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[Announcer] (0:00 - 0:32) Think about the Bible like you never have before. You are listening to Christian Questions. Experience more episodes, videos, and Bible study resources at ChristianQuestions.com.

Our topic is: "Do My Habits Glorify God?" Have you ever stopped to think about how much of our lives are driven by our habits? Have you ever thought about the fact that most of our habits are in place because our subconscious minds put them there?

Can we take conscious control of those subconscious habits that drive us? Here's Rick, Jonathan, and Julie.

[Rick] (0:34 - 0:44) Welcome, everyone. I'm Rick. I'm joined by Jonathan, my co-host for over 25 years. Julie, a longtime contributor, is also with us. Jonathan, what is our theme scripture for this episode?

[Jonathan] (0:45 - 0:55) Romans 8:5: "For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the spirit, the things of the spirit."

[Rick] (0:55 - 1:55) Human beings are undeniably creatures of habit. Let me dramatically oversimplify the whole habit thing for a moment to make a point. Habits are formed as tools to bring us comfort, reward, and what we believe we want from life.

Little kids; little kids test this all the time. A child with a very focused mind wants to do things their own way.

I've got a granddaughter just like that. Instead of listening, they argue and even rebel because doing it their way is what they find the greatest reward in. Another perhaps less stubborn child will fight and argue for their own way and then back off because their parents' approval or recognition gives them a greater reward. This oversimplified comparison helps us see that our human habits are ultimately self-driven. How do we as Christians deal with all of this? What habits should be changed or left alone?

[Jonathan] (1:56 - 2:12) Our objective is ultimately to honor God through Jesus in every aspect of our lives. This means not just honoring God in the things in which we have clear and outward choices; it also means honoring Him in those things we don't even give any thought to.

[Rick] (2:12 - 2:21) What we want to do is take some time and talk about habits; how they are, where they are, and what we should do about them? Julie?

[Julie] (2:22 - 3:13) Throughout this episode, I'm going to read from an article called "The Science of Habit" by Stacey McLachlan from Healthline.com. She said this: "Habits are routines or rituals that are unconscious or that have become almost automatic or second nature. A habit is a practice you repeat so regularly that it can be hard to change. It might be unconscious, like jiggling your feet when you're on a flight, or licking your lips when you're forced to do some public speaking... Your sensory nervous system is always monitoring for actions you can take that will deliver a hit of dopamine, the brain's reward chemical. We're wired to seek out pleasure." Just wanted to bring up what dopamine is; it's a brain chemical that transmits messages between your brain and your nerve cells. It plays an important role in mood regulation, movement, and how humans experience pleasure and pain.

[Rick] (3:14 - 3:49) That will become a major, major, major part of this conversation when we look at the science behind the idea of having habits and trying to rework those habits. Here's where we want to pause. We've got a little bit of scientific background, if you will. Here's where we want to pause and take what we've thus far observed and apply it to our spiritual lives. As Christians, we strive to have our greatest rewards come from our service to God. David, King David, showed us an example of this great reward in Psalm 40:6-8.

[Jonathan] (3:50 - 4:35) This is from the New Living Translation: "You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand-- you do not require burnt offerings or sin offerings. Then I said, Look, I have come. As it is written about me in the Scriptures: I take joy in doing Your will, my God, for Your instructions are written on my heart." But wait, God did desire "burnt offerings" and "sin offerings." The question is: why is he saying it this way? Because David understood God was looking for joyful obedience.

God desires the inward heart that wants to offer the outward sacrifice. Doing God's will should be an honor and a privilege, not a forced habit of sacrifice.

[Rick] (4:36 - 5:17) Yeah, not like, "Oh, look at the time, I have to sacrifice again." But, "Oh, look at the time. This is my opportunity!" This is the outward way that I show what has happened within me. We look at this Psalm and we look at verse 8: "I take joy in doing Your will, my God, for Your instructions are written in my heart." That's a prophetic utterance about Jesus himself.

He is the primary example. As a matter of fact, let's go to the next verse, because Jesus showed us another way to frame this wonderful reward, this wonderful joy from doing God's will. We're linking this to creating the habit to get into that mindset. John 4:31-34:

[Jonathan] (5:18 - 5:37) "Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, Rabbi, eat. But he said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know about. So the disciples were saying to one another, No one brought him anything to eat, did he? Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work."

[Julie] (5:37 - 5:59) In context, Jesus had just shockingly revealed that he was the Messiah to a Samaritan woman at the well. Back a few verses in John 4:27, the disciples were amazed he was even speaking to her. Now they're looking out for him, reminding him to eat something, but he was teaching them that his true strength and true satisfaction came from doing God's will. That is what sustained him.

[Jonathan] (6:00 - 6:06) How do we learn to take such joy in doing God's will that it becomes nourishment that we seek out?

[Rick] (6:07 - 6:22) Well, there is a really simple, straightforward, easy answer. I mean, it's not too often that we say, hey, here's a really easy answer for this question. Here's the really easy answer.

It's to engage in "self-directed neuroplasticity."

[Jonathan] (6:23 - 6:24) What?

[Julie] (6:24 - 6:26) That doesn't seem so easy, does it?

[Rick] (6:26 - 6:38) Well, when we understand it, it will become easy and it will make sense. Self-directed neuroplasticity, Julie, help us with this definition here.

[Julie] (6:38 - 6:49) Well let's go back to the article, because that's "when you intentionally rewire your brain to create positive habits. People do this primarily through active reflection."

[Rick] (6:49 - 7:33) The article is saying you can "intentionally rewire your brain to create positive habits." That's a really startling statement and we should look at that and say, "Huh, this is something that maybe we want to know a little bit more about." We are looking at this from the standpoint of a Christian looking to rewire our habits to be spiritually focused so that we can be honoring God in every aspect of our lives. We see this self-directed neuroplasticity as spiritually important as a practice because the Apostle Paul--not because science tells us to do it--but because the Apostle Paul implored us to do it. Let's look at Romans 12:1-2:

[Jonathan] (7:34 - 7:50) "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind... "

[Julie] (7:50 - 7:58) In other words, make your brain work differently.

