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Creatures Of Habit: Poison Vs. Promises 1-5-25
Creatures Of Habit: Poison Vs. Promises 1-5-25
INTRODUCTION
I want to welcome you to church today. I am so glad to be able to open up God’s Word together as we allow Him to teach us something new. You came to church on the perfect day because we are starting a brand-new sermon series called Creatures Of Habit. Many of us find ourselves in a bit of a rut from time to time. We repeatedly make the same decisions that offer us the same results. We are all creatures of habit. God designed us that way. However, it is important to evaluate the routines we have developed and ask whether they are making us the people God wants us to be. Throughout this series I will be talking a lot about habits and much of what I’ve learned comes from two different sources: James Clear’s book Atomic Habits and Charles Duhigg’s book The Power of Habit.
I believe that in the Bible, God offers us new ways of living, new habits, that can help us live healthier lives that honor God and honor others.
God has created each of us as amazingly complex beings who are able to accomplish extraordinary things. Author James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits, explains that inside of our brains there are two areas: the basal ganglia and the brain stem. These are the regions where habits and routines reside. These locations in the brain are closely connected to emotions, memories, and pattern recognition. However, decisions and choices are made in a completely different area of your brain called the prefrontal cortex. When the same decision is made over and over again, a groove in your brain develops and those decisions move from the prefrontal cortex move to your basal ganglia. The decision-making area of your brain shuts down and your brain goes into automatic mode.
This is why many of us brush our teeth in the morning and at night… hopefully. It’s why we crave ice cream after dinner. Why we hit the snooze button 14 times when it is time to wake up. Why we chew our fingernails when we get nervous.
These things are called habits. We don’t even think about them, they just happen.
Clear introduces the cyclical nature of our habits. It can be boiled down to every habit having a four-step process. There is a cue. Something begins the habit loop. You are hungry, bored, frustrated, sad, or tired. Someone insults you, or cuts you off in traffic. Someone shares some juicy gossip. The cue triggers a craving. That leads to a response. The response is our decision. We eat too much. We take part in the gossip. We binge watch Netflix. We self-soothe with a substance. This then results in a reward. We feel guilty. We feel too full. We put someone else down to lift ourselves up. The outcome helps us determine whether or not we make that decision again. The key to changing our habits and outcomes is changing our response. With God’s help, we can break the loop and start fresh. It all comes down to intentional living and the choices we make.
Charles Duhigg, in his book, The Power Of Habit, says:
“The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do.”
Many of us feel like the person we are right now is not the person we want to be. There is a sense that God wants more for our lives than we currently are experiencing. We have to recognize that our actions and habits originate in our minds.
I. A RENEWED MIND LEADS TO NEW HABITS
In the book of Romans, Paul is addressing the early church that was developing in one of the most hostile and difficult areas. These early Christians were living under Roman rule. They were called to live “set apart” as Christians and followers of God, making godly decisions by saying yes to the things they should say yes to and no to the things they should say no to.
Sound familiar?
So, in Chapter 12 Paul is addressing our patterns of living. The choices that we are making.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2 NIV
A. Patterns/habits
Paul mentions something key in this verse. He talks about patterns or habits. If we are going to live lives set apart for Christ, then we have to develop patterns and habits that are different from the world. In order to do this, we have to renew our minds. We must think differently. When we do this, Paul says that we will be able to test and approve what God’s will is for our lives. We must develop a sober mind that knows and believes what is true so that we won’t act upon information that is misleading or false.
B. Information vs. Disinformation
It’s really tough these days to discern what is true and what is false. Many of us have developed a pattern of listening to worldly voices. These voices shape the way we think about ourselves. They shape the way we spend our time. They shape the things we value. They often shape the bad habits that we get stuck in. Our minds are infiltrated and our lives follow suit. These lies are like a poison to our soul and we must stop taking them in.
Years ago, when the western U.S. was being settled, roads were often just wagon tracks. After hundreds of wagons passed the same way, these tracks became deep ruts and grooves in the earth. These rough trails posed serious problems for those who journeyed on them. On one of these winding paths was posted a sign which read: "Avoid this rut or you'll be in it for the next 25 miles!”
