Habits

5/12/2020

2 Peter 1:8 “For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful.”

Habits are interesting things: they can be positive or negative, and sometimes even neutral. Regular exercise is a positive habit, and smoking is a negative one. These are only two examples, of course; I could fill many pages with examples of good and bad habits. Often times a habit, especially a positive one, is consciously practiced until a behavior is formed and permanent. If this action does not take place, for some reason we feel its absence, and often times do not feel quite right until we are able get into the habit again.

What are spiritual habits, though? How do they help us or hurt us on our journey? Chambers is asking us to consider our spiritual habits today. Are we working hard to pray and spend time in God’s word? If so, does this give us a sense of extreme piety or spiritual superiority? Are our spiritual habits ridged, making us inflexible? Are we so deep into the doing, with the act so ingrained in our routines, we long for that connection when missed? Chambers says, “The right thing to do with habits is to lose them in the life of the Lord, until every habit is so practiced that there is no conscious habit at all.” He also advises not to let the habit become your focus, but to have it come from the guidance of God and strengthen your relationship with Him. After all, that is the ultimate goal. Be ready to spend time with God at any point of the day for you never know when He might call you into study or prayer.

What about love? Is it a habit? No, for if it is genuine, there is no habit visible; it happens without a conscious thought. That is the way the Author of Love intended it to be. Love and living a Spirit-filled life happen without thinking, and they become a way of being. Walking with God and doing His will becomes automatic because we are guided by the Holy Spirit. We are compelled to act, not out of practice or habit, but by our connection with the Savior.

If we are struggling in any area, Chambers advises us to, “Let God press through in that particular circumstance until you gain Him, and life becomes the simple life of a child.”