HABITS

By Pastor Taiwo Odukoya

Every success or failure we will ever experience in life is the result of what we are constantly in the habit of doing...

“So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.”(Luke 4:16)

The story is told of a man who decided to do away with his bad habits. He took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, stared at it and said, “Who is stronger, you or me?”  He answered, “Me.”  So he stopped smoking.  He took a bottle of beer and said, “Who is stronger, you or me?”  There was silence for a few seconds.  “Well,” he said sadly, “I am not very sure about that yet.”

As men, we are ruled by habits.  Every success or failure we will ever experience in life is the result of what we are constantly in the habit of doing. Good habits naturally tend to success and contentment while bad habits tend to failure and frustration.

Habits are God’s key to help us succeed in life.
They are therefore very powerful factors in our lives.  They determine how effective or ineffective we are as men.  In fact, we control our destinies by our choice of habits.  As the maxim goes, “If you sow a thought, you will reap an action.  If you sow an action, you will reap a habit.  If you sow a habit, you will reap a character.  And if you sow a character, you will reap a destiny.”  You mortgage your future by every bad habit you acquire.

Habits are God’s key to help us succeed in life.

We find all through the Scripture that people who accomplished great things had certain habits which distinguished them. 

·     In the time of trouble in Babylon, Daniel knelt down three times every day and prayed, giving thanks to God as was his custom (Dan.6:10). 

·     Paul went into the synagogue of the Jews in Thessalonica as his custom was and reasoned with them for three Sabbaths (Acts 17:2).

·     In our text, the Lord Jesus went into the synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath day and stood up to read as His custom was.

People who accomplished great things had certain habits which distinguished them.

Begin to Develop Good Habits Today

These people were very successful because, not only did they have goals, they did something consistently to enhance the pursuit of those goals.  One thing was particularly obvious about the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ from our text: it had acquired a certain uniformity of procedure on the Sabbath days.

Habits once formed are not easily changed.  And smokers understand that too well.  It may take just a few days to learn how to smoke, but to stop smoking may take a lifetime.

Statistics showed that 75% to 85% of smokers would like to stop smoking, but somehow a good number of them go to their early graves with their good intentions. That is often the sad thing about bad habits.  They are like comfortable beds: they are easy to get into but difficult to get out of.  So it is better not to allow a bad habit to take a foothold in your life.  If any habit does not move you closer to your destination, then do not embrace it.

Many of the habits you will ever form in life will start as a piece of information which you have acquired and allowed to form your thoughts.  This leads to desire.  It therefore behooves you to guard your heart with all diligence.  Be careful what you watch, read or listen to as well as the company you keep.

If any habit does not move you closer to your destination, then do not embrace it.

But if you are already caught in the web of negative habits, I want you to understand that breaking them may be difficult, but not impossible.  After all, no habit is more dangerous, deep-seated and detrimental to your well-being than sin, yet faith in the Lord Jesus breaks that yoke.  It is easier to do away with bad habits and imbibe good ones when you are filled with the resurrection power of the Lord Jesus.

CONFESSION

I am not ruled by bad habits. I form the kind of habits that will daily move me closer to my destination. I am filled with the resurrection power of Jesus Christ which breaks the yoke of sin and bad habits. I do not allow my mind to be polluted. Rather, I guard my heart with all diligence. In Jesus’ name. Amen.