Harnessing the Power of Habit

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There’s nothing like a major life event to upend the apple cart of habits. Bad ones seem to get worse, and good ones become harder to keep. And while I’ve written about the power of habit and routines before, like so many other life-altering topics, this is one that God keeps reminding me to pay attention to… and I’m guessing that He always will. No matter how much we mature, the force of habit is something that will always live inside of us. Sometimes we grow out of a bad habit and manage to cultivate a good one. Other times, we grow complacent and let old habits creep back in, even when we thought we’d banished them forever. And in what might be the worst-case scenario, we occasionally discover that what we thought was a good thing to do has actually been causing us harm for a very long time. Good, bad, new, or old, the force of habit is both shocking and powerful in its ability to either prevent change or create it. That’s because habits are rarely, if ever, neutral in their effect. They either entrench a behavior or challenge it.

In his groundbreaking book, The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg said, “(Habits) shape our lives far more than we realize — they are so strong, in fact, that they cause our brains to cling to them at the exclusion of all else, including common sense.” When hearing that statement, I immediately feel better about myself, and perhaps you do as well. After all, misery loves company, right? But despite knowing that all the emotions we feel about having to change or give up a habit are entirely natural, we are still faced with the challenges associated with changing our routines and behaviors throughout our lifetimes. Things that worked in college, don’t always help us in the work world. What succeeds in one job may be the worst thing we could do in another one. Ways of handling relationships, money, food, our bodies, lifestyle choices, and even our spare time all must evolve if we want to remain on the beneficial side of habits and routines.

For the past two summers in a row, I’ve experienced a renewed sense of awe and some bewilderment at how closely habits are also tied to our sense of place, as much as they are related to our preferences and weaknesses. I originally wrote about the force of habit last year when a deluge of out-of-town house guests over a two-month period caused me to wonder if I was getting too set in my ways. At the time, I thought their disruption of my daily routines and the order of my world was at a minimum noticeable and occasionally uncomfortable, but I now know that their impact was downright mild compared to the challenge my husband and I faced this summer when we uprooted our lives and moved across the country. Everything about our sense of place was altered. Guests weren’t just injecting themselves into our world for a few days or weeks. We left our generally comfortable world behind to inject ourselves into a sea of unfamiliarity. All of my routines went out the window, and many of my bad habits found their way into my new life first, long before the good ones even had a chance to unpack.

Being out of routine in the place where you dwell is naturally unsettling, so our bodies and minds immediately experience dissonance when a familiar environment becomes inhospitable to our habits. This is why changing our bad habits is so hard in the first place. We are conditioned to them, and we naturally return to them, especially in times of weakness, stress, or sadness. According to Duhigg, “Habits, scientists say, emerge because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort. Left to its own devices, the brain will try to make almost any routine into a habit, because habits allow our minds to ramp down more often.”
Yet the Word of God tells us that we have a power far greater within us than that of habits.

Hebrews 12 is one of my favorite scripture passages about the importance of keeping good habits and working to change the bad ones. In verse 11, we find incredible encouragement: “For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” This verse hangs on my wall above my computer to remind me that being watchful of our habits and making tough changes to our routines can only be done through critical observation and continuous training.

Paul goes on to say in verse 12: “Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” The Holy Spirit will lift us up, empower us, and give us the endurance to make hard changes and then stick with healthy habits of all kinds, no matter whether they are spiritual, physical, or relational in nature. Paul had firsthand experience with replacing bad habits with new ones. Imagine the changes that he had to make when he abandoned his life as a Jewish persecutor of Christians and became a Christ-follower himself. Every habit, schedule, expectation, and routine he possessed needed to change. And when you’re facing a mountain of changes all at once, there’s nothing Satan wants to achieve more than to bring you down and make you feel weak in the knees. That’s when we need to lift our tired and weary hands regardless of our emotions and sing praises to the One who will always strengthen and encourage our hearts.

Sometimes it’s tempting to think that God doesn’t understand the power of habit in our lives, especially when we sense the Holy Spirit prompting us to make very difficult changes. But the One who made us in His very image and knows every thought that pops in our heads or lingers in our hearts, completely understands the ramifications of how He made us. Proverbs 5:21 says, “For God sees everything you do and His eyes are wide open as He observes every single habit you have.” God created the power of habit and He knows firsthand how it can be used for our good or for our detriment. That’s why Psalm 64:10 says to make praise your habit because God is always at work, and Hebrews 10:24-25 encourages us to stick with the habit of gathering together in fellowship, teaching, and worship. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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.” The body of Christ thrives when its people join together and spur each other on in habits that glorify God and draw us closer to Him.

The Bible also promises us success when we honor God with our lives as living sacrifices, which is the same thing as turning our daily habits, goals, resources, and time over to Him to direct and manage for His purposes. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” As believers, we have the power inside of us to change any habit and cultivate a life that points to Jesus. I am reminded of this every day before I exercise. I don’t want to exercise. As a matter of fact, I downright dread it. But there’s no room for laziness when committing to a good, but a difficult habit to maintain. If I let just one day go, with the exception of simply being unable to exercise due to something like an illness, then I suddenly find that it’s even easier to let the second day slide, and the third day after that… and before I know it, I’ve fallen off the fitness wagon and onto my couch… with a bag of popcorn. And maybe some Ben & Jerry’s. Not good.

