Habits

 

Some of the friends that we have are our friends because of the habits we share.  We go to the same places and do the same things, enjoying this habit.

When God shows us that a habit is hurting us and keeping us from a closer relationship with him, we need to change that habit.  We need to stop doing it.  Sometimes, that is easier than we thought it would be.  And then our friends find out about the change we have made in our lives.

Unfortunately, they often aren’t happy about our change.  They enjoy our company doing those old things we decided to quit doing.  Unfortunately, they don’t care that that habit is hurting us.  Unfortunately, they don’t care that that habit is keeping us from a closer relationship with God.

The pressure is turned on by our supposed friends.  They tell us how wrong we are for making our decision.  They tell us how foolish we are in our decision.  They do everything they can think of to keep us in our old habit.

God knows how people are.  That is why he tells us we need to make a change in the people we hang out with whose lives are tied up with the habit we are quitting.  Jesus tells us,

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 KJV - Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

The “unclean thing” Jesus is talking about here is the habit he wants us to quit.

What it comes down to is we have choices to make in our life.  We can choose to listen to Jesus who truly loves us and cares about us, or we can choose to listen to the people we’ve run with that don’t really care about us.

When we make good choices, the pressure is on, but Jesus is with us to strengthen us and to help us get to a better place in our life. Jesus loves us.

Philippians 4:13 KJV - I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.