To conquer your enemy, you must know him. By discovering the “cue” that ignites the habit, you place yourself in a position of power over the temptation. Ultimately, most bad habits are the result of boredom or fear. When you are nervous, you bite your fingernails; when you are bored, you open up your smartphone and disconnect from the world around you.
Oftentimes, when the phrase, “New Year, New You,” is mentioned, what comes to mind is “New Year resolution. Usually, when the curtain of any given year begins to draw to a close, not few people would be naturally obsessed with the kind of New Year’s resolutions that would be made at the beginning of the year. The reason for the foregoing cannot be farfetched as there is no denying the fact that everyone either has, at least, an unpleasant habit he or she has been struggling with, or has a target to be met during the year.
At the beginning of the year, people tend to make plans to become a newer (and better) version of themselves, but they seldom follow through with what they resolved not to do within the year. In fact, within six months into the year, most of them would give up on (or forget about) the New Year’s resolutions they determinedly made.
In fact there is nothing wistful about my life more than three decades ago while growing up in my home town, Omolua-Igbanke. Reflecting on my life and times as a youth in the village back in the days, I feel a strong sense of kinship with today’s youth. The laissez-faire society I lived in was much like what present-day youths in the state are living. Without any iota of embellishment, the moral crises I faced as a youth, and which God in His divine mercy helped me to deal with upon my migration to Lagos where I found Christ, are exactly the same crises contemporary youths, particularly those in the rural areas are still experiencing. The moral crises that stuck in the social life of virtually all the youths that grew up in any of the villages in Orhiomnwon local government area in the 70s and early 80s, and which the youths are still dealing with today cut across smoking, indiscriminate drinking of Palm-wine, womanizing and partying as well as searching for “Obitos” (funeral ceremonies) across villages that lie within the expansive local government area.
Without sounding as if I am holier-than-thou in this perspective, permit me to confess that if not that I gave my life to Christ and continued to ask Him to show me what he would have me to do, and in that order set out in His power to do it with all my heart that my life by now would have been in a sorry state today as it is said that “The Life without Christ is in crises.”
For the benefit of those who are planning to make New Year resolution, I am using this medium to advise them to make the resolution that would make them become more and more like Christ during the coming year.
Becoming like Christ is God’s will for every one of His children. The Bible says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Every day we are tempted to forget God and live for ourselves, but God’s will is for us to become more and more like His Son. And this happens as we stay close to Christ and allow His Spirit to change us and renew us from within. When we submit our hearts and lives to Christ.
To anyone that wants that intend making New Year resolution as 2022 beckons, it is expedient to let such person know that there is a scripture that says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13).”
Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to ask, “Do you ever find yourself giving into the same bad habit, time and time again; even after making a New Year Resolution?
Sometimes it feels as if, regardless of how hard you work, some habits just aren’t possible to abandon. They are as much a part of you as your hair color. They are built right into your DNA.
That is partially true. As fallen human beings, sin is a very real, very intimate, part of our lives. Since the first sin of Adam, followers of God have struggled to overcome the bad habits that consume us – and ultimately limit our ability to reach God’s full potential for our lives.
Fortunately, though, God has not left us alone. Despite our consistent denial of Him, He stands true to His promises. Moreover, He loves us, regardless of how frequently we may fail.
If you are eager to escape a bad habit and align your life more closely with God, try the following methods to overcome your bad habits.
To conquer your enemy, you must know him. By discovering the “cue” that ignites the habit, you place yourself in a position of power over the temptation. Ultimately, most bad habits are the result of boredom or fear. When you are nervous, you bite your fingernails; when you are bored, you open up your smartphone and disconnect from the world around you.
By understanding the triggers behind your habits, you can begin working on a strategy to overcome them (John 4:4).
Secondly, it expedient you place yourself in a supportive environment. The most effective way to overcome a bad habit is to take control of your environment. Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” When you’re surrounded by supportive people, making positive changes becomes much easier.
Find a healthy Christian community that allows you to open up honestly about life’s challenges. The prayer, accountability, and encouragement that others can give will help you remain disciplined in reaching your goal (Hebrews 10:25).
Remember that your environment is more than people. If a particular job, place, or situation enhances your desire to repeat the bad habit, find ways to flee from those places or events.
Thirdly, change the way you think about the habit. A bad habit is addictive because it provides us with a perceived value. As long as that perceived value remains in the forefront of your mind, overcoming the habit will be next to impossible.
However, once you begin to consider what you are giving up because of the habit, you will be more incentivized to change. While alleviating the stress of your job by getting wasted may sound appealing, if you focus rather on the impact this behavior will have on your family, drinking loses much of its value (Proverbs 23:7).
Bad habits separate us from God’s plan for our lives. With each bad habit we overcome, we take another step into the abundant, blessed life that God desires for us.
Fourthly, start with small changes. Going straight from couch potato to marathon runner does not work for most people.
Instead, big changes are made by taking small steps, one at a time. While running a marathon may sound impossible, going on a walk does not. Despite appearing insignificant, that walk can eventually lead you to a marathon.
If you repeatedly try and fail to change a bad habit, perhaps you are biting off too much. Rather than make a 180° flip, is there a way that you could make a gradual transition into a better routine? (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Replace the habit with something better. Ephesians 4:22-24 says that we are to, “put off your old self…” and to “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Just as Christ ultimately wants us to replace our old selves with a new self, one of the best ways to overcome a bad habit is to replace it with something better.
Overcoming a bad habit is never easy, but it is possible (1 John 5:4-5). Consider implementing a few of the activities above to help you win out over your next bad habit.
Finally, don’t be discouraged by failures. Get forgiveness from God by confessing any failure and dwell on God’s incredible love and grace (1 John 5:13; Ephesians 3:14-19). As long as you commit your will to Him, He will help you overcome (Proverbs 16:3).
Isaac Asabor
