Hard Habit to Break

“If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” I John 1:6

Since college, my wife has been a big fan of the group ‘Chicago’, and more precisely, a big Peter Cetera fan. In fact, one of our wedding songs was Chicago’s “Color My World”. For her birthday just recently, I bought her Chicago’s 40th Anniversary CD. The sounds of Peter Cetera and Chicago have been filling our home the past several weeks.

One thing about pop music that always intrigues me is the way they come up with catchy phrases to describe love, life, and relationships. One phrase that I find compelling in a Chicago love song is the phrase “you’re a hard habit to break”; thus the title of the song, “Hard Habit to Break”.

Habits are truly hard to break. Someone has said that a bad habit is like a comfortable bed--easy to get into but hard to get out of. Habits are very important because they define who we are in so many ways. John is reminding his readers of this extremely important truth.

One of the heresies that John was dealing with was the teaching by some that said one could know God so well that sinning was not possible. They did not mean perfection in holiness; they meant that sin did not matter at all. They did not even hold to the Ten Commandments because they were above those things, above the law, so to speak. John is dealing with these folks straight up when he writes, “If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie. . .”

Walking in light/darkness is a very clear description of holy conduct versus sinful conduct. John says that there is self-deception if a person is walking in darkness, yet claims to be in close communion with God. The word ‘walking’ speaks of habit. It conveys the thought of doing something continually. So John says that by continually living in sin, and by that he means by doing sinful things, one cannot possibility be in a right relationship with God.

I think we have lost this truth somewhere along the way. Mere confession of truth is not the same as truth being lived out. We are all very aware of our own sinfulness. We know that we think, do, and say things that would cause us to melt in shame if done in the presence of God on His holy throne. When we err we cry out to the Lord for forgiveness, just as David and so many others did as recorded in Scripture. God forgives, but we often fail to stop the behavior that we asked forgiveness for.

It is one thing to sin, but quite another to live a life of sin. When sin becomes a habit, then more serious spiritual ramifications occur. All sin is serious because all sin leads to more sin. Thomas a Kempis, author of the Christian classic, Imitation of Christ wrote, “If you do not shun small defects, bit by bit you will fall into greater ones”. Sin truly is a hard habit to break!

God offers us forgiveness but He expects our repentance and our effort through His Spirit to avoid the same sin so that it does not become a habit. David was forgiven of his adultery but he did not make the same mistake twice. When Jesus forgave a repentant soul He would say to them, “Go and sin no more”. Yes, we live in God’s grace and His all-forgiving mercy, but habitual sin cannot peacefully coexist there. John speaks the truth to us here and most of the time we don’t like it or want to hear it.

We love our pet sins. They are our friends. They bring us comfort. They are familiar to us. And, oh yes, we could give them up if we wanted to, or so we think; but why do so since no harm is done. John tells us that if this is our mentality then we are basically crazy to think that all is well with God and that God is pleased with us. John actually uses the word ‘deceived’ a couple of verses down, but I think ‘crazy’ translates it well.

If we have a habitual sin then we should first admit it. Call it what it is and be honest. Then we must confess that we have no power within ourselves to rid this sin that has become so entrenched. When a sin becomes a habit, it is wise to rebuke the spirit or demon of that sin that may have become a part of your life by your behavior. I often rebuke the spirit of fear or spirit of discouragement because I know these spirits are real. There are spirits of anger, of lust, of resentment, of greed. Yes, name the sin and there is darkness behind it.

We need to call upon the Lord for help, and we need to start developing new habits to replace the ones we must drop. Thomas a Kempis also wrote, “Habit is overcome by habit”. When there is truly a destructive habit that seems insurmountable we need to seek help and accountability. There are those who are truly gifted in counseling and even in spiritual warfare that can be used of the Lord to help set us free.

If it’s a hard habit to break, then most likely it is a habit that should be broken at all cost. If you have a bad, sinful habit that God has convicted you of, then the worst thing you can do is nothing.

Breaking Habits Together,

Dan

Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries