Transforming Habits: A Journey of Spiritual Growth

 

Summary

In today's reflection, we explored the profound impact of habits on our lives and how they shape our spiritual journey. We began by acknowledging that life change is fundamentally about habit change. We are all creatures of habit, often struggling with negative patterns that hinder our growth. The key insight is that instead of trying to break bad habits, we should focus on replacing them with positive ones. Habits are a gift from God, designed to extend our capabilities and offload our behaviors. They follow a loop: a cue, a response, and a reward. This loop is deeply ingrained in our brains, making habits difficult to extinguish but also providing an opportunity for transformation.

Research shows that habits never truly disappear; they are encoded in our brain's structure. This is why relapses are common, as old habits can resurface when triggered by familiar cues and rewards. The challenge is to replace these automatic responses with ones that align with the kingdom of Jesus. This requires a profound inward turning of repentance and faith, coupled with the intentional replacement of habits. By doing so, we can build our lives on the solid foundation of Christ's teachings.

To change a habit, we must first become aware of the cues and rewards associated with it. By identifying alternative behaviors that provide the same reward, we can gradually replace the old habit. This process involves inviting God into our journey, allowing His presence to transform our habits into expressions of love for Him and others. As we cultivate new habits, we become more aligned with God's will, experiencing His comfort and guidance in our daily lives.

Key Takeaways:

1. Habits as Gifts from God: Habits are designed by God to extend our capabilities and simplify our lives. They follow a loop of cue, response, and reward, which can be harnessed for spiritual growth. By understanding this loop, we can replace negative habits with positive ones that align with God's kingdom. [02:18]

2. The Persistence of Habits: Habits are deeply ingrained in our brains and never truly disappear. This persistence can be both a challenge and an opportunity for transformation. By recognizing the cues and rewards associated with our habits, we can intentionally replace them with behaviors that reflect Christ's teachings. [04:27]

3. Replacing, Not Resisting: The key to overcoming bad habits is not to resist them but to replace them with positive alternatives. This involves identifying the cues and rewards of the habit and finding new responses that align with our spiritual goals. By doing so, we invite God into our journey and experience His transformative power. [07:41]

4. Awareness and Transformation: Awareness training is crucial in habit change. By observing when and why we engage in certain habits, we can identify alternative behaviors that provide the same reward. This process allows us to invite God into our transformation, turning habits into expressions of love and devotion. [09:04]

5. Inviting God into Habit Change: As we work to replace negative habits, we must invite God into the process. By doing so, we align our habits with His will, experiencing His comfort and guidance. This transformation allows us to love God and others at the level of our habits, reflecting His kingdom in our daily lives. [11:46]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:38] - The Fellowship of Bad Habits
- [01:07] - Paying Attention
- [01:50] - The Surprising Word
- [02:18] - Habits as a Gift
- [02:44] - The Habit Loop
- [03:26] - Brain Activity and Habits
- [04:27] - Persistence of Habits
- [05:12] - The Cinnabon Example
- [06:08] - Patterns of Wrongdoing
- [07:41] - Replacing Habits
- [08:24] - Awareness Training
- [09:47] - Alternative Behaviors
- [10:19] - Inviting God into Habits
- [11:46] - Love as a Habit

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

1. Romans 12:2 (NIV) - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
2. Psalm 23:4 (NIV) - "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

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Observation Questions:

1. According to the sermon, what is the "habit loop" and how does it function in our daily lives? [02:44]
2. What example did the pastor use to illustrate the persistence of habits, and how do these habits resurface? [04:27]
3. How did the pastor describe the role of God in transforming our habits? [10:19]
4. What was the pastor's personal example of a habit he struggled with, and how did he work to change it? [08:24]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does Romans 12:2 relate to the idea of replacing bad habits with those that align with God's will?
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that habits can be both a challenge and an opportunity for spiritual growth? [04:27]
3. How might Psalm 23:4 provide comfort and guidance in the process of habit transformation?
4. What does the pastor mean by inviting God into the process of habit change, and how does this impact the effectiveness of the transformation? [11:46]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a habit in your life that you would like to change. What are the cues and rewards associated with this habit, and what alternative behavior could you try to replace it with? [08:24]
2. How can you incorporate the practice of inviting God into your habit change process, as suggested in the sermon? What specific prayer or scripture might you use? [10:19]
3. Think of a time when an old habit resurfaced. What were the triggers, and how can you prepare to respond differently in the future? [05:51]
4. Identify a habit that aligns with God's kingdom that you would like to cultivate. What steps can you take this week to begin forming this habit?
5. How can you use the concept of the "habit loop" to help someone else in your life who is struggling with a negative habit? What advice would you give them based on the sermon? [02:44]
6. Consider the role of community in habit change. How can your small group support each other in the process of replacing negative habits with positive ones?
7. Reflect on the idea that love can be a habit. What is one practical way you can express love as a habitual action in your daily life? [11:46]

Devotional

Day 1: Habits as Divine Tools for Growth
Habits are not merely routines; they are divine tools designed by God to extend our capabilities and simplify our lives. They operate through a loop of cue, response, and reward, which can be harnessed for spiritual growth. By understanding this loop, individuals can replace negative habits with positive ones that align with God's kingdom. This transformation is not about resisting bad habits but about embracing new, life-giving ones that reflect the teachings of Christ. [02:18]

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2, ESV)

Reflection: Identify one habit in your life that you feel is not aligned with God's will. What is one small, positive habit you can start today to replace it?


