How To Break A Bad Habit

Heb. 12:1-2  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 

{2} Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

How to Break a Bad Habit

Today I’m going to bring you a message on How to Break a Bad Habit.

A habit is something that we do repetitiously with little or no thought about deciding to do it.

You can have good habits...  Such as

*Reading your Bible

*Praying

*Coming to Church

*Saying, “Thank you.”

*Brushing your teeth

*Using deodorant!

However, it seems all too often, we not only fail to establish good habits, but instead, we acquire bad habits.

Bad habits may include, (but are not limited to), things like

*Cussing

*Smoking

*Drinking

*Lust

*Losing your temper

*Eating too much junk food

You have probably heard phrases like eating habits, hygiene habits, exercise habits, sleep habits... 

These can go either way.  You can have good eating habits, hygiene habits, exercise habits, sleep habits...  

Or you can have poor eating habits, hygiene habits, exercise habits, sleep habits...

Or some of them can be poor, while others are good.

But what kind of habits you have, is up to you.  Your habits are a result of your actions...

And your actions, are a result of how you think.  Dr. Ruckman used to lay it out for us like this

Sow a thought, reap an action;

Sow an action, reap a habit;

Sow a habit, reap a character;

Sow a character, reap a destiny.

(REPEAT & Explain)

Looking at the process in reverse, it goes like this

Your destiny is determined by your character.

Your character is determined by your habits.

Your habits are determined by your actions.

Your actions are determined by your thoughts.

And somewhere in between your thoughts & actions are the choices that you make.

Now, we all have habits in our lives, for better or worse.  And sometimes we have habits that are just annoying!

But when you fail to establish good habits in your life, bad habits are waiting in the wings, ready to take over like the weeds of life that they are.

Still by way of introduction, let me make an important point, which will not be one of our message points proper...

But, if you hope to break a bad habit, one of the most important things that you must do is identify it as a bad habit.

If you don’t think it is a bad habit, you won’t see a need to break it.

Many people live on day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year, indulging in bad habits that are taking a great toll on their body, soul & spirit.

They do nothing to break the habit, because they see nothing wrong with it.  And if anyone says differently, they answer with a well thought out excuse, that deep down they probably don’t even believe themselves.

Still they shut down the voices of others with these excuses, as well as the voice of their own conscience.

Other folks are more honest about their bad habits, even if they haven’t been able to find the wherewithal to break them.

Whichever your case may be, it will be beneficial if you can take a moment and identify some of your bad habits.  

So let’s pause for just a moment...  Close your eyes...  And just think about some of your bad habits...  

Ok, now...  How would you like to break those bad habits and change your life?!

A bad habit is a weight that needs to be laid aside in your Christian life...➔

Heb. 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 

A besetting sin is a sinful habit which you commit repetitively & habitually.

The Lord tells us that we are to➔ let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us...

In laying them aside, we can more easily & productively run the Christian race that the Lord has set before us.

So now I am going to give you several ways that a bad habit can be broken.  These ways are tried & tested & true.  

Even so, you might find that you can’t get one to work for you right now.  If not, that’s OK...  File it away for later, and listen for one that will work for you now.

And I guarantee that in the course of this message, there will be at least one way that will work for you...  And really, several, I think.

Some of these will build on each other, and you can combine them...

So the first thing you can do to break a bad habit is...

1. Just Quit It!

A good number of years ago, a pastor friend introduced me and some others to a Bob Newhart comedy sketch where a lady came to see him for counseling.  The sketch was humorous and instructive.  While she wanted a full-blown therapy session searching the whys and the wherefores of the fear she wanted help with, he simply offers her two words of advice.

His advice...  Stop it!

It’s about a 6 minute sketch, and you can find it on YouTube.  Just do a Google search of Bob Newhart Stop It, and it should be your first result.  I think it’s worth watching.

That is essentially the first way I’m telling you that you can break a bad habit  Stop it...  Just quit it...  

