Transforming Habits: A Path to Spiritual Growth

 

Summary

Standing by a river, I am reminded of the abundance of life and the spiritual significance of habits. Just as the river overflows with water, our lives can overflow with the living water that Jesus spoke of. Habits are not merely tools for behavioral modification; they are spiritual gifts from God, designed to extend His kingdom through us. From the beginning, God created us to have dominion, starting with our own bodies. Habits allow us to delegate tasks to our bodies, freeing us to engage in more complex and fruitful activities. However, the power of habits can also lead to destruction when sin infiltrates them.

The Apostle Paul understood this struggle, as he described in Romans 7, where the law of sin wages war against the law of the mind. Our bodies, with their habits, can become prisoners to sin. Yet, God, who created habits, also provides a way to transform them. Spiritual transformation requires changing our habits, as Dallas Willard suggests in his curriculum for Christlikeness. This involves enthralling our minds with God's love and removing automatic responses that oppose His kingdom.

Today, I offer a simple habit to start your day: when you wake up, say, "This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it," and smile. This small act sets the tone for the day, inviting God into your life and setting your intention. Even in difficult times, adding the word "somehow" can help you find joy amidst suffering. This tiny habit is a step towards habit reformation, allowing us to live freely and effortlessly in God's will. Remember, habits are kingdom extenders, and through them, we can exercise dominion and experience spiritual growth.

Key Takeaways:

1. Habits as Spiritual Gifts: Habits are not just behavioral tools but spiritual gifts from God, designed to extend His kingdom through us. They allow us to delegate tasks to our bodies, freeing us to engage in more complex and fruitful activities. However, when sin infiltrates our habits, they can lead to destruction. Recognizing the spiritual significance of habits can help us align them with God's will. [01:31]

2. The Struggle with Sin: The Apostle Paul describes the struggle between the law of sin and the law of the mind. Our bodies, with their habits, can become prisoners to sin. Yet, God provides a way to transform these habits, allowing us to live freely in His will. Understanding this struggle is crucial for spiritual growth. [04:22]

3. Transformation through Habits: Spiritual transformation requires changing our habits. Dallas Willard suggests that this involves enthralling our minds with God's love and removing automatic responses that oppose His kingdom. By intentionally disrupting our automatic thoughts and actions, we can retrain our bodies to align with God's will. [06:58]

4. A Simple Morning Habit: Starting your day with the habit of saying, "This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it," sets a positive tone for the day. This small act invites God into your life and sets your intention. Even in difficult times, adding the word "somehow" can help you find joy amidst suffering. [09:42]

5. The Journey of Habit Reformation: Habits are kingdom extenders, and through them, we can exercise dominion and experience spiritual growth. The journey of habit reformation involves taking small steps, one habit at a time, to align our lives with God's will. This process allows us to live freely and effortlessly in His kingdom. [11:23]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:38] - Standing by the River
- [01:03] - The Overflowing Creek
- [01:18] - Habits and Life Change
- [01:59] - Spiritual Perspective on Habits
- [02:42] - Habits and Dominion
- [03:34] - Delegating Power through Habits
- [03:50] - The Destructive Power of Sinful Habits
- [04:06] - Apostle Paul's Insight on Sin and Habits
- [05:23] - Jesus, the Master of Habit
- [06:13] - Neurochemicals and Habits
- [06:30] - Dallas Willard on Transformation
- [08:06] - Spiritual Formation as Habit Formation
- [08:53] - A Simple Morning Habit
- [11:08] - The Gift and Challenge of Habits
- [12:17] - Closing Remarks and Community Engagement

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Romans 7:22-23
- Psalm 118:24

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Observation Questions:

1. According to Romans 7:22-23, what internal conflict does Paul describe, and how does it relate to the concept of habits? [04:22]

2. In the sermon, how are habits described as both a gift and a potential problem? [03:50]

3. What simple morning habit does the pastor suggest, and what is its intended purpose? [09:42]

4. How does the sermon connect the idea of habits to the concept of spiritual growth and dominion? [11:23]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the struggle between the law of sin and the law of the mind in Romans 7:22-23 illustrate the challenges of changing habits? [04:22]

