A great many articles, books, and many other materials have been written about the subject of ridding ourselves of habits and behaviours that we do not want. But while many of these appear helpful and quite insightful in the task of personal renewal, none of them compares to the wisdom offered to us in the Bible.
Biblical Ways To Get Free
The Bible is God's own letter written for all mankind, and it contains all the instruction that we need to live the life that He wants us all to live. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we are told,
"All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (MEV)
The Word of God is meant to make us "complete" and "thoroughly equipped for every good work." It is able to instruct us how to live the holy life that pleases God. It also helps us prepare ourselves for "every good work" and avoid things we shouldn't do or have room for – unwanted habits and behaviours.
Do you want to get rid of your unwanted habits or behaviours? Are you struggling to rid yourself of wrong habits, attitudes and behaviours that only get you in trouble? Here's what you should do:
"But He gives more grace. For this reason it says: 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:6-7)
3 Steps To Get Rid Of Unwanted Habits And Behaviours
1. Be Humble
First, don't go off bragging that you can overcome you bad habits and behaviours using just your own strength. If you could, then you won't be struggling to be free in the first place, right?
What you should do is to humbly admit to God that you need His help in breaking free. 1 John 1:8 tells us, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
2. Submit To God
After humbling ourselves down, the next thing that we need to do is submit ourselves to God. To submit to God means to bow down to His authority over us. This implies obeying His Word and pursuing His pursuits for us. It also means admitting our faults to Him and asking for His forgiveness and help.
1 John 1:9 tells us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
3. Resist The Devil
Lastly, after humbling ourselves before God and asking for His help, it's time to resist the devil. The truth is that if we are in Christ, Satan no longer has any hold on us, and we can resist the devil's urges better.
Romans 8:12 tells us, "Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do." Whenever temptation, condemnation, or any other demonic attack or influence comes, resist it by the grace of God, and it will flee.
1, 2, 3, Repeat
Friends, just keep repeating these three steps until the bad habits and behaviours disappear. It takes time to unlearn habits and establish new ones, but it can be done in Jesus' name.