Look in our text again Heb. 12:1.  It says➔ lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us... 

You know, sin is a weight that will weigh you down…  Not only that, sinning is a bad habit!  

So, lay that besetting sin aside, let go of your bad habits & quit them!  

Is. 1:16  Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

II Tim. 2:19 says➔ And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

I Cor.9:27  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subject-tion: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Sometimes breaking a bad habit is not as complicated & difficult as we make it...  Just quit it!

II Cor. 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Her mind was corrupted from simply believing & obeying God!

All right, point #2 is something that might assist you with point #1, or something you can just consider by itself, if you find point #1 too daunting...

2. Make Not Provision For the FleshThis thought comes from Rom. ch. 13, v. 14➔

Rom. 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Provision is something you provide...

One definition of the word says

The provision of something is the act of… making it available…

In the case of your sin & bad habits, making provision is you pro-viding the things that allow you to indulge your bad habit.  Many bad habits require certain paraphernalia in order to indulge in them.

For example, if you’re going to smoke, you have to have something to smoke.  You can’t smoke cigarettes if you don’t have any cigarettes.

Thus, a great way to quit smoking, is don’t buy, bum, beg, borrow, or steal any cigarettes...

If you don’t provide any cigarettes, then your flesh can’t smoke them!  Even if it wants to!!! 

If you don’t have liquor, and you don’t go to places where you can drink it, then you can’t drink... Because you have not made➔ provi-sion for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

You cannot commit a particular sin if you don’t have access to it.  

So if you do have it in your home...  Get rid of it!

And if you don’t have it in your home - Don’t get any!

I’ve had to do this from time to time with Cheez-Its...

I would put myself on a self-imposed moratorium on Cheez-Its… To ensure success in the endeavor, I simply made sure not to buy any.  

And then at night, when I wanted to eat them, I couldn’t because there weren’t any! 

I have since come up with another discipline in the matter…  For the last 2 or 3 years I have limited myself to a maximum of one 12 oz. box a month.Now along with not providing for your weights & besetting sins to be available to you...  Stay away from the places where you could get them, or where you could indulge in them.➔ 

Prov. 4:14-15  Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. 

{15} Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

This is exactly the opposite of what the “young man void of under-standing” did in ch. 7 regarding the strange woman…  

In Prov. 7, v. 8 he was observed➔

Passing through the street near her corner…  And then he wound up going➔ the way to her house…

And that was it…  He fell right into the trap.  What he should have done was entered➔ not into the path of the wicked, and (gone) not in the way of evil men.

He should have avoided➔ it, (passed) not by it, (turned) from it, and (passed) away.

Instead he would live to lament his excursion into sin.

And when time & again you fall prey to your bad habits, be they sins or other weights, you likewise lament your failures.

All right, when I give you this next point it almost sounds like compromise…  And had I not discovered the precedent for it in the Scriptures I myself might think it compromise... But here goes

3. If You Can’t Quit Cold Turkey Wean Yourself Off Gradually

I think the quicker you quit something, the better - So quitting cold turkey is the best option when you can do it...  

But if you find yourself unable to quit cold turkey, many people have had success weaning themselves off of their bad habits gradually.

And by gradually, I don’t mean over a real long period of time!

But the Lord beckons us to grow, and growth takes place over time...  So you might need to allow yourself a bit of time to grow into getting that victory.

In Acts 15 the apostles & elders are consulting about the teaching that was going around with some of the Jews telling the Gentiles that they can’t be saved unless they get circumcised.

The apostles & elders swiftly gave their conclusion of the matter in vs. 10-11➔

Acts 15:10-11  Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 

{11} But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Then they prepared letters to send to the Gentile converts in different regions.➔

Acts 15:23  And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:

And here is what the letters said.➔

Acts 15:28-29  For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 

{29} That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

Certainly they had more issues than this...  But that’s all the Lord laid on them at that point.  After they got that down, the Lord would no doubt reveal other things for them to work on.

