Creature of Habit

Have you ever thought about your habits and how much they set you up for success or failure? It is so hard to break a habit and especially one that is not the best for you. Something that Craig Groeschel said in a podcast that I love, “Successful people do consistently what other people do occasionally.” That statement is so powerful when you sit and think about it. Consistency is hard especially when it’s not something that you love to do. It is so much easier to take the easy way out of things, or you can make up a million different excuses to prevent you from doing what is best for you.

I am very consistent in my morning routine. I am up at 5:30am working out, and I cherish this time for myself so I make sure it happens to start my day off on the right foot. I feel like I can collect my thoughts before all the kids are up and going a million miles an hour. I will have my coffee every day, try and drink enough water etc. The rest of my day changes day to day and some days I find myself having a harder time trying to stay focused because of distractions. Social media, my children, a good tv show etc. are all things I let at times deter me from spending time nourishing my soul like it needs to be. The enemy will continuously put road blocks in our way to let us create any excuse no matter how big or small to distract us from spending time with God. The one habit I want to increase this year is being more intentional in spending time in God’s word and growing through it. This one habit can create so much goodness for my life, and I know that by doing so it will bleed over into other areas.

“Goals don’t determine success, Systems determine success.” James Clear

Life Church Podcast with Craig Groeschel. January 6, 2019. Atomic Habits. James Clear.

This statement is so true. I can think a million times when I have set goals to achieve and they are not met. It happens all the time. Not all goals are achieved quickly, they take time. In our world today patience is not an easy thing. If we do not have the right systems in place our goals cannot be met. God’s word is a part of a system for success. His word allows the fog of our mind to become more clear. His word brings more focus to what on this earth truly matters. His word is a place of strength and love. When we put earthly desires before quality time in His word lines become blurred and we lose focus of what is important. These desires distract us from our goals. We are made to think that we need to constantly be doing and going. We see someone that is achieving everything you would want to do and you instantly start questioning everything about yourself, but we are comparing our beginning to their ending. We don’t want to wait to see the results, we want them instantly. I know I have done numerous cleanses, diets etc. just to get the results faster because I do not want to have to keep doing the work to get there the right way. It’s the same with nurturing and growing relationship with God. You can do all the devotionals or bible studies you want but if you aren’t doing them consistently and spending meaningful time with Him, the end result is not going to be what you want. To truly understand and to learn and grow from His word it takes patience and a consistent effort of making time in His word a priority. Something Craig Groeschel said that I love and made a note of was, “Every small decision matters.” This is what being faithful in life is. Every small decision you are making are worth something. Your small decision is not going unnoticed. One day those small decisions add up to a big one and if you are faithful it will all become fruitful.

Something I am very guilty of is letting my failures determine my worth. This was one of my worst habits that was so hard to overcome. I grew up second guessing myself. I let myself get torn down by rejection. I let myself feel like I had to earn the love of God. I let myself think that my choices made me unworthy. I have let my fears of failure determine what I do and don’t do. I lost sight of God, and I thought I had made one too many bad decisions and I quit pursuing the heart of God. I thought that my failures were too much for Him to love me. When I began to realize whose hands my identity lies in and began to embrace the love of God, I realized I was the daughter to the King and my view of my identity changed. When I embraced this amazing love, my life has been forever changed. My heart has been made lighter by His wisdom.

When you create healthy habits your vision becomes more clear and your heart more vibrant. Create a habit that draws your heart closer to God. Let your ears and your eyes soak in His truth so that it goes deep down into your soul. Do not let a bad day or a bad decision derail you from your goal. Be consistent every day to make spending time with the Lord more at the forefront. When you make a habit of spending more time in the quiet with Him, your consistency in other areas of your life work better than before. Create habits that are good for your soul. Create habits that bring more of His love out of you.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common for man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be to endure it.- 1 Corinthians 10:13