Can a Bad Habit Be Conquered?

What mental images does the word ‘habit’ generate in you? William James wrote in the Principles of Psychology, “You must make an ally out of your nervous system by consistently embracing early in life values to counteract habits that are detrimental to your physical and emotional well-being.”

Habits that are detrimental to your well-being are embraced by an immature mindset that believes nothing can control you. What is a habit that both young and old are prone to acquire today? William James says acquiring good, healthy habits is the best way to avoid detrimental ones.

What makes bad habits hard to break is that they are often welcomed, even believed to be helpful. In time you will begin to despise the power bad habits have over you. So here is the good news to remember. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and that makes it a holy place for God to dwell, a place for fellowship with you, so guard it and keep it clean.  

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Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

~Romans 12:1 New American Standard Version

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Prepared to Serve

Being prepared for a special occasion is a wise choice because it lowers stress to a more manageable level. Preparing for a job interview by reviewing potential questions helps reduce anxiety. Knowing how to dress appropriately helps present a favorable first impression. Taking time to rest and sleep is critical to preparation.

God taught the Hebrew people how to consecrate themselves for worship by coming into his presence with a clean heart. Listen to Leviticus 20:8: “Consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am the Lord your God." Consecration includes being committed to God for the purpose of meeting him in worship.

God desires to give you faith so his work of sanctification can set you apart for the purpose he specifically designed for you. God clearly communicates that he is Jehovah-M’Kaddesh, the Lord who sanctifies.  This means to be made clean, forgiven, and dedicated to a new life in Jesus Christ.                            

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With eyes open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers [and sisters], as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him.

~Romans 12:1 Phillips – New Testament in Modern English 

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Your Life: Abuse It or Preserve It?

There is a duplicity about human nature that’s difficult to understand. We do everything possible to preserve our life, for without life nothing else is possible. Yet we devise ways to abuse the life God has given us to celebrate and enjoy. We abuse our bodies by overindulging them beneath the guise of experiencing joy and celebrating.

The Apostle Paul asked this grappling question, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit whom you receive from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” Thinking of your body as God’s dwelling place is reason to be committed to keeping it healthy. 

Robert Browning proposed, “How good is man’s life, the mere living! How fit to employ the heart and the soul and the senses forever in joy!” As we remain faithful to Christ in honoring and respecting our bodies as his dwelling place, we’re then invited to enter into his joy. Celebrate God’s gift of life with joy and thanksgiving.  

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You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred – and you, remember, are the temple.

~1 Corinthians 3:16-17 The Message

So then, my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.

~Romans 12:1 Good News Bible