[Jonathan] (7:59 - 8:03) "...so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

[Julie] (8:03 - 8:47) In order to more deeply understand how these scriptures work, we're going to go over some definitions. Neuroplasticity; that's the brain's ability to change throughout your life. Now, there's two different kinds.

There's "experience-dependent neuroplasticity" and "self-directed neuroplasticity." The experience-dependent means "the passive process of reinforcing habits by doing them unconsciously over and over again, whether they're good or bad." This is where most of our habits come from. It's just kind of like a rut, and we keep going over the same thing over and over again. But there's self-directed neuroplasticity; that's "the active process of consciously reflecting how our habits make us feel." We say it a lot when we talk about looking in the mirror. That's what that is.

[Rick] (8:47 - 10:00) The idea is that we have experience-directed, and we're going to be using this "neuroplasticity" word a lot during our conversation today so that we can get it into our minds that when we talk about that, we talk about the brain's capacity to change and develop. That's really what we're talking about. Plasticity, it's formable. That's really what it's saying. When we look at this we want to understand it from the standpoint of, we can contribute to the changing of our minds to be more godly. That's what Romans 12:1-2 was all about. Romans 12:2, "do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed..." Well, how do you do that? By the renewing, by the plasticity of your mind "so that you may prove what the will of God is..." Now, how does that work? That comes through God's spirit. We'll develop that as we go, but the point is: we can change the way we've always reacted and responded if we pay attention and feed our minds the right things in a godly way, in a scripturally sound approach, so that we can be honoring God. That's what today's conversation is really all about. I love saying the word "neuroplasticity." It's just like a fun word.

[Julie] (10:00 - 10:01) It just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?

[Jonathan] (10:02 - 10:03) I'd rather you say it than me.

[Rick] (10:03 - 10:15) Okay, we'll stay with that, but let's look at how this applies to Scripture. Solomon's writing showed us how we are primed for neuroplasticity. Proverbs 3:1-3:

[Jonathan] (10:15 - 10:38) "My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." Reflect on and pay attention to the teachings. Make it so they're always available to you.

[Julie] (10:38 - 10:42) This is a basis for self-directed neuroplasticity.

[Rick] (10:42 - 11:07) Absolutely is, and he's saying, don't forget, "Bind them around your neck." Put them in a place where you come back to them again and again, so that they can guide your heart and mind. There's powerful, powerful things in Scriptures about this. Another example, God showed Joshua the rewards of following God's law every day in every way. Joshua 1:8 and 9.

[Jonathan] (11:07 - 11:44) In context, Moses had died and God is now appointing Joshua as the leader of the people. Here is how Joshua will be successful: "The book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night (meaning not only do you speak it out loud, but it's also internal)..." Continuing: "...so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! The Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

[Julie] (11:44 - 11:59) For Joshua to be a strong leader, he's going to need to be constantly speaking God's words and also internally meditating on them. That's his habit. This is an application of neuroplasticity, Joshua's personal habits of thinking.

[Rick] (11:59 - 14:14) God is telling him, God is showing him, this is what you do so you can act in accordance with My will. Folks, this is a real important basis for us to look at and say, "Okay, there's something forming here that we've read many, many times and we've probably looked at and said, okay, yeah, I could see how this forms," but let's look at it very, very specifically in relation to habits. Let me start telling a story.

When I say story, it's an account that is real. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Literally, while I was doing the preparation for this podcast last Wednesday, I got a phone call from a fellow Christian, one of the brotherhood, and they wanted to share an experience with me. In their sharing of this experience, it was literally about habits. I'm looking at my notes that say "personal habits," and they're talking to me about this personal habit. Let me unfold this story throughout the entire podcast.

Here's what happened: First of all, it's an experience-dependent neuroplasticity that they were describing. About a year ago, this fellow Christian and myself... they called me. They had an issue with a family relationship. It was a strong family relationship, a deep family relationship, but there was a big problem in that family relationship. That problem happened years and years and years and years and years and years ago, a long time ago and now, much later, many, many years later, this individual is looking at that other member of their family and looking and saying, "You know what? In the past, you did me wrong. You didn't treat me well. I was treated unjustly and unfairly." They wanted to have a relationship, but they felt like, "Can't do it. You need to apologize to me." They were saying, "Rick, you know, I feel like I need to demand an apology. I just need your help. I don't know how to do that." It was a really good, good conversation. Okay, we're going to stop there at this moment and we're going to develop the account, the experience, as we go. We're going to see how the habits can be looked at, addressed, and then dealt with. That's the beginning of the story. Jonathan, let's put this together, what we have so far.

Having Helpful Habits; where do we begin?

[Jonathan] (14:14 - 14:38) Christians are creatures of habit just like everyone else. When we come to Christ, we come with those habits intact and functional. One of the God-honoring missions of our lives is to create space for new and God-honoring habits by weeding out as many of our earthly habits as would be inappropriate for a disciple of Christ.

The good news is this can be done!

[Rick] (14:39 - 14:55) That is the good news, and that is important. This can be done! Habits are big things that are not only common in our lives but carry a massive amount of generally unnoticed influence.

[Jonathan] (14:56 - 15:03) The possibility exists to change our habits. How do we go about this? What do we need to look for?

[Rick] (15:04 - 16:15) The first thing to understand is how habits are formed. This helps us identify how we got to the place we are now in, and also helps us to see why and how to change. Now the biggest challenge here is that habits are oftentimes formed without our conscious permission.

As we will see, things happen, we process them in our minds, and -- POOF! -- we have the beginning of a habit and we don't even know it. This is important because it happens and nobody gives the habit permission. It just develops and suddenly you're finding yourself reacting and responding in a very, very specific way.

