Breaking Habits

Over the past few weeks, the Lord has been helping me slim-line my priorities and weed out distractions. Mainly this has been in regards to how I spend my time and the influences I allow into my life. I am already pretty strict about what movies and other media influences I consume, but He has been calling me to an even higher standard in this regard. I don’t mean this is a legalistic way, but in a way that frees me more to serve God and focus on Him. The Bible tells us that not all things are beneficial for us and that we are to fling away all distractions as we try to run the race that Christ has marked out for us (1 Corinthians 10:23). I have a very vivid imagination and images stick with me, so it is important for me to filter what I watch and listen to and read. For example, I watched Shudder Island with a friend and couldn’t shake some of the images for a week. Some things that may not bother others, will hinder me, but, in general, I think it’s important that we do not take in things that might grieve the Holy Spirit. It’s also important that we do not spend too much time gorging ourselves on the world’s entertainment – both for the sake our of walk with Christ and for the fact that time is short, so let’s not waste it.

This all began with Lent. After debating with myself, I decided to give up sugar. It’s not because I’m a junk-food junkie, but eating sweets had become a HABIT. Partly motivated by wanting to be healthier and partly because I wanted to give up something for the Lord for Lent, I denied myself chocolate and frozen yogurt and every other savory treat. And after a few weeks, I no longer wanted these things. Even when Easter came, I didn’t feel like I had to have dessert (though I did). The desire for something sweet was put back in its rightful place. It was no longer a habit or a must have or a craving, but simply an occasional treat. Now, by the Lord’s grace, I only have dessert when it is something I really like, not just to have it.

In nearly the same time period, I recognized another habit: Facebook. I wasn’t on there for long periods of time, but I did get in the HABIT of checking it daily. So even though I spent maybe a max of 30 minutes on it, it was distracting. So I took a break. I disabled my account for three weeks. And you know what’s pitiful? Immediately after I disabled my account, I was a little sad. Geez. That’s exactly why I needed to take a break.

Even though these things are rather small, they were distractions. And the discipline the Lord helped me learn in these areas has spilled over into other areas of my life, so that my time and energy can flow more fully and freely into what matters – Jesus and people. Prayer and Bible reading and ministry and fellowship have taken on a new and sweeter importance. The emails can wait and so can eating for that matter – only one thing is necessary and that will not be taken away from me (Luke 10:42). :)

All this is a small reflection of the biblical principle that sometimes God withholds the good we think we need so that He can give us the greater good that we truly need: Himself. A lot of time I lose sight of this truth, but the Bible is clear that the Lord has nothing but good intentions toward His own.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11

I am currently reading Dr. Moore’s book, Tempted and Tried, about the temptations of Christ. In talking about the first temptation, when the devil tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread to satisfy His hunger, Dr. Moore pointed out that one of the lies undergirding this temptation was that God was withholding something good, which was Jesus’ basic need and desire for food. Jesus wouldn’t buy this. He knew that His heavenly Father was all He needed and He would wait for Him to provide. This lie isn’t a new one. It is the same one that the devil sold Eve. He told her that God didn’t want her to eat of the forbidden fruit because He didn’t want her to become like Him. In essence, He was withholding good from her. So she bought the lie, ate the fruit, along with Adam, and plunged humanity into its present chaos. The truth is that God knows our needs better than we do, gives us what we need, and never withholds good from those who are in Christ. The Lord has been teaching me a lot about His goodness and His disposition to do His children good, but more on that in the next post.