habits

with prayer and the power of the Spirit

Be clear about your goals
Identify the trigger
The weakness of the flesh (“Stop System”)
Replace the old with the new
Use and strengthen the “Go System”
Don’t crash when you fail
Ask others to help you

5. Plan in advance use the “Go System”

Think through possible points of testing and plan ahead
“But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.” [Dan 1:8]
You can create great new habits by planning.
God gave you this wonderful tool for making new habits.
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” [Prov 22:6]

6. Don’t crash when you fail

“So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up.” [Gal 6:9]
The “falling off the wagon” phenomenon
A trick of Satan—answer it will “I’m forgiven”
Have a “quick-intervention” plan for failing

7. Ask others to help you

“Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” [Heb 10:25]
“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. [Gal 6:1–2]
“So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.” [Jas 5:16]

7 steps to changing habits

with prayer and the power of the Spirit

Be clear about your goals
Identify the trigger
The weakness of the flesh (“Stop System”)
Replace the old with the new
Use and strengthen the “Go System”
Don’t crash when you fail
Ask others to help you

A good habit

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” [Dan 6:10]
What could be your trigger for a daily time with God?