Old Habits Die Hard?

I have been writing a weekly article in our newspaper: West Carroll Gazette. I thought it would be fun to share the short little articles here on the blog! This week's article is titled:

  Old Habits Die Hard?

I’m sure you have heard the phrase, “Old habits die hard.” Most of the time, people say this to excuse their bad behavior or explain why they can’t quit doing something.

It can be difficult to discard our old habits because they become like a second nature to us. Sometimes we can give them up for a while, but then we slowly drift back into that sin.

First Peter 1:14 and 15 warn us against this very thing: “So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.”

The first thing this verse tells us to do is to live as “God’s obedient children.” Obedience is an essential part of our salvation. In John 14:15, Jesus tells us, “If you love me, obey My commandments.” First Samuel 15:22 tells us that, “...obedience is better than sacrifice.” Living as God’s obedient children means casting aside all of our sin, even the sins we have lovingly nick-named our “bad habits.” 

Next, we are told not to slip back into our old ways of living. This is also known as “backsliding.” When someone is considered to be “backslidden,” it means they have fallen back into sin, returning to their old habits, after being saved. Backsliding happens gradually; it’s a slow drift. If you’ve ever floated on a river, you understand how this can happen. You don’t feel yourself moving, but when you look around, you realize how far you have drifted from your original spot! As Christians, we must continually examine ourselves lest we drift away without even realizing it. When we get complacent, we quit reading our Bibles as much, our prayer life becomes shorter, our tolerance for sin grows, and before we know it, we are back where we started - stuck in sin! 

The thing about drifting is, it’s easy to drift. It takes no effort. But when we have to paddle back, it takes work! We must push against the current, paddling hard, with the sole intention of getting back where we need to be.

Those old habits must be killed. Whether it’s gossiping, lying, stealing, sexual sin, or foul language, we must decide to lay down that sin and walk away from it. Let’s not excuse our sin or behavior, but allow God to transform us into new people. Every decision we make brings us closer to God or farther away from Him. Just like floating on the river, there is no standing still. We are either actively moving towards God or drifting away from Him. 

Now that we are saved, we “must be holy in everything” we do! I’ve heard people say, “Know better, do better,” and I think that applies to us as Christians. Luke 12:48 tells us that where much is given, much is required. Salvation is the greatest gift we have been given. We can never earn our salvation, but we can show our thankfulness to and love for God by living holy, obedient lives through the power of His Spirit.