I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV
Successful people do consistently what other people do occasionally. Our habits will make us or break us. We become what we repeatedly do. – Sean Covey
3 Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. 4 Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.
Daniel 6:3-4 NLT
But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.
Daniel 6:10 NLT
Daniel developed an attitude of habit. We should never underestimate how God can do something big through one small habit. Based on who you want to become, what one habit do you need to start? What systems do you currently have in place.
How to create a habit
The process = Trigger > Action > Reward
- Make it obvious
- Make it easy
Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. We are not successful when we hit our goals somewhere in the future. We are successful when we’ve honoured God today.
Some of us have created bad habits in our lives. So how do we break a habit so that we become who we want to be? We rarely end at the wrong place because of one decision.
So get rid of every filthy habit and all wicked conduct. Submit to God and accept the word that he plants in your hearts, which is able to save you.
James 1:21 GNB
How do we break a habit
- Acknowledge it
You cannot defeat what you have not defined
- Remove the trigger (make it difficult to do)
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. 15 Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
Proverbs 4:14-15 NIV
Triggers
- Place
- Time
- Mood
- Moment
- People
Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm
Proverbs 13:20 NIV
The most important people in your life should be people that challenge you to grow and advance
- Interrupt the action
The habits you build today will shape who you are tomorrow. Do you like who you are becoming?
