Grow Spiritually: Replace Old Habits With New

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Life's Healing Choices   Grow Spiritually: Replace Old Habits With New By Rick Warren — Jun 26, 2015 “Practice these things. Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress.” (1 Timothy 4:15 GW) While you were given a brand new nature at the moment of conversion, you still have old habits, patterns, and practices that need to be removed and replaced. Let go of the fears that keep you from growing.The truth will set us free, but it often makes us miserable first. The fear of what we might discover if we honestly faced our character defects keeps us living in the prison of denial. Only as God is allowed to shine the light of his truth on our faults, failures, and hang-ups can we begin to work on them. This is why you cannot grow without a humble, teachable attitude. Stop basing your identity around your “defects.” We say, “It’s just like me to be …” and “It’s just the way I am.” The unconscious worry is that if I let go of my habit, my hurt, or my hang-up, who will I be? This fear can definitely slow down your growth. As I wrote yesterday, good habits take time to develop. Remember that your character is the sum total of your habits. You can’t claim to have integrity unless it is your habit to always be honest. A husband who is faithful to his wife most of the time is not faithful at all! Your habits define your character. Remember: You have to practice every day the habits that will make you more like Christ. “Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15b GW). Talk It Over What bad habit have you let define you? How can you humble yourself and show God that you are ready to face your hang-ups?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoxopsRSfdU What do you need to change about your life — your schedule, who you hang out with, how you spend your free time, etc. — so that you can work every day to develop better habits? Today’s Scripture “And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then opening their treasure bags, they presented to Him gifts...” (Matthew 2:11, AMP) SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS Giving is Worship When the wise men first saw Jesus, they were completely overwhelmed. They fell to their knees and wanted to worship Him with everything they had. Giving was an automatic response. They wanted to lavish Him with their love and gifts. They were giving because they were thankful and wanted to honor Him. When you give to God, He doesn’t want you to do it just because it’s offering time or because you feel like you have to. In fact, the Bible says, “Do not give grudgingly or under compulsion.” God wants you to give because your heart is overflowing with thankfulness. He wants you to be happy and cheerful when you give. He loves a cheerful giver! Meditate on the faithfulness of God today. Think about what He’s done for you—that He’s saved and redeemed You. Dwell on the fact that He is your provider. As you meditate on His goodness, your heart will overflow with thankfulness, and just like the wise men, giving will be an automatic response! A Prayer for Today “Father, I choose to meditate on Your goodness today. Thank You for loving and saving me. Thank You for redeeming my life from the pit. I give You everything that I am today in Jesus’ name. Amen.”