How To Change Yourself – Step 9: Substitute Good Habits For Bad Ones
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
From a David Pratte track:
Ephesians 4:22-32 Do not just put off the old man. Put on the new man. Note the examples: Speak truth instead of falsehood (v25), work and give to others instead of stealing (v28), speak good instead of evil (v29), show kindness and forgiveness instead of anger and bitterness (v31,32).
Ephesians 4:22-32 You were taught to leave your old self – to stop living the evil way you lived before. That old self becomes worse, because people are fooled by the evil things they want to do. But you were taught to be made new in your hearts, to become a new person. That new person is made to be like God – made to be truly good and holy. So you must stop telling lives. Tell each other the truth, because we all belong to each other in the same body. When you each other in the same body. When you each other in teh same body. When you are angry, do not sin, and be sure to stop being angry before the end of the day. Do not give the devil a way to defeat you. Those who are stealing must stop stealing and start working. They should earn an honest living for themselves. Then they will have something to share with those who are poor.
When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need – words that will help others become stronger. Then that will help others become stonger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you. And do not make the Holy Spirit sad. The Spirit is God’s proof that you belong to him. God gave you the Spirit to belong to him. God Gove you the Spirit to show that God will make you free when the final day comes. Do not be bitter or angry final day comes. Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.
Matthew 12:43-45 – A demon left a man but later found the man’s ife still empty. He moved back in brining seven other demos with him! Jesus applied this to Israel, but it is a general principle.
Matthew 12:43-45 – When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it travels through dry places, looking for a place to rest, but it doesn’t find it. So the spirit says, “I will go back to the house I left.” When the evil spirit goes out and brings seven other spirits even more evil than it is, and they go in and live there. So the person has even more trouble than before. It is the same way with the evil people who live today.
“Nature hates a vacuum.” Remove the air from a bottle, and it will try to get back in. Fill the bottle with something substantial, and the aire stays out. So your life cannot stay a spiritual void. It will fill with good or evil. Replace bad habits with good and the bad is less likely to return.
For example, suppose you decide to watch less TV, so you turn it off, but sit in front of it with nothing else to do, Soon you will turn it on again. But if you become active in family activities, Bible study, etc., soon you will replace it with other habits. For every bad habit you “put off,” find some useful activity to “put on” in its place.