Folks, let's face it, okay? Let's all look in the mirror right now. You and I both know that a lot of these habits aren't as good as they could be.

Let's keep it there. There is something called a "Habit Loop." This came from that article, Julie.

The "Habit Loop" is four phases. It's "Cue" -- what opens the door; it's the "Craving" that the "cue" brings; it's the "Response;" and then it's the "Reward." Julie, let's explain this a little bit more.

[Julie] (16:15 - 16:33) Well, let's start with the "cue." The cue is you experience a stimulus or a trigger. It could be being in a certain location, smelling a certain smell, seeing a certain person, or feeling a particular emotional state, among other possibilities.

For me, have you ever heard a song and it takes you back to a vivid memory?

[Jonathan] (16:33 - 16:56) For me, it's a smell, a smell of cinnamon. As a young boy, I couldn't wait until Saturday morning cartoons. I would run to the kitchen, put bread in the toaster, and I would load the toast up with butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar all over it, and I'd watch cartoons for hours, like all day! Cinnamon triggers those happy and fun memories -- and the dentist was happy, too!

[Julie] (16:57 - 16:58) That's awesome.

[Rick] (16:59 - 17:20) Folks, you just heard something about Jonathan's past. That's kind of a rare commodity to have out there in the open, but you're right, and so to this day you smell cinnamon and you go back to the cartoons. You go back to that fun time. That's important, that's important for us to understand as we put all this together. We understand the "cue." Julie, what's next?

[Julie] (17:20 - 17:38) Well, "craving" is next. "The stimulus causes you to desire a particular outcome that you find rewarding. It motivates you to act. This may be what makes habits so hard to break. They come from a brain region that's out of your conscious control, so you're barely aware you're doing them, if at all."

[Rick] (17:38 - 18:05) That last line from this article is really important; "They come from a brain region that's out of your conscious control." We're going to dig deeper into that later on, but that's very, very, very critical for our understanding because you sometimes just say, "How did I get this habit? This habit isn't good." Well, it's there and it's out of conscious control. That means we need to do something else, something different, to affect it. We've got "cue," we've got "craving." Julie, what's next?

[Julie] (18:05 - 18:11) The "Response." That's where you engage in behaviors, thoughts, or actions you take to get to the outcome.

[Rick] (18:11 - 18:23) You've been set up and now you're going down a road and like you were saying before, sometimes you're subconsciously going down that road, but you're now responding, going down the road. Then what comes after that?

[Julie] (18:23 - 18:42) The final is "Reward." The outcome occurs and you feel a sense of reward as a result, satisfying the craving. The pleasure or relief you experienced reinforces the cue, according to this article, making the cue even better at triggering craving next time. That's why it's an endless loop.

[Jonathan] (18:42 - 18:48) There's a popular expression; "We are creatures of habit." Now we know why. It's an endless loop.

[Rick] (18:48 - 19:44) Yes. Yeah, and it's something we need to be very, very, very cognizant of. Look, we are Christians.

We want our habits to be God-glorifying. What we've done so far is we've laid out yes, there's the possibility of that, but there's a lot of things that need to be addressed to get there. Let's now dig into this. You've got "cue," "craving," "response," and "reward." This all had its beginning--and it had its beginning "in the beginning." As we will see, Satan placed the "cue" and the motivation for "craving" before Eve in the Garden of Eden, which paved the way for the "response" and its "reward." Let's go back to Genesis 3:1-7, and pay particular attention as to how this process actually unfolded in this conversation between Satan and Eve. Genesis 3:1-7:

[Jonathan] (19:45 - 19:49) "Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman,..."

[Julie] (19:49 - 19:52) Here comes the "cue."

[Jonathan] (19:52 - 20:08) "Indeed, has God said, You shall not eat from any tree of the garden? The woman said to the serpent, From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die. The serpent said to the woman,..."

[Julie] (20:08 - 20:11) Here comes the "craving."

[Jonathan] (20:11 - 20:20) "...You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

[Julie] (20:21 - 20:22) Now listen for the "response."

[Jonathan] (20:22 - 20:35) "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate."

[Julie] (20:35 - 20:37) Now here's the "reward."

[Jonathan] (20:37 - 20:45) "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings."

[Julie] (20:45 - 21:02) It was like, "Yay! We got what we wanted! We see things we never did. Uh oh, we see things we never did. What have we done?" Here we see that loop in action. Satan planted the "cue" and pointed them to the "craving." That dopamine rush was strong.

[Rick] (21:03 - 22:56) It's interesting. Satan planted that "cue" with a question; didn't God say you can eat from any tree of the garden? It sounded like such an innocent thing. Questions can be powerful tools of inquiry or they can be powerful tools to sow seeds of doubt. In this case, darkness was covered over by a question that sounded innocent enough but led to the opening of that "craving," which led to a "reponse," which led to a "reward." We look at it and say, "Well, that didn't sound like a very good reward!" It's not. Sin, incidentally, is never a good reward.

Let's just get it straight. Let's understand that right from the start. But we need to understand, this is how it starts. There's something that you're looking for that, "Oh, this can be great!" You're right, Julie, we see things differently. "Oh, no... Oh, no!" We see things differently. There's that mix.

Don't many of our habits fall into that category of that, "It feels so good, but I really shouldn't have done it!" You can see how what we experience really did have a foundation back in that first temptation, in that first sin. Many of our earthly habits follow this very pattern.

We do things that are not ultimately good for us because we're drawn to them and they give us a momentary reward. That's one of the keys of bad habits is, there's a momentary reward. Let's pause here now. What are the cues that draw us to earthly habits of feeling, of thinking, and of action? These will be examples of experience-dependent neuroplasticity. Remember, experience-dependent neuroplasticity is the kind that you don't have to think about, you just experience it and then your mind forms around it. Jonathan, let's look at Galatians 5:19-21:

[Jonathan] (22:56 - 23:39) "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." There's nothing godly on this list, so why do we do these things? This is such an important warning that we did a five-part series on these texts in Galatians called: "Do I Walk in the Spirit or the Lusts of My Human Nature?" starting with episode #1254.

