Godly Habits

“Practice these things. Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress.”

1 Timothy 4:15 (GW)

God’s truth will set you free, but it may make you miserable at first. For instance, when you think about facing your weaknesses with honesty, fear can keep you in a prison of denial.

But when you allow God to shine the light of his truth on your faults and failures, you’ll be set free from the old habits and patterns that have held you in bondage. You’ll finally be free to replace your old way of doing things with God’s way of doing things.

How can you find this kind of freedom? It begins with understanding how much God loves you. He is already aware of all your weaknesses and mistakes, and he is actively working to help you change. It won’t happen overnight. The truth is, even though you were given a brand-new nature at the moment of conversion, you still have old habits and patterns that need to be replaced. Doing that takes time.

You may wonder if it’s really possible to be free from your habits, hurts, and hang-ups. That doubt might lead you to say things like, “It’s just the way I am, and it’s the way I’ll always be.” That’s fear talking, loud and clear. Fear of change will slow your growth and keep you from experiencing the freedom Jesus died to give you.

Freedom requires you to practice the godly habits every day that point you to truth and make you more like Christ—habits like a daily quiet time with God and accountability to small group fellowship. The more you practice these new habits, the more the old habits will fade away.