I came across some of the sermons notes I took from years ago. This note comes before March 2016. It starts with a question. “How can I break free from temptations and bad habits?” Here are 5 easy to read steps given to work through with some scriptural references. At the time of any issue, these simple steps may not come to mind. Then you may carry on with your day and forget that you need to go back and correct the issue. This leaves more and more issues to deal with, which can become an overwhelming task to take on. Let’s go through what it says related to what has been happening. I find that even if I don’t have this note at the forefront of my mind, God will walk me through the steps without realizing the correlation to this past sermon.
Step 1
Admit you have a problem. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) With this step, I find any agitation we have from others is a sign of the problems we should admit. An example of this is thinking, they did this to me. It caused this feeling. I don’t like to feel this way. If you move to self reflection, seeing if you may do this to others, it may be a part of it. I learned that you might find yourself a hypocrite. My kids show me this in my life the most. I may yell at them or give them an attitude. They will give me an attitude or yell back. This shows me what problems I may need to humbly confess to God.
Step 2
Depend on God’s power, not your own, to combat bad habits. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13). Here, we have two choices. One is to lean into God and peace beyond understanding. I have spent many a days depending on my own power and strength and not God’s. This means that I am allowing anxiety to occur and stress, for no reason. It adds a lot of problems to my life. If you work one thing after another, you can slowly get through all those issues you cause yourself if you do what I do. God is working with me in these situations to turn to Him for His help in these things. I am weak and I need God’s strength to get me through. Then, God will get the glory.
Step 3
Replace bad habits with good ones. This whole chapter gives way to what we can rid of and what to replace it with.(Colossians 3) An example of my fault. One person will agitate me and I take it out on another person. My kids were the easiest to do this to, hence the yelling and attitude mentioned above. In the last 3-4 years, God showed me that I wanted to have people listen to understand me. I wasn’t doing this for my kids or others around me, but was expecting this treatment. It goes along with slow to speak, slow to get angry. There was a very tense situation between me and my oldest daughter. God helped me switch the narrative to listen to understand during this time. It changed my relationship drastically for good with my daughter. With God’s help, it happened seamlessly.
Step 4
Find support from others to help you in your walk with God. I’m sure there was a verse for this, however I didn’t write it down. God has led me to new friends who are believers. By believer, I mean they believe that God sent His only begotten son to earth. His name is Jesus. I say is because He lived on earth, died for our sins, and rose again to heaven. He who was and is and is to come. They believe as I believe and can help bear up my burdens in prayer. They pray and give me what words to say as God leads them. If they are coming from their own thoughts, without putting God in it, they are relying on themselves and not God. We need God in the middle to succeed for God to get the glory as He did with His son’s sacrifice.
Step 5
Take one day at a time. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. (James 5:16) The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16) There will be good days that you do this process well and the problem stays away. In other times, you may fall back to self-reliance and not trusting God. We are hard on ourselves, but God knows us and our hearts. His mercies are new every day. His grace is enough for us. Jesus came to be in the body of a man to understand our struggles, all of them. He came that we may have life and live it more abundantly. We may take one step forward and some steps back. Trust God, put Him at the forefront of the problem, and He is working and will help you through.
Back to the top…
I find that God walks me through things in what He has shown me before, even when I don’t realize it. There are sermons where I start the process of what He wants. I will later hear the sermon and realize that I have already started what was about to be asked before it was asked. I stand in awe of God and His communication with me, when I listen. He talks to all of us in our own special way. I started forgiving some people the night before Church on a Sunday. At the end of service, the pastor asked us to forgive people as we needed to. Because I am human, I went ahead and forgave them again. I am a sinner and fall short of the glory of God. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection redeems me from these sins.
Prayer…
Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminder of how to work through temptations and bad habits that may come our way. I know that I needed this reminder. I pray it helps others as well. Life is full of ups and downs, lefts and rights, but we need to simply focus on You, Lord. Help us keep our eyes on You, God. Help us trust You and what You are doing in each of our individual situations. I know that You are working in mine. You have been gracious enough to show me some of the pieces as they align. It is such an amazing gift to see. Help others see what You are working in their lives, as well. Bless them in the challenges they are facing. Thank You for the help we see and don’t see. We lift this up to You, Lord, in Jesus’ mighty and precious name, Amen.