2. The sermon suggests that habits can be "kingdom extenders." What might this mean in the context of one's daily life and spiritual journey? [02:15]

3. How does the suggested morning habit of saying, "This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it," help in aligning one's intentions with God's will? [09:42]

4. What role does the concept of "somehow" play in finding joy amidst suffering, according to the sermon? [10:26]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your current habits. Are there any that you feel are not aligned with God's will? What steps can you take to begin transforming them? [03:50]

2. The sermon emphasizes the importance of starting small with habit changes. What is one small habit you can introduce this week to enhance your spiritual growth? [08:39]

3. Consider the morning habit suggested in the sermon. How might starting your day with this intention impact your daily interactions and mindset? [09:42]

4. In what ways can you enthrall your mind with God's love, as suggested by Dallas Willard, to transform your automatic responses? [06:44]

5. Think about a challenging situation you are currently facing. How can the addition of the word "somehow" help you find joy and hope in this situation? [10:26]

6. How can you use your habits to extend God's kingdom in your community or workplace? What practical steps can you take to make this a reality? [02:15]

7. Reflect on the idea of habits as a form of dominion. How can you exercise positive dominion over your life through intentional habit formation? [11:23]

Devotional

Day 1: Habits as Divine Instruments
Habits are more than mere routines; they are divine instruments designed to extend God's kingdom through us. They allow us to delegate mundane tasks to our bodies, freeing our minds and spirits to engage in more complex and fruitful activities. However, when sin infiltrates our habits, they can lead to destruction. Recognizing the spiritual significance of habits can help us align them with God's will, ensuring they serve as tools for His glory rather than instruments of our downfall. [01:31]

"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a habit in your life that you feel is not aligned with God's will. How can you begin to transform this habit into one that extends His kingdom?


Day 2: The Inner Battle with Sin
The Apostle Paul describes the struggle between the law of sin and the law of the mind, highlighting how our bodies, with their ingrained habits, can become prisoners to sin. Yet, God provides a way to transform these habits, allowing us to live freely in His will. Understanding this struggle is crucial for spiritual growth, as it helps us recognize the areas where we need God's intervention and grace to overcome sinful patterns. [04:22]

"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." (Romans 7:15, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a habit that you struggle with and feel trapped by. How can you invite God into this struggle to help you find freedom?


Day 3: Transforming Habits for Spiritual Growth
Spiritual transformation requires changing our habits. Dallas Willard suggests that this involves enthralling our minds with God's love and removing automatic responses that oppose His kingdom. By intentionally disrupting our automatic thoughts and actions, we can retrain our bodies to align with God's will, leading to a life that reflects His love and grace. [06:58]

"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: What is one automatic response you have that opposes God's kingdom? How can you begin to disrupt this response and replace it with one that aligns with His will?


Day 4: Starting the Day with Joy
Starting your day with the habit of saying, "This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it," sets a positive tone for the day. This small act invites God into your life and sets your intention. Even in difficult times, adding the word "somehow" can help you find joy amidst suffering, reminding you of God's presence and sovereignty in every situation. [09:42]

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24, ESV)

Reflection: Tomorrow morning, try starting your day with this simple habit. How does it change your perspective and attitude throughout the day?


Day 5: The Journey of Habit Reformation
Habits are kingdom extenders, and through them, we can exercise dominion and experience spiritual growth. The journey of habit reformation involves taking small steps, one habit at a time, to align our lives with God's will. This process allows us to live freely and effortlessly in His kingdom, experiencing the fullness of life that He offers. [11:23]

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9, ESV)

Reflection: What is one small step you can take today towards reforming a habit to better align with God's will? How can this step help you experience spiritual growth?

