It takes a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome our bad habits.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. (Rom. 12:1 NIV)
I learned that I couldn’t do anything for God, but that I could try to please Him by living as a “child of light.”
How should I begin?
When I came to know Jesus, I became aware that I was a sinner, but it took me a while to realize just how deep in the muck I had lived my life– and how much work lay ahead of me in shedding my old ways.
It was time to clean up my act.
I used to cuss all the time, dropping four-letter words in every other sentence (a habit I picked up watching Eddie Murphy movies throughout the eighties). No one told me to quit this, but once I surrendered myself to Jesus, a distaste for foul language just sort of developed without me even trying. The Holy Spirit is the one who transforms us, not our own effort, and it’s done supernaturally.
A bigger challenge for me to work through was my penchant for saying anything to get a laugh, even when it was mean or inappropriate – there’s a reason I worked on an animated comedy, where mean-spirited sarcasm and innuendo were my bread-and-butter. It took a while before I was confronted on this by the Letter to the Ephesians:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Eph. 4:29)
Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. (Eph. 5:4)
I also had addictions to overcome, not to drugs or alcohol or anything like that, but to things I would buy, things I would consume, things I would do. They were all legal. I didn’t think they’d hurt anyone. Therefore, I didn’t think they were a big deal, but they were addictions nonetheless.
One day, soon after committing to following Jesus, I indulged in one of my addictions. I bought a multi-pack of something that was rather expensive and began to partake of one of them when the still, small voice that sometimes interrupts my life interrupted me:
“If I asked you to throw that away, would you listen to me?”
It wasn’t an angry, condemning voice; rather, it was gentle, like that of a loving parent appealing to a beloved child, inviting him/her to do something nice together. Yet, I resisted. “But I just bought this. And it’s not cheap. And I don’t buy this every day, just once in a while…”
Despite my objections, I knew I had to make a choice: Would I find comfort in my addiction or in God? Would I give in to my desires, or to what God desires? Would I be a slave to sin or a slave to obedience (Rom. 6:16)?
There was so much love oozing from this voice, I could not resist it for much longer. The kindness of God really does lead to repentance (Rom. 2:4).
I trashed that which was in my hand, not out of guilt, but out of conviction.
“Good,” replied the voice. “Now throw the rest of the pack away, too.”
“What?!” I protested. “I just bought this! Do You know how much this cost, how hard these are to come by?”
A brief pause.
“If I asked you to throw that away, would you listen to me?”
I haven’t bought another one of these things since. My addiction was broken the very moment I decided to obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Cor. 10:13). We are always given a choice: either resist temptation or give in to it.
I had plenty of other bad habits to kick, and I’d face the same choice every time I was tempted to give in to one:
“If I asked you not to think that, would you listen to me?”
“If I asked you not to watch that, would you listen to me?”
“If I asked you not to do that, would you listen to me?”
It was a battle to obey every time, but with each victory, it became progressively easier to fight the next time around; conversely, every loss was a step backwards. It was sort of like playing a video game: when you first start playing, you have little to no experience and your character isn’t that well equipped yet, so you’re more easily defeated by your on-screen enemies; however, as you successfully learn to fight them off, you gain better weapons, stronger armor, and more hit points, not only making game-play easier, but equipping you to combat even bigger foes down the road.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (Jas. 4:7)
I may have come a long way, but still have a long way to go, as transformation is a lifelong process that won’t be completed this side of eternity.
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