How will God help me to deal with my stubborn bad habits?

Romans 7:21, 24-25I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. . . . Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Although our final victory over death through Christ is already assured, we must diligently work through the daily issues and temptations of life. We don’t discipline ourselves to earn salvation, but to experience the joy and victory God intends for us now! We won’t kick a bad habit overnight, but the surest way to change a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. With God’s help, we can make progress every day. Today’s victory is all we need for today—take it one day at a time.

Psalm 19:12-14How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

James 1:2-7Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Habits that are a continual reminder of defeat can also become encounter points with God. We should begin by acknowledging that we need God’s help and that we will not be victorious without him. Then we should confidently ask for wisdom and God’s power to meet our temptations as they come.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

We should never assume that a bad habit is the only thing standing between us and total victory. That simply sets us up for greater defeats from unexpected directions. We should certainly bring our bad habits to God for his help, but we should also ask him to help us with our unknown weak points. We all have blind spots.