Habits can have a profound impact on our lives in both good and bad ways. And often, we’re unaware of how much we do in our lives simply by force of habit. We’ll discuss how modern behavioral science is catching up to what the church has known for thousands of years regarding habits. We’ll discuss how to break bad habits, establish good ones, and how this can have a hugely beneficial impact regarding our personal spiritual transformation into Christlikeness.

Discussion Questions

Read Romans 7:14-21. What’s Paul saying? Can you identify with this? Be as specific as possible identifying areas where you do what you don’t want to, or don’t do what you think you should.

Watch the Smarter Every Day© video about the Backwards Brain Bike. Do you think you could ride it? Why? What was required for everyone in the video that learned to ride the bike? What does this say about children? There’s another video showing how quickly someone can learn to ride the bike. What does this say about learning? Practice? Habits?

When He first encountering two of the disciples, Jesus asked them a question. He didn’t ask what they believed, or what they knew, He asked: “What do you want?” (John 1:38). What a great question! What do YOU want? What are your deepest current desires? One way to figure this out is by looking at your current behaviors. What do you do and think about by default? In other words, what actions and thoughts do you have and do habitually?

What are some practices that you might engage in that would lead to habits that have the potential to move you toward Christ?

Further Reading

A New Covenant

God reminds us in the Bible that He gave an Old Covenant and a New Covenant. Confuse the two and you’re in for a confusing and inconsistent attempt at living for Jesus. It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that the church across the world is mired in legalistic...

New Direction

When we find ourselves moving in a certain direction and focused on our goals, it can be jarring to feel like God suddenly is taking us in a new direction. It's hard to consider that what we are currently building is no longer necessary or worse, futile all along. We...

New Community

We all identify with communities in some ways. Even the most isolated individuals acknowledge some basic common ground with other people groups. From sports teams to political parties to hometowns, communities unite us around common ideas. But when we run into...

A New Heaven and A New Earth

God makes all things new. He is about taking the brokenness brought on by sin and offering a new reality. God’s plans for a believer’s eternity are staggering in immensity and joy. We will exist forever on a new earth—a reality more alive than our present existence....

A New Song

Songs are powerful things. The combine melody and harmony. They express both truth and emotion. They can fill us with joy and hope or with lament and sorrow. Through the beauty of song we worship, we celebrate, and we mourn. In the Psalms, the worship songs of the...