When it comes to weaning yourself off your bad habit, what you do is decrease the amount & frequency of doing it until you quit...

Now, let me be clear - there are some things where this is a totally unacceptable solution.  If your bad habit is murder, or beating some-one up - Stop it now!

But if you can’t, for example, quit smoking cold turkey, you might be able to decrease it, and decrease it until you quit...

Illustrations

*John Bern – cigarette money

*Ron & Debbie

Now again, this isn’t the first recommended way, because something bad can happen on the way to quitting...  But if you have not been able to make progress any other way, then try weaning yourself.

Ok, we’re talking about how you can break a bad habit, which sometimes runs parallel with getting sin out of your life… #4

4. Recognize That You Can Get Victory Over It

Some folks think they can’t get the victory, but according to the word of God, you can get the victory!➔

Phil. 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Sometimes, even in prayer, I say I can’t…  And it seems invariably, I no sooner say it, then Phil. 4:13 comes into my mind rebutting my whining & crushing my excuses saying➔  

I can do all things through Christ which stregtheneth me.

The fact of the matter is, through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ you can break that bad habit.

And if you are saved, that power works in you…

If to this point you haven’t gotten victory yet, that does not mean that you can’t do it...  Because the Bible clearly tells you that you can do it through Christ!

And➔ ...greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

And if you are not saved, you can get saved, so victory is available to you as well. 

5. Memorize a Verse That Deals With Your Bad Habit

In the whole armour of God, the word of God is➔ the sword of the Spirit.  This is how we defeat the foes that would take us down in the Christian life.

Remember, that’s how Jesus did it when He was tempted.

The devil tempted Jesus in 3 points, and each time Jesus countered by quoting a pertinent Scripture from memory, and overcame each temptation. 

1.) Matthew 4:3-4  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 

{4} But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

2.) Matthew 4:5-7  Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 

{6} And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

{7} Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

3.) Matthew 4:8-10  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 

{9} And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 

{10} Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

If you have a bad habit that needs breaking, God has a verse that deals with it.  If you can’t find one, see your pastor, or send us an email…  

We’ll be glad to help you find one...

For now, here are some examples for certain bad habits... 

*Cussing➔ Eph. 4:29  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

*Bad thoughts➔  II Cor. 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

*Losing Your Temper➔  Prov. 16:32  He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

*Smoking & Other Indulgences of the Flesh➔ I Cor. 6:19-20  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 

{20} For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

*Drinking➔  Prov. 20:1  Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

*Oversleeping➔  Prov. 20:13  Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

*Lust➔  Job 31:1  I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?

Again...  You got a bad habit, God’s got a verse to combat it!  Yea, several verses.  I could give you more verses for each of the bad habits we just went through.

All right next, another thing you can do to try and break a bad habit.

6. Fast for Victory Over Your Bad Habit

Jesus said there are certain things that can only be accomplished that way.➔ Matt. 17:21  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Is. 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

Turn with me to Isaiah 1, as we prepare for the next point...

7. Stay Busy Doing Good Things

Is. 1:16-17   Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
 {17} Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.Staying busy doing the right things as in v. 17 will help you cease to do evil as you are charged to do in v. 16.

Bad habits like to come in and fill the void, when there is a lull in activity.

You take David... It was the time that kings go out to battle, but David decided to stay home...  And in the void that was left by not doing what he should have been doing temptation & sin came flooding in.

Do you know what one of the big downfalls of Sodom was?➔ 

Ezk. 16:49  Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 

Strengthening the hand of the poor & needy could have kept those in Sodom busy enough so they would not have had a big void of idleness to fill with their sinful habits.

So instead of making provision for your flesh, provide non-sinful, spiritually healthy alternatives to fill your time... 

In other words, indulge sufficiently in the good, wholesome pleasures of God, and you will not feel a need for the unclean pleasures of sin...

Next...