[Rick] (23:40 - 24:11) These are experience-driven neuroplasticity at its best. We get involved in things that aren't good for us but have a drawing factor. Let's think about this.

What is that drawing factor? What do all of these things have in common? They get our attention and on some level, they are attractive.

Do not underestimate the exhilaration of a moment and a powerful dopamine supplier! Do not underestimate its power!

[Julie] (24:11 - 24:37) I want to bring in some important information from Mental Health America. It said this: "Illegal drugs such, as cocaine and heroin, are so addictive in part because they trigger a massive dump of dopamine. Getting so much dopamine at once feels euphoric and users chase after that feeling. Unfortunately, the drugs also make it more difficult for the body to produce dopamine, often trapping the individual in the cycle of addiction."

[Rick] (24:37 - 25:23) That's pretty powerful and that's very scary. We can see that our own bodies, because of those external things, work against us and we are drawn, we crave that "fix," if you will, and that is from inside of your own mind. It's really, really important. As a Christian now, how do we put this in perspective? The Apostle Paul gives followers of Christ a clear "compare and contrast" exercise in Romans 8 to help us see the internal dilemma that our personal habits can cause. As we go through Romans 8:5-9, notice the comparison. Notice the negative side of things and the positive side. Where does the negative side lead? Where does the positive side lead?

Jonathan, let's get started with that verse:

[Jonathan] (25:23 - 26:06) "For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the spirit, the things of the spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if indeed the spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." These habits eventually bring us to one of the two end results. Which are we choosing, the flesh or the spirit?

[Rick] (26:06 - 26:44) We have two dramatically different end results, dramatically different, and we have to understand which one we are going to choose. Remember, those experience-driven habits aren't concerned about the long term. They're concerned about that dopamine fix in the short-term. Let's notice where the fleshly "Habit Loop" leads. Let's take a moment here, because as we go through this, we want to stress that we're not at all suggesting that all earthly habits are bad and should be abandoned. We are focusing on those things in the lives of Christians that deter, distract, and devalue our sacrificial walk as a disciple of Jesus.

[Julie] (26:45 - 26:57) Deter, distract, devalue. I really like that because you're not saying we should stress over every little habit. We're trying to focus on directing our thoughts and actions on serving God through Christ wherever and whenever possible.

[Rick] (26:58 - 27:18) Exactly. On the flip side of the negativity we've been talking about, let's look at an example that shows us this "Habit Loop" in action when we engage in self-directed neuroplasticity. Self-directed, meaning it's consciously thought of, and this self-direction is moving towards honoring God.

Philippians 3:10-14.

[Julie] (27:19 - 27:21) Okay, we're going to first listen for the "cue."

[Jonathan] (27:21 - 27:31) "...that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. ..."

[Julie] (27:32 - 27:36) Here comes the "craving," meaning I want this badly enough that I have to do something about it.

[Jonathan] (27:36 - 27:46) "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus."

[Julie] (27:46 - 27:50) Next will come the "response." It's going to be, "I'm going to make a change."

[Jonathan] (27:51 - 28:02) "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and..."

[Julie] (28:02 - 28:07) Here comes the "reward."

[Jonathan] (28:07 - 28:16) "...reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Julie

Isn't it really unbelievable, but faith-strengthening, to realize that what we're just now learning about our brains was placed into the Scriptures thousands of years ago?

[Rick] (28:17 - 28:32) It's inspiring, but when you stop to think, it's a no-brainer, no pun intended, because God created the functions of our mind. He shows us how to best use them. We just need to pay attention and put those other things aside.

[Jonathan] (28:33 - 28:38) What about people with mental health challenges? Does this same "Habit Loop" apply?

[Rick] (28:38 - 31:03) That's a really important point. Sometimes with mental health challenges, things are just simply not as easily figured out and moved forward on. There are lots and lots of things you can do, but sometimes it takes a whole lot more work.

Sometimes it takes external help. Sometimes it takes medication. Sometimes it generally takes a combination of all of the above to be able to move forward.

Please, if you have serious, serious depression or things like that, don't take this particular podcast and say, "I'm a failure because I can't do it." No, this does not apply in your circumstance. Do the things that you can do and take the small steps that you can take.

Let me get back to my experience with this other Christian. Remember, they came to me and basically said, "I need to demand an apology from my family member, Rick, and I need you to help me to figure out how to do that." What I did is, I listened and I asked a lot of questions so I could get the story behind what was going on. This individual was brutally honest with me. They explained the story in such a detailed way that I could actually--and this is a credit to them--see both sides of the issue by the way they explained it. They were just, just honest.

What it came down to is being able to face something uncomfortable because, and I don't know if I was quite this blunt or not, but I basically said, "You know what? I don't think you have a problem. I think you are the problem." They're like, "What?!" I said, "Well, let's think about this. I think that you may have looked at the experiences with this other part of your family and misconstrued all of these different pieces that you've just described to me." Let's go through that. Now you have this issue like, "What do you mean I'm the problem?!" Their response to that was, "Oh my gosh, you might be right! This is terrible. What am I going to do? I need to change.

This is not God honoring." Then they're getting down on themselves. "I've been thinking this way. I need to change." They suddenly, when it was put into a different perspective, they had this incredible desire, "I've got to fix this. I've got to fix this because I can fix my relationship with my family and I can honor God at the same time." That's the "craving." That happened because they put things in order, to their credit. Jonathan, Having Helpful Habits; where are we?

[Jonathan] (31:04 - 31:21) Though it may sound depressing, the realization that many of our habits were developed simply by our experiences can be a really hopeful revelation. As with anything, working on changing habits based upon knowledge of what is true provides a solid foundation to build upon.