Quotes

"I wanted to get habits out of the category they're often in for folks of just behavioral modification or some kind of secular or psychological technique to be able to exercise better or get my finances in shape no no no no Jesus talked about how there are available to us rivers of Living Water that can be flowing out of our belly that just as The God Who created the Earth and all of its magnificence brings water to bring things back to life so God is present spiritually and our habits are a very important part of that." [00:01:18]

"A habit is a kingdom extender, and here's what I mean, you were made by God to exercise Dominion to be able to have influence and impact for good that goes all the way back to the beginning of Genesis God makes us in His image and says let them Reign let them rule let them have power now where does that start that starts with your body your body is the beginning of your kingdom that's the part of all of created matter where your will can hold sway." [00:02:42]

"Habits are always about freedom and they're always about power anytime somebody's going to lead an organization the way that you lead is you delegate you have more and more people who come under your sphere of influence and you delegate to them the authority the power the ability to do things under your overall sway well the place where that starts is our body habits are the way that we delegate powers to our body to enable us to think and do increasingly complex and wonderful and fruitful and good things thank God for habits there is great gift but precisely because they're so powerful they can be extremely destructive when they go south when they become negative and of course what has happened to us is sin has gotten into our habits." [00:03:50]

"The Apostle Paul is writing about when he writes in Romans the seventh chapter, starting verse 22 for in my inner being as I think about this now part of me that's unseen I Delight in God's law and what is good in being a person of integrity and love and so but I see another law at work in the members of my body, Waging War against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members." [00:04:06]

"Jesus is the master of habit, and so when we look at change, this very deeply involves coming to grips with habit, it's just fascinating I wanted to read this for you this is from a neuro-researcher Christian Northrup, who writes not only do our physical organs control receptor sites for neurochemicals of thought emotion, our organs and immune systems can themselves manufacture these same chemicals what this means is our entire body feels and expresses emotion all parts of us think and feel the mind is located throughout the body the mind is located throughout the body." [00:05:23]

"What needs to happen if we are going to be spiritually transformed is we need to change at the level of our habits. I'll quote one more person uh Dallas Willard in his book The Divine conspiracy quite famously has a long section on what he calls a curriculum for Christ's likeness, he says uh that process of transformation that curriculum will always have two parts one is to enthrall the mind and heart with love for God how good God is and how much God loves me but then the second objective he says is to remove our automatic responses against the kingdom of God to free us from domination or enslavement to the old habitual patterns of thought feeling and action." [00:06:30]

"The training that leads to doing what we hear from Jesus must therefore involve first the purposeful disruption of our automatic thoughts feelings and actions by doing different things with our body and then through various intentional practices we place the body before God in such a way that the whole self is retrained away from habits of the Old Kingdom in other words spiritual formation is habit formation." [00:08:06]

"Today I want to give you one habit, and it is incredibly easy it's a modification of a habit talked about by B.J Fogg in his book tiny habits you can do this we will learn as we work on habits that one of the biggest problems is if we try to change too much to fact grandiosity does not serve us the desire for instant gratification instant change doesn't help us we have to be humble one little habit at a time." [00:08:53]

"When your feet hit the ground pause and say this is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it and then smile and then take two or three seconds of pause to reflect on that statement because simply trying to program our minds is of no use if the thoughts are just hype if they are not true if they're not embedded in reality." [00:09:42]

"It may be that you're going through a horrendous time, part of why I have needed to add so many habits to my life over the last couple years as so much of other infrastructure has been really difficult their circumstances have so if you're facing a day and there's great suffering and I know for some of you there is then you can add this word this is the day that the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it somehow." [00:11:08]

"God is The Giver of habits, habits are the process of delegating to our bodies the task of life so that we can exercise Dominion habits are Kingdom extenders, habits are great blessings habits are also huge problems When sin gets into them we are on the journey together of habit Reformation so that increasingly we can be free and effortlessly do what God calls us to do but we only do this one tiny little step at a time." [00:11:23]

"Tomorrow morning when you get up, do not pick up your phone don't start scrolling through don't be overwhelmed by all the difficult my feet hit the ground this is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it and then smile." [00:12:17]

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Transcript
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