Some of us this morning are stuck in a rut. A pattern and habit because of something that someone said to you years ago. “You are a failure.” “You are unlovable.” “You won’t amount to anything.” “God doesn’t love you.”
Whether it was handed to us from friends and family or from the culture around us, we run the risk of never hearing the truth: “You are loved by God.” “You are HIS child.” “It wasn’t your fault”. We may need to renew our minds by replacing the old voices and old information with new ones.
II. THE BIBLE IS THE SOURCE OF TRUTH
A. The truth of God
The way to combat a habit of believing lies is embracing a habit of trusting truth. As people of God we believe that the Bible is the source of all truth and authority for our lives -it is the living Word of God. The Psalmist writes about this in Psalm 19.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 19:7-14 NIV
B. The promises of God
Listen to the words that the writer uses to describe the promises of God. They are refreshing for the soul. They are trustworthy. They bring joy to the heart. They are as precious as gold. They are sweeter than honey. Why does the writer make these claims? I think it is because he has made a habit of reading the scriptures, meditating on God’s Word, and hiding those truths inside of His heart.
C. We need to disrupt the loop of lies.
We need to have some kind of disruption to change our responses to the triggers of life.
(Have a balloon and pin on stage with you. Be prepared to blow the balloon up multiple times before popping it.) We can get so used to the negative input that it just becomes a rut, a routine for us. We start believing what is said to us. (blow up) We start to embrace harmful thoughts. (blow up) We begin to embody falsehood. (blow up) What we believe impacts how we live, and how we live impacts who we become. We need a disruption. (POP) Something to wake us up to what is true.
Whenever we sense that we are taking in negative thoughts, degrading words, or poisonous judgements, we can turn to the Bible and be reminded of promises like these…
When we come to Jesus, we find rest – Matthew 11:28-29
God will strengthen us when we are weak – Isaiah 40:31
God has a plan for our lives – Jeremiah 29:11
God will forgive us when we confess our sins – 1 John 1:9
These are just a few of the mind-renewing truths that are found in the Bible. They can keep us from falling victim to the lies of this world.
III. READING THE BIBLE IS A LIFE CHANGING HABIT
As creatures of habit, we can develop new routines that will change the way we think about ourselves and how we live day to day. Carving out a regular time in the mornings or evenings to read the Bible may be the perfect way to begin to fill your mind with God’s promises.
A. Bible reading changes the way we think.
Again, the Psalms are helpful for us to cultivate this new habit in our lives.
“Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
Psalm 119:97-105 NIV
B. Regular Bible reading leads to life change.
It is a love for God’s Word that causes us to consume it every day. The writer says that he meditates on it day and night. This word meditate is the Hebrew word – sichah (see-khaw). It means a deep reflection or musing about something. To meditate on God’s word is to fully immerse yourself in the text. And the more that we read the Bible, the Bible also reads us. It shows us things about ourselves that we would not otherwise see. The spiritual discipline of reading the scriptures develops within us a faithful heart and sound mind. What we repeat in times of ease will be recalled in times of trial.
When I really started to take my faith seriously in high school, I had given my life to Christ. I had started preaching. I was involved with a very active youth ministry. I joined the Bible Bowl team. I wanted a God-sized vision for my life and to believe what He said about me. In order to do that I needed a reminder. A daily disruption. I found what I needed in Proverbs.
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
Proverbs 16:3 NIV
CONCLUSION
Creating a habit of meditating on God’s Word takes intentionality. It does not happen by chance. Consider some ways to make a daily practice of scripture memory, reading, and studying.
- Study a book that is easy to handle. Consider beginning in the Gospels and reading daily the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
- With 31 chapters of Proverbs and 150 Psalms, it is easy to cover both books when reading daily over a month’s time.
- Choose a passage a week to commit to memory by writing/printing it out and placing it in prominent places throughout your day.
- Subscribe to a daily text or email service to receive a daily devotion or scripture.
How you go about incorporating more time reading the Bible is less important than making sure you are committed to reading or listening to scripture on a regular basis. This week, what are the poisonous thoughts that you need to replace with the promises of God? Choose one way to make it a reality today.
INVITATION
It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word. You may want to follow Jesus. You may want to proclaim your faith. You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church. If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now. If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.
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