[Rick] (31:21 - 31:41) Based upon knowledge of what is true, not what I have concluded is true, not what is habitually true in my own mind, but what is actually true. That's the basis where we can find a place to change. While all of this is fascinating, it's also in some ways unsettling. Makes you wonder how many bad habits we really have.

[Jonathan] (31:42 - 31:50) Let's get to the bottom line. What is an effective way to actually change those habits that are detrimental to glorifying God?

[Rick] (31:51 - 32:23) As we embark on the journey of habit-changing, we need to first and foremost accept that we cannot just think our way out of them. Thinking is a critical first step, but for any change to occur we need to take decisive action in accordance with what will work. Not decisive action with what I feel like is good; with what will work. It's a rare individual who can change well-established habits by simply deciding to do so.

[Jonathan] (32:24 - 32:27) Ironically, it takes action to change an action.

[Rick] (32:27 - 32:48) It absolutely does, and the action that it takes is usually something we haven't tried before. It's not habitual. Why are habits so hard to change?

Why can't we just hit the escape key? You know that escape key in the upper left-hand corner of your computer? You just hit that escape key and be done.

Okay, escape. All done. Let me move on.

Julie, let's go back to the article and put this in order.

[Julie] (32:48 - 33:16) Okay, we'll quote from the article: "Any habit we develop is because our brain is designed to pick up on things that reward us and punish us... When your brain recognizes a pattern, such as a connection between action and satisfaction, it files that information away neatly in an area of the brain called the basal ganglia. This is also where we develop emotions and memories, but it's not where conscious decisions are made-- that's the prefrontal cortex."

[Rick] (33:16 - 33:58) There lies one of the big, big issues. It's in the place in the brain where we develop emotions and memories. Our habits are surrounded by emotions and the memories that build them up and make them firm, and it's not in the place in the brain that you can say, "Nope, I'm going to change my mind on that." We have to work from the outside in to look at and actually change habits. We need to make a decision and then keep that decision and its associated positive emotions and actions in place long enough for our brain to recognize it and to use it to provoke alternative behavior.

That's the idea, to provoke alternative behavior. How do we do that?

[Julie] (33:58 - 34:23) Well, let's go back to the article. It says: "At the core of rewiring habits is reflection. Reflect on how unhealthy behaviors make you feel bad and how healthy behaviors make you feel good. Then write it down. Then talk to someone about it. Then reread what you've written a month down the road. ...regularly going back and reading the past few weeks and months of your journal or notes to truly see the data in action."

[Jonathan] (34:23 - 35:08) That's a great suggestion, but what if we don't like to write in a journal? How about when we read a scripture out loud, we make it personal and use it to set our course according to God's grace? For example, I'll read 1 Corinthians 9:24-25. Paul is speaking to the Christian Corinthians, but I'm going to personalize his words. "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? (By God's grace, I, Jonathan) Run in such a way that (I) may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but (because God is so merciful, I strive for) an imperishable (prize)."

[Rick] (35:09 - 35:50) You put that scripture in terms of your own life, and folks, that's such an important aspect. That's one suggestion. There are many.

We need to create systems of accountability for ourselves so we can find ways to bring ourselves back to the places we need to go. The exceeding great and precious promises throughout the scriptures are great tools for helping us do this, and when we read those promises, we have to be able to receive them. We have to be able to accept them and then we have to apply them. It's an exercise, and to personalize things like that, to personalize the promises, is a very, very, very good baseline here. Let's look at some habit-setting steps. Again, Julie, from this article, there's several steps.

Where do we start?

[Julie] (35:50 - 36:04) "SAY YOUR GOAL OUT LOUD. Saying your goals out loud to yourself does actually make you more likely to do them," and just personal, I do this. I state my goals when I wake up for what I want to accomplish before my head hits the pillow that night.

[Rick] (36:04 - 36:21) That's pretty cool. That's actually very, very, very cool. You're accountable to yourself, and you're putting it out there. This is what this day looks like. We also need to be accountable to God and accountable to others, depending on the kind of habits we're dealing with. Depends on the breadth of the accountability. Let's look at accountability to God, 1 Peter 5:6-7:

[Jonathan] (36:21 - 36:24) "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."

[Rick] (36:35 - 37:08) When we cast our anxiety on Him, what we're saying is, "Lord, this is what is bothering, this is what is so difficult for me. These are the habits I can't break. I don't know how to... Here, I'm giving them to you." When we give God our anxiety, He now looks at us and says, "Okay, let me see you operate without it, because now I've got it." See, there's an accountability here. We need to try to reframe our lives so we can step up.

Being accountable to God is a wonderful, wonderful baseline. To be accountable to others, Jonathan, very quickly, Galatians 6:2:

[Jonathan] (37:08 - 37:12) "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ."

[Rick] (37:13 - 37:33) The power of Christian fellowship when we're trying to deal with bad habits and reworking of habits is really powerful, because we have someone else who can understand us that we can rely on and we can have mutual encouragement. Saying your goals out loud, Julie, that's a very good place to start. What's next?

[Julie] (37:33 - 37:45) "SWAP A NEW HABIT FOR AN OLD ONE. Instead of going cold turkey, it's far more effective to start replacing or adjusting small parts of the habituated action." For example, Psalms 21:4:

[Jonathan] (37:46 - 38:01) "One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple." Now, this is the kind of craving we should desire.

[Rick] (38:01 - 38:15) Yeah, see, there's this sense of taking something old that may have been desirable and saying, "Oh, but look at this, to dwell in the house of the Lord" What that was is nothing compared to this! Julie, what's next?

[Julie] (38:16 - 38:22) "AIM SMALL (TO START!)" Just do the next right thing. How often have we heard you say that, Rick?

