The second thing Mrs Meyer emphasizes is that, where we place our focus, can either help us or hurt us. If we focus on trying to get rid of our bad habits, and we all have them, then all our attention will be on that bad habit. As a result, we will actually end up doing that bad habit more, instead of letting it go, since whatever we focus on we magnify, or make bigger, so that it has more influence over us. So instead, she wisely says we must focus on creating good habits, so that there is no room for the bad habits. Good habits have the power to defeat the bad ones, she says. She gives a quick example we can all relate to: when we are focused on dieting and what we cannot eat, all we end up thinking about is food all day long! So instead, we should use our time to build healthy habits, like being active by taking walks or signing up for a dance class. It’s like Romans 12:21 which says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
This also takes me back to one of my favorite verses in the Gospel of John. John the Baptist is talking about how Jesus and His message must become greater, and he, John, must become less important. (see Jn 3:30) Yet this is how we mature also, and how we get rid of bad habits. We begin to act more like Jesus, Who only had good habits btw, because they all revolved around God’s Love. Then we will automatically act less like our old, sinful Jezebel we used to be, who had more bad habits than good, because they were all centered on MMI. The good will crowd out the bad, until the good is all we’ve got…well, that’s the goal anyway.
This side of Heaven what we should be praying for is that we are better today than we were yesterday, but not quite as holy as we will be tomorrow. It’s a process, and since we are children, we will always need to improve our attitudes and actions. And sadly since sin is not dead, though in Christ WE are dead to sin, (see Ro 6:2) if we are not paying attention to where our minds are wandering, we can fall into sin once again, powered by those old sinful habits. Once more, a habit is something we do without thinking about it…see now why it is so important to think about what we are thinking about?
2023’s Got A Minute? Book Club
January: The First & Best Book Ever: The Bible
February: Love Is In the Air: “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” by Gary Chapman
March: Spring Growth: “Secrets of the Vine” by Bruce Wilkinson
April: Living the Resurrected Life: “The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life” by Dr Charles Stanley
May: My Spiritual Mom: “Making Good Habits Breaking Bad Habits” by Joyce Meyer
<>< Peace, Diane