Day 2: The Challenge and Opportunity of Persistent Habits
Habits are deeply ingrained in our brains and never truly disappear, which can be both a challenge and an opportunity for transformation. This persistence means that old habits can resurface when triggered by familiar cues and rewards. However, by recognizing these cues and rewards, individuals can intentionally replace them with behaviors that reflect Christ's teachings. This process requires awareness and a commitment to align one's actions with the values of the kingdom of Jesus. [04:27]

"Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22-24, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a habit that often resurfaces in your life. What are the cues and rewards associated with it, and how can you replace it with a behavior that aligns with Christ's teachings?


Day 3: Replacing Habits with Positive Alternatives
The key to overcoming bad habits is not to resist them but to replace them with positive alternatives. This involves identifying the cues and rewards of the habit and finding new responses that align with spiritual goals. By doing so, individuals invite God into their journey and experience His transformative power. This approach emphasizes the importance of proactive change rather than reactive resistance, allowing for a more sustainable transformation. [07:41]

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

Reflection: What is one negative habit you struggle with? What positive alternative can you implement today to replace it, and how can you invite God into this process?


Day 4: Awareness as a Catalyst for Transformation
Awareness training is crucial in habit change. By observing when and why certain habits are engaged, individuals can identify alternative behaviors that provide the same reward. This process allows for the invitation of God into one's transformation, turning habits into expressions of love and devotion. Awareness is the first step towards meaningful change, enabling individuals to align their daily actions with their spiritual values. [09:04]

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Psalm 139:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: Spend a few moments today observing your habits. What triggers them, and what rewards do they offer? How can you invite God into this awareness to guide you towards transformation?


Day 5: Inviting God into the Process of Habit Change
As individuals work to replace negative habits, it is essential to invite God into the process. By doing so, they align their habits with His will, experiencing His comfort and guidance. This transformation allows individuals to love God and others at the level of their habits, reflecting His kingdom in their daily lives. Inviting God into habit change is about surrendering control and trusting in His transformative power. [11:46]

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." (Proverbs 16:3, ESV)

Reflection: What is one habit you are currently trying to change? How can you intentionally invite God into this process today, and what difference do you think it will make?

Quotes

"Habits are a gift God created habits, they are extenders of our kingdom and they basically offload our Behavior. Charles Duhigg writes about this that in the 90s scientists particularly at MIT really started studying habits quite closely. They follow what Duhigg calls a habit Loop this is true pretty much for all behaviors there will be a cue, and then there's the response my behavior my activity and then there'll be a reward attached to it and you find this all the time when there's habit formation." [00:02:21]

"Researchers found when they would put a mouse in a maze and there's a little chocolate or something at the end of it initially it would take the mouse a lot of work and a long time and the mouse's brain would be extremely active trying to solve this problem, and then eventually the mouse would learn to do it much quicker, more efficiently more effectively and what was especially interesting to the researchers is the mouse's brain activity would go way down." [00:02:56]

"Habits never really disappear, they're encoded into the structures of our brain. That's a huge Advantage for us because it would be awful if we had to relearn how to drive after every vacation. The problem is that your brain can't tell the difference between bad and good habits so if you have a bad one it's lurking there waiting for the right cues and Rewards." [00:04:18]

"Now the patterns of wrongdoing that govern human life outside the kingdom are usually quite weak even ridiculous, they are simply our habits, our largely automatic responses of thought feeling and action, typically we have acted wrongly before reflecting and it is this that give bad habits their power, for the most part they are as Paul new actual characteristics of our bodies in Social context." [00:06:03]

"Therefore it is primarily in the body and in Social context that the work must be done to replace wrong habits with automatic responses that flow with the kingdom of Jesus and sustain themselves from its power. Certainly they must first come the profound inward turnings of repentance and faith, but the replacement of habits remains absolutely essential to anyone who is to hear and do what Jesus said and thus build their house on the rock." [00:06:57]

"In other words when it comes to Habit we cannot extinguish a habit it doesn't help to resist the Habit we must replace the Habit when it comes to Habit it's not about resisting it is about replacing and the way that that works most simply is if you think about this habit circuit, there will be a cue that Q is going to be there the craving is going to be there there'll be that old reward of that response the cue stays the same the reward stays the same how do I change my response." [00:07:33]

"Duhigg says that the golden rule of habit formation is this don't try to extinguish an old habit try to replace it, so I'll give you just a quite superficial one but you can think about that whatever you'd want it to be what from when I was I don't know early on probably high school years I used to pick at my fingers and fingernails all the time they would look kind of embarrassing and if anybody looked at them the nails and then the skin around them would just look bad." [00:08:10]

"Awareness training, that is with this habit look during the day for times when you feel like you want to do that you are prompted to engage in this bad habit for me picking up my nails don't try to change any yet just look at when am I prompted to want to do that and what causes that prompt and for me it would be either boredom or stress." [00:09:04]

"And then the next question is and then when you engage in that habit of that behavior what's the reward you get and for me it would be just a little bit of relief a sensation of physical comfort, and so then the question became what is an alternative behavior that I could engage in that would bring me that reward but doesn't have that negative quality of picking up my nails." [00:09:29]

"And uh it was amazing and a very little time a habit that had been there for decades all of a sudden was gone, and then I could invite God into that and not simply just do that have it mechanically but as I'm doing that say words like, even though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death I'm aware of fear or anxiety I will fear no evil for you are with me and allow that physical sensation to be a reminder of the fact that I'm never alone." [00:10:19]

"Think about some bad habit that you have, don't try to stop it don't try to break it don't try to resist it replace it, and you might just carry an index card with you for a couple of weeks and notice during the day when am I tempted to engage in this, what's the reward that it brings, what's an alternative response that I can give that can bring a different reward." [00:11:23]

"And then how do I invite God into this so that I can become a person who loves God and loves people at the level of my habits because love is habit for me." [00:11:46]

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Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?