[Rick] (38:23 - 38:41) Yeah, that is one of my key lines, and it just works, okay? By God's grace and our effort, small steps will get us there. We're going to look at Psalm 40:1-5 and Jonathan, as you go through this verse, I'm going to interrupt you with the small steps. So, the first small step is right at the beginning of verse 1.

[Jonathan] (38:41 - 38:48) This is from the New Living Translation: "I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry."

[Rick] (38:48 - 38:59) Okay, let's pause there. "I waited patiently." "He turned to me." He "heard my cry." I was in trouble, and my first small step was to look up. Here's the next small step.

[Jonathan] (38:59 - 39:08) "He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along."

[Rick] (39:08 - 39:29) There's actually a couple of steps in this small step. I was in the mud. I was stuck, and he lifted me up. He brushed me off.

He got me steady on my feet, and now I'm able to move forward. You cry out first, and then you see how the Lord can deliver you out of the mess that you are presently in. What's the next small step?

[Jonathan] (39:30 - 39:33) "He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God."

[Rick] (39:34 - 39:54) Notice that the new song didn't come right at the beginning. You weren't in a place to sing. You were crying, but now the deliverance has started.

You're brushed off, and you're steady, and you're walking forward, and now there's something else. You see that self-directed neuroplasticity developing here. You're developing this new habit as God is guiding you.

What's the next small step?

[Jonathan] (39:55 - 40:06) "Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. "Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols."

[Rick] (40:06 - 40:23) Notice this isn't about me anymore. Now it's about many. Why?

Because you're singing, and they hear you. That testimony has gone out to others, and that small step is now being a witness to the deliverance that the Lord has given you. What's the final small step here?

[Jonathan] (40:24 - 40:36) "Oh Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all Your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them."

[Rick] (40:37 - 41:01) Now it's, "You've performed all these deeds, not just for me, but for us." You see the growth pattern, the small steps. Folks, we need to start. We're in the mud.

Cry out. Let the Lord deliver us. It takes time to go through these small steps. Boy, are they important! "AIM SMALL (TO START!)" That's a good place to begin to build some momentum.

Julie, what's next?

[Julie] (41:02 - 41:06) "ADD ON TO AN EXISTING ROUTINE," 2 Peter 1:5-8:

[Jonathan] (41:06 - 41:35) "Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

[Julie] (41:35 - 41:44) Step by step, and before you know it, you've actually walked somewhere. Developing new positive habits helps us move further and further along, and then we can sing, too!

[Rick] (41:44 - 42:07) That's the point. You add to your faith, and then add to virtue, and add to knowledge. Add! You keep growing. The development of new habits to glorify God is a small step-by-small-step process, and you build upon as a foundation, and then the foundation gets stronger and bigger and bigger. You just keep on building! "ADDING ON TO AN EXISTING ROUTINE," then what? What comes next?

[Julie] (42:08 - 42:17) "BANISH THE ALL-OR-NOTHING MENTALITY" because remember, "anything," small step, "is better than nothing." Small step. Proverbs 24:16:

[Jonathan] (42:17 - 42:27) "For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity." In other words, get up, brush yourself off, and take a step forward.

[Rick] (42:28 - 42:50) This is such a powerful part of the development of a new habit, because we can say, "I'm going to do this, and that's it, and I'm never going back!" and then we fall. It's okay! It's okay to fall as long as we get up. Like you said, Jonathan, brush yourself off, look up, ask for forgiveness, and keep on moving forward. Just to fuel that process, we have 1 Corinthians 10:13:

[Jonathan] (42:51 - 43:09) "No temptation has overtaken you but such is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." We have to get rid of old habits. We have to rise up in Christ.

[Rick] (43:09 - 44:40) We absolutely do have to rise up in Christ. There's no question about rising up and moving forward. Again, it doesn't happen overnight. Christian growth is a process. It's slow, it's tedious, and it's not a straight line. But thank God, He's with us when we go through topsy-turvy, difficult twists and turns of our lives.

Let's go back to the experience that I had with this fellow Christian. If you remember in the last part of the experience, they had the revelation that, "Oh my goodness gracious, I have been wrong all this time!" This conversation happened a year ago.

We talked maybe two or three times throughout the whole entire year. But all this time, at this point of the conversation now they are very excited. I was trying to take notes because it was such an inspiring moment to hear. They were saying, "I was praying, and I was asking, and I was wanting, and I was trying, and I was reading scriptures, and I was studying, and I was focused on forgiving, and being forgiven, and seeing the errors of my own personal judgments. I just was working on it and working on it, and it didn't always go well, and sometimes I fell backward." They were talking about as fast as me. That's how intense they were, okay? But you could see that this was the response.

The response was genuine. "I want to fix this relationship so that I can ultimately honor my Heavenly Father." It was a driving, driving force in their lives. We'll get to the last piece in the next segment. Jonathan, Having Helpful Habits; where are we?

[Jonathan] (44:41 - 45:02) To walk in Jesus' footsteps is a big responsibility. While our natural imperfections can seem to be overwhelming, it is important to realize that our gracious God sees us through the eyes of our efforts and not our faults. When the actions we take to change our faulty habits are focused on glorifying God, we can be blessed even when we fall short.

[Rick] (45:03 - 45:36) It's a matter of the focus that we are giving our conscious minds to be able to deal with the subconscious things that are so firmly planted. That focus is God-blessed, as long as we are looking up in an appropriate scriptural way. There is blessing in that process.

Here, there are lots of steps, and lots to think about. We need to always remember that our habits are our life patterns, and they resist change.

[Jonathan] (45:38 - 45:45) Breaking old habits and making new ones is not easy! How many more steps are there? Is it worth all this effort?

