HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 158
page A156
Habits continued
• R O MA NS 6 :1 2 -1 4 | Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.
Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give
yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your
whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your
master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the
freedom of God’s grace.
One of Satan’s great lies is that you are a victim who has no power to resist some of the
powerful influences around you. The world teaches you that heredity, environment, and
circumstances excuse you from responsibility. But God is more powerful than anything that
seeks to control you. When you call upon his power through prayer and the support of the
Holy Spirit and fellow believers, God breaks the chains that hold you and sets you free.
How do I develop good habits?
• H E B R E W S 1 0 :2 5 | Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do.
Meeting together as believers is a good habit because it provides necessary fellowship
with other believers, it develops the habit of group Bible study, it keeps us busy when we
might otherwise be slipping into bad habits, and it offers an accountability group.
• G E NE S I S 2 6 :2 1 -2 2 | Isaac’s men then dug another well, but again there was a dispute
over it. . . . Abandoning that one, Isaac moved on and dug another well. This time there
was no dispute over it.
H
Isaac pursued a habit of peace. In this case, it meant staying away from the source of the
conflict, the Philistines, even at great cost.
HelpFinder
• PSA L M 2 8 :7 | The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. . . . I burst
out in songs of thanksgiving.
As a young boy, David developed the habit of talking to God, singing songs about him,
and writing psalms. This helped him to trust in and follow God all his life.
• R O MA NS 6 :1 6 | Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to
obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God,
which leads to righteous living.
Breaking bad habits is a choice; it doesn’t just happen. You stand each day at various
crossroads, where you have the opportunity to choose bad ways (often sinful ways) or
God’s way. The choice is yours.
• 1 T I MOT H Y 4 :7 -8 | Train yourself to be godly. “Physical training is good, but training for
godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 9 :2 5 | All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a
prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
Good habits—such as reading God’s Word, praying, and giving your time and money in
service—give you spiritual stamina, purpose, and direction. They also help you keep your
eyes on the ultimate goal of eternal life.
PROMISE FROM GOD
• R O MA NS 8 :5 -6 | Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things,
but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control
your mind leads to life and peace.
Happiness See also Celebration; Purpose
Is happiness a passing emotion or a permanent state? The Bible says it can be both.
There is happiness that reacts to happenings (which is temporary and volatile), and
there is happiness that overrules happenings (which is strong and lasting), which is often
referred to as joy. Happiness based on happenings is part of life, but if that is all we