8. Be Instant In Prayer

Rom. 12:12  Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Nehemiah is famous for his instant prayer as he stood before the king just before he made request to go rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

When your bad habit starts to rear its ugly head Be instant in prayer!

Wherever you’re at, whatever you’re doing, you can go to the Lord in prayer right there, even if you can’t pray out loud...  And even if you can’t get down on your knees at the moment.

Just like Peter when he was going down in the tempestuous waters...

Before going down to his destruction he cried➔ Lord, save me.

And the Lord did!

But at a later date, when Peter was upset, & was confronted with being a disciple, instead of being instant in prayer, he denied Christ 3 times.

When your bad habit is threatening to emerge - Be instant in prayer!

Pray for that way of escape that God promises you in I Cor. 10:13…

And then look around till you find it!

I Cor. 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.Again, we’re talking about how to break a bad habit...  And if you are having trouble breaking that bad habit, or getting that sin out of your life, maybe what you need to do is...

9. Decide to Quit

Some people never break their bad & sinful habits because they never really make the decision to do so.

Maybe they’ve casually thought about it...  but that’s as far as they ever got...

Or maybe they seriously thought about it...  But instead of making a decision of heart, & determination of mind, they waffled and went on.

Dan. 1:8  But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank...

When you get serious about getting the victory, God will get serious about giving you the victory.

Jer. 29:13-14  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 

{14} And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

Now go to Jer. ch. 5 for our next point...

10. Recognize the Damage Your Bad Habits Are Doing

The truth is, your bad habits are hurting you and costing you bless-ings...  And your bad habits are hurting your loved ones, and those around you.  

A realization of what your besetting sins are costing you can go long way toward helping you to quit them.➔ 

Jer. 5:25  Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

It’s time you fell out of love with your sinful habits... 

Ask God to let you see your sinful habits like He sees them.  

God sees our sins as exceeding sinful… Which is how sin is described in Rom. 7:13.

Once you realize the damage that your sins & bad habits are doing in your life, you will find that they neither look nor taste as appealing as it once did.

You need to fall in love with your Saviour, and out of love with your sin. 

Ps. 97:10 says➔ Ye that love the LORD, hate evil...

Rom. 12:9 says➔ ...Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Let’s go back to our original text and finish where we started.➔ 

Heb. 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

The punctuation separating Heb. 12:1 from Heb. 12:2 is a comma...

And the first words in v. 2 are➔  Looking unto Jesus..If you want to break your bad habit & get your besetting sin out of your life...

11. Look to Jesus

Looking unto Jesus is what helps you to➔ lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (you)...

*Would you really indulge in any of your sins & bad habits if you 

  were looking at Jesus?  I mean if you were looking right at Him?!

*And would you really indulge in any of your sins & bad habits if 

  Jesus was looking right at you?!

It was mutual look between Jesus & Peter that broke Peter of his bad habit of denying Jesus! 

After Peter denied Jesus the 3rd time, Jesus turned and looked upon Peter... and their eyes met... And after they did, Peter was cut to the heart... and went out and wept bitterly.

*Nothing like a good look at Jesus, with Him staring right into your 

  soul, to fix any bad habit you’ve got!

Now if you don’t know the Lord, the first thing you need to do is to look to Jesus for salvation...

And you will find that getting saved...  A genuine conversion...  Will help you to break some key bad habits right away, just like they did for those Gentiles in Acts 15...

So how ‘bout breaking some bad habits and changing your life for the better?!

We’ve covered several ways to approach this...  Surely you can find at least one that will work for you.

1. Just Quit It!

2. Make Not Provision For the Flesh

3. If You Can’t Quit Cold Turkey Wean Yourself Off Gradually

5. Memorize a Verse That Deals With Your Bad Habit

6. Fast For Victory Over Your Bad Habit

7. Stay Busy Doing Good Things

8. Be Instant In Prayer

9. Decide to Quit 

10. Recognize the Damage Your Bad Habits Are Doing

11. Look to Jesus