[Rick] (45:46 - 46:40) There are more steps, and yes, it's easy to feel like this is too big. What we need to remember is that each and every habit we have developed through experience-dependent neuroplasticity was built by our subconscious mind, and has operated for who knows how long without any monitoring, and I might add without our permission. That being said, our motivating question needs to be—now this is an important motivating question—"How strongly do I want to glorify God in every part of my life? How strongly do I want to glorify God in every part of my life?" Answer that question and put those habits in a place where now it's like, "Okay, I know what I need to do!" We're going through these habit-setting steps.

Julie, what's the next one?

[Julie] (46:40 - 47:00) Here's a suggestion: "CREATE A PLAN THAT PLAYS TO YOUR STRENGTHS." The article goes on to recommend "building new habits around the format that works best for you." It gave an example that if you have a hard time concentrating on reading, try listening to an audio book. Create a plan that plays to your strengths. What might be a spiritual application of this?

[Rick] (47:00 - 47:59) We want to play to our strengths, but it has to be in terms of honoring God. Spiritual strengths are very, very important. Sometimes we don't know, "Wait, I'm new! I'm a new Christian. I don't have any spiritual strengths." Sure you do! You have your love for God, your love for Christ, the power of prayer, and your determination to walk in Jesus' footsteps. Those are where it all begins.

All true Christians are individuals and different from one another, and yet each of us is just as important to God as the other. God called us to work our strengths in His service. Before we read 1 Corinthians 12:20 and 24-26, I just want to put things in order just specifically. I should not try to be you, and you should not try to be me. What each of us needs to try is to be the best person that God called, the best "me" in His service. These scriptures in 1 Corinthians 12 help us to see that. Go ahead, Jonathan.

[Jonathan] (47:59 - 48:20) "But now there are many members, but one body. …But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it."

[Rick] (48:20 - 48:57) We are on equal footing because we're members of the same body. Understand the power of that, and it takes away the competition, and it puts us in a position where I can be an encouragement to you. Maybe, you know what, maybe I can't change the difficult things in your life, but I can pray for you.

I can text you a little note or a scripture. I can encourage others to encourage you. There are lots of little things that I can do, and the idea is to play to whatever the strengths are that God has given us.

That's important. Play to your strengths, especially in a spiritual way. Julie, what's the next habit-setting step?

[Julie] (48:57 - 49:44) I like this one: "CHANGE YOUR LANGUAGE. Metacognition is thinking about the way we think, including how we use language.

If the way you talk about exercise is, I hate it! It's hard! It hurts! then you're probably not going to crave that experience. Reframing it as something positive makes you feel powerful and happy (even if it's challenging) and it's going to help compel us to get moving." Here's an example from one of our CQ volunteers, Rebecca. She said instead of saying, "I HAVE to clean my house," say, "I GET to clean my house!" Be grateful that you have a house to clean. Instead of saying, "I HAVE to study for school," you GET to study for school because you GET to have an education. It's how you reframe. Change your language.

[Rick] (49:45 - 50:25) Changing our language becomes a very, very important part of this thing. Our words can truly reflect our hearts literally changing our language. Develop habits that grow from a pure heart. Now where does a pure heart come from? You know what?

We are impure to the core. The purity of our heart comes from the fact that God through Jesus sanctifies us. How does that happen?

It happens through God's spirit. God's spirit is a central moving force in this whole "honoring God with my new habits" thinking, with that in mind. Let's look at Ephesians 4:25-27 and 29:

[Jonathan] (50:25 - 50:55) "Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another. BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." Rick, this also applies to self-talk, doesn't it?

[Rick] (50:55 - 52:20) Yeah, and self-talk is a big thing. Self-talk is the conversation that we all have with ourselves.

Again, a lot of that is subconscious. I will tell you, I'm really good at self-talk, but I'm not necessarily good at good self-talk; just to put it out there, okay? We all have this conversation and it is important to recognize it and then try and put it into a better perspective. Sometimes we can't change what we're saying, but one of the suggestions that we all often give is, change the ending. You know, "I really, really am having a hard time with this. I don't think I can get it done." That's the self-talk. That's the natural self-talk.

You hear yourself say that. Now you've said it. Okay, now what do I do?

"Well, I don't think I can get it done. However, by God's grace and His providence and His strength, I know there's a way because He put it in front of me so I could try to honor Him." That's changing the ending.

You take what was and you make it something else. It's so important. As Christians, we want to have our hearts and minds opened so that God's influence in us can be guiding us instead of all of those nasty old habits. We have to make room for it by clearing space and listen to the spirit giving us that provocation, that direction, so that we can develop that self-talk. We have to do our part. God and His power and His holy spirit will do its part. We have to do our part. Julie, after "CHANGING YOUR LANGUAGE," what's next?

[Julie] (52:20 - 52:47) "VISUALIZE SUCCESS." The article says, "Studies show that whether you're thinking about running or actually running, similar neurons are firing in your brain--and creating those feelgood pathways with visualization can help motivate you to get up and actually lace up your shoes." We know that athletes visualize their race or their routine. They go through it in their mind before they physically do it. What does spiritual success look like, and how does visualizing help us?

[Rick] (52:47 - 53:27) This is important because, again, this is not about me. It's not about, "Whoa, look at me, I'm so successfu!" It is about, "What is success for a Christian?" It is humbly honoring and reverencing our heavenly Father through walking in Jesus' footsteps. That's success! It's not about, "Look at me!" It's about, "Look at God through Christ." That's how we visualize our success. Again, let God's spirit provoke you in that direction. There is no better visualization of spiritual success than focusing on Jesus and what he endured. Hebrews 12:1-3:

[Jonathan] (53:27 - 54:07) "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising (meaning making light of) the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." We fix our eyes on Jesus. He is our inspiration.

[Rick] (54:08 - 54:28) That's right. Why? So that we will "not grow weary" and we will "not lose heart." Our best inspiration is to look away from ourselves, to look to our Lord and humbly follow his steps. That's what true Christianity is all about. Alright, Julie, next habits step, what is it?