Mental habits are no exception to laziness, either. As a continually recovering worrier, I must exercise the muscles of my mind every day to avoid sliding into anxiety or negative thoughts. Yes, there are days I fail at exercise and at cultivating a peaceful heart (usually on the same day!), but deep-diving into scripture study, singing praise to God, and spending time in prayer are good habits that also act as guardrails to keep me from completely sliding off the cliffs of laziness, complacency, and discouragement.

I’m sure someone out there listening to this or  reading this post is feeling discouraged about their habits and wanting to shout at me, “You make it sound so easy. You have no idea what kind of habit I’m dealing with or how many times I’ve failed to make a change.” And that’s one of the reasons that encouraging people in their faith through blogging and podcasting is so very difficult. Real changes… difficult changes… lasting changes are best cemented in community. We may read a book and find newfound motivation, but the impact probably won’t last without accountability from others. We might find incredible inspiration in hearing someone’s testimony in a podcast or maybe during a Sunday sermon, but without creating our own action plan and making it personal, all the inspiration in the world will likely fizzle. Harnessing the power of habit is possible, but it takes incredible effort, a long time, multiple failures, and usually a village to make it happen.

Centuries ago, the Renaissance-era scholar Desiderius Erasmus wisely said, “A nail is driven out by another nail. Habit is overcome by habit.” Any habits we want to change for the better cannot simply be removed. We must replace them with another habit, that offers us more. Only Jesus does that. Only an intensely intimate and deeply personal habit of living in the presence of God stands a chance of holding a candle to the comfort of routine behaviors designed to make us feel better physically or emotionally on a temporary basis. Clearly, Erasmus was well ahead of his time regarding the power of habit and human resistance to change. History tells us that he advocated tirelessly for reformation within the church prior to Martin Luther’s arrival on the scene. He challenged many detrimental practices and encouraged religious leaders to put an end to a number of abuses in the name of faith.

Today, however, we live in an age where a person’s sense of self and identity is commonly wrapped up in their physical characteristics, desires, and actions. Most people are not looking toward faith for the answers pressing on their hearts. Yet Jesus holds out His hand and tells us to crave something more than what our five senses can give us. What He offers is the only thing that will truly satisfy and never be taken from us, yet we so often trade the most fulfilling thing in the world for a moment of habit-driven pleasure, peace, or happiness. Our identity is sadly misaligned through the culmination of our habits and routines. David Mathis, who wrote Habits of Grace, puts it this way: “Your habits are, in fact, one of the most important things about you. Those repeated actions you take over and over, almost mindlessly, reveal your true self over time as much as anything else.”

In the next few minutes, you and I will both do something out of habit. Another cup of coffee, perhaps. A nervous cough when we see someone we don’t want to talk to. Time in front of the TV with our favorite show. While every moment has its purpose, God understands that we need to relax, recharge, and laugh. He knows that there is comfort in routines and familiarity. But He also intends for us to join Him as He works in hearts and minds around us. And sometimes, the comfort of our habits can blind us to extraordinary opportunities popping up all around us. We need to remember that the Holy Spirit can turn anything routine into something life-changing. So instead of looking at everything you do through the lens of effort expended or pleasure rewarded, why not start asking God to invade your habits for His glory and His use?

Being reminded of how powerful my habits are and how important God’s calling should be in my life, has made me realize the very things I don’t usually think about are some of the most critical things to actually spend time thinking about. Harnessing the power of our habits is certainly not easy, but yielding to the Holy Spirit to help us do it gives us a power that’s even greater than the force of the habits themselves.

Five-Day Devotional Guide For Further Reflection and Daily Spiritual Journaling
These readings from today’s message can be used for a single-day study or your daily quiet time throughout the week. Before you begin reading the passage for each day, spend some time asking God to open your heart to His truth and hearing His voice.
Day 1 - Read and meditate upon Proverbs 5:21, Isaiah 55:8-9, and Proverbs 3:5. How does it bring you comfort to know that God sees your every habit? Are you willing to trust His ways and direction more than your own analysis and wisdom? Spend a few minutes asking God to search your heart in the days ahead and commit to being open to His promptings. Write down anything He whispers to your heart.
Day 2 - Begin with prayer and then sit in God’s presence without words for at least five minutes. Spend some time journaling today about your habits. Write without judgment or trying to make decisions. Just focus on making observations. How do you find that your habits change when you find yourself out of your normal routine or place? What do you think that reveals to you? What things do you do every day or every week, no matter what? Which of your habits were taught to you or modeled by someone else, like a parent?
Day 3 - Read Psalm 139:23-24 and then spend some time meditating on it and praying. What habits do you think God is telling you to modify, give up, or replace in some way? What new habits is He leading you to start doing?
Day 4 - Read Hebrews 12:11-12 in at least three different translations of the Bible. Spend some time asking God to reveal any fruits of His Spirit in your life or lessons learned as a result of going through a time of suffering, change, or discipline. Then spend time praising and thanking God for them.
Day 5 - Today, set aside time to make an action plan for change. Don’t try to change more than one habit at a time, but instead, ask God to help you prioritize which one to tackle first. Be sure to include the reasons behind making the changes, because going back and reviewing your “why” will be critical to your success. Once you are ready, pray over your steps and ask God to give you an accountability partner for the journey. You may also want to seek out resources to help you in the process prayerfully.

​What do you think of today's message? Comment and share your thoughts on this post! And if God brought someone to mind as you read or listened, please encourage them by sharing this post today!

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