[Julie] (54:28 - 54:59) "SET UP THE RIGHT CUES IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT." The article says, "A 2018 review of research found that environmental pressures can be more powerful than simply willing yourself to achieve a goal. In other words, change your environment to change your habits. So if you want to create a new habit like, Be more mindful, instead of trying to achieve it with sheer willpower, create a tangible cue to link it to." I'm going to add, if you journal, you might put your journal book with your favorite pen right by your comfortable chair. Have it accessible.

[Rick] (54:59 - 55:31) That's important. See, for me, I don't journal, but what I do is I work a system of self-accountability. That system of self accountability--and I'm going to expose my old-fashionedness-- I use a big old-fashioned, handwritten appointment book and I've got all kinds of pieces of accountability written on these pages. So that ... because I look at that book every day, and I like writing the thing down, and then checking it off. I put things in there to remind me this is what's necessary. That's one of the cues for me.

[Jonathan] (55:32 - 55:48) Well, I put sticky notes as cues all over my computer monitor. My wife laughs at me with all my all these sayings and phrases or scriptures here and it helps me to regularly focus on the most important thing. My word for the year is be "purposeful" every day.

[Julie] (55:49 - 56:03) You're holding up a sticky note. "Be purposeful." I love that. I have also written ... I have a whiteboard and in addition to saying my daily goals out loud, my "things to do" list has to be written or else I forget and I get lazy.

[Rick] (56:03 - 56:57) Habits are easy. New habits, godly habits are challenging to develop. We need to really focus in on this.

Let's ask ourselves this "cue" question: "Does the role I play in my present mental, emotional, and physical environment honor God?" Does the role I play -- sometimes we can't control the things on the outside, but we can certainly control what comes from the inside out -- does the role I play in my present mental, emotional, and physical environment honor God? Let's go to Joshua 24:14-15. Now in the first segment, we read a scripture from Joshua. It was sort of God introducing Joshua, here's your responsibility to lead Israel. This is Joshua handing the responsibility to the people because he's done, he is old, and his life is going to be ending. Here's what he says to the people; Joshua 24:14-15:

[Jonathan] (56:57 - 57:33) "Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." We have a choice: worship either Egyptian gods, the gods of the Amorites, or the one true God, the God of Abraham. This is an easy choice. "We will serve the Lord."

[Rick] (57:33 - 58:34) It's an easy choice, but sometimes we have habits in the way that make that easy choice very difficult to accomplish, and we need to undo those to make room for the spiritual habits. Again, being prayerful, being humble, seeking help from others, putting things in order, and making sure that we are being driven by a spiritually-guided direction is so, so important. Another question we have to ask ourselves, "Do the mental, emotional, and physical environments I have allowed myself to be in, similar to before, support these spiritual cues?" Does the environment support the spiritual cues? Because sometimes we're in environments that can't be changed. But sometimes we're in environments that can be changed; we just may not want to change them because they're too comfortable. If it doesn't support the spiritual cues, maybe that's a "cue" to change your environment. Let's finish with Philippians 4:8-9. Julie, this is your scripture.

[Julie] (58:34 - 59:12) Yeah, these are "cues" for me: "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." If what I'm thinking about doesn't line up with one of these, I go back and I literally say this list out loud to force my thinking into a different direction. Get out of that habit rut and do something else or think some other way.

[Rick] (59:13 - 1:01:05) "Get thee behind me, Satan!" That's what it sounds like. You're putting first things first, and by saying things out loud and by making the conscious effort. Again, remember, when we make these conscious efforts we have to look forward to that thing which is so enticing, so wonderful, so positive that we get that dopamine rush, because that's what makes it work. Let me get back to my experience with this fellow Christian. Last Wednesday, we went through how they came to the realization and the "response." They worked hard and they worked on it for a year, up and down, praying, trying, failing, getting up, working harder, working harder, and so now here's what happens.

Here's the "reward." They were able to develop the beginnings of a new habit, learning to embrace true reality from a godly perspective instead of a glaring perspective. Let me say that again. Godly perspective versus a glaring perspective, because that's what the change was. It melted away the resentment and in its place is growing genuine love, and here's what they said to me: They said to me, "Rick, I spent time with this family member." I couldn't remember if it was earlier that day or the day before. They said, "Spent time, and you know what? It was the best day ever!" I'll tell you, I could hardly contain my emotions when I heard that expression, because it was an expression of the victory of working through God's spirit, working through God's will, through God's way, to honor God, to mend a relationship by realizing that the habit of thinking was incorrect. It was damaging. It was wrong.

Putting it away so you can have room for something new and beautiful, and again, something that honors God. Jonathan, Having Helpful Habits; let's wrap this up.

[Jonathan] (1:01:05 - 1:01:28) As we look into our individual habits as Christians, we are revealing those things that either glorify God or detract from Him. Let us look carefully into our own hearts and minds, and to the best of our ability find those things that are still built on our fallen earthly nature. Seeing these things gives us an opportunity to work at better honoring God.

[Rick] (1:01:28 - 1:02:13) We have the opportunity to better honor God. The question folks, is, am I taking that opportunity by identifying those things and working on them in a positive way, through God's grace, God's spirit, God's providence, God's word, God's way, to build habits that will honor God and bless those around us? Habits can be changed in a godly way.

Work on it. Think about it. Folks, we love hearing from our listeners.

We welcome your feedback and questions on this episode and other episodes at ChristianQuestions.com. Coming up in our next episode: "Do My Habits Glorify God?" Part 2.

Final Notes: copyright @2024 Christian Questions. In addition to this transcript, we provide comprehensive CQ Rewind Show Notes for every episode. They include every scripture quoted during the podcast, as well as graphics, illustrations and bonus material. Click the "CQ Rewind Show Notes" button near the audio player or sign up to receive these weekly at ChristianQuestions.com. This transcript was created using artificial intelligence. While we believe it to be accurate, we apologize for any errors that may exist.