HABITS

HABITS

 

I know it's not exactly strange, but the concept of habit will be dissected psychologically and spiritually.

First the definition:

✔    Habits may be defined as a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.

✔    It is also referred to as a "Dress" or "Custom" "dwelling"

 Habit can go by different other names, which if carefully analyzed, they all boil down to mean the same thing

✔    A routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously is HABIT 

Focus on the word ROUTINE!!! 

Do you wear clothes??? That's an Habit
How do you sleep?
How do you eat?
Do you usually give up on things so easily or you actually don't?

All of these are Habits.

 Before I move on, permit me to say that the first and long lasting profession of God is psychology.

He thinks it, and he does it!!!  Remember the book of proverbs says "we should guard our hearts diligently..."

    Don't be sad, your profession is relevant too 😂😀😀😀

 My point exactly is, every one habit we pick up is something we have developed in the MIND, in our conscious subconscious. You think it first, before you do it and then it sticks

Remember I said it's a routine. The behavior is often triggered by a certain context. 

For example, you may automatically go brush your teeth after finishing breakfast as part of your morning routine. 

An unhealthy habit could be biting your nails or texting while driving (Subjectively).

So, a/an Habit could be healthy, unhealthy, positive or negative.

 Innocently, kids like adults too, we pick up habits from their MODELS (parents, caregiver, teachers and all), we all do.That is why you should be careful, someone somewhere is copying you.

  

Lets prove it....

One day, I was in a traffic, everywhere got so blocked and then the commercial bus in front of the car I was, took a sharp turn. The driver of the car I was thought in himself (this commercial drivers always know road oooo) as if he was saying our minds!!!!....that's how he followed the bus!!!

We took everything turn this man took, lo and behold, this man just stopped and parked at the front of his HOUSE 😃😃😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

Someone is copying you from afar. When you suddenly pick up a habit, think of others who see you as a mentor or a model!!!!

 Let me dive into the scripture. The bible says 

    "Ye are the salt of the earth"

What it means is, as a salt, your habit is to affect others. Mind you you can't make an influence as a salt unless you make contacts (relationships) So, whether you like it or not, you'll pick up habits to affect others. Make it a positive one.

 

DO HABITS DEFINE YOU?

YES: 

The things that you consistently do on a daily basis determine your body's shape, strength and stamina, as well as many other things. You can look at it any which way you want, but ultimately, that's it! Nothing else matters as much as those daily habits.

COIN: 

Joshua 1:8...“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate (Happens in the mind) in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it (MAKE IT A ROUTINE...AN HABIT)...For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

If you don't pick it up as an habit, no prosperity, you may succeed but it won't be a good success.

Ultimately, you'll jeopardize God's purpose and saltiness in your life. According to that scripture, your success is in your habits. 

Who do you want to be or become? Over time, I have learned that we are in total control of who we are and who we want to be and become.
Jesus kept to an Habit(s) of praying, studying n fasting too....he also WATCHED

Most of the sicknesses and negative things we attribute to the devil, rightly so, they come from the devil, are not really ours...but through our habits, we allowed them
    Yours could be Fears....Ask Job
    Yours could be Fornication....ask Samson
    Yours could be Negative pronunciations....ask Balaam
    Yours could be irresponsibility....ask Adam
    Your could personally defects...ask Moses
    Yours may be Adultery...ask David

 The consistency of your Habit turns to your Behavior!!!

 Are you finding it hard to create an habit for something......how do you then create it???

There are four levels
1. CUE
2. CRAVING
3. RESPONSE
4. REWARD

                  My mum would say: "If you can eat it, you should be able to cook it"

1. CUE:

This is where the mind is continuously analyzing your internal and external environment for hints of where rewards are located. Like what information, business, or idea will bring rewards like money, food, sex or pleasure e.t.c

Ps: in our case as believers, our CUE is the word of God
Example:... If you ask your brother living in USA to send you 100 thousand...will be send naira? No, they spend dollars there....so he will send the equivalent of the money you asked in Dollars, then you'll be the one to covert it to naira.... When u pray to God to give you wealth, he doesn't give you money l, He give you ideas, revelations.... When we CUE on the word of God, ideas for good success drops into our spirit and then we convert them to money making ventures!!!!

 

2. CRAVING

Because the cue is the first indication that we’re close to a reward, it naturally leads to a craving.

Cravings are the second step of the habit loop, and they are the motivational force behind every habit. Without some level of motivation or desire—without craving a change—we have no reason to act. What you crave is not the habit itself but the change in state it delivers. You do not crave smoking a cigarette, you crave the feeling of relief it provides. You are not motivated by brushing your teeth but rather by the feeling of a clean mouth.

PS: motivation does not lead one to study, the feeling of enlightenment, the revelational knowledge is the craving... "that I may Know you more"......

that the eyes of your understanding be enlightened!!!

 

3. RESPONSE

The third step is the response. The response is the actual habit you perform, which can take the form of a thought or an action.

PS: "...the working of our faith..."

You have a craving to be enlightened...to eat..to drink...to pray.....your response is in the action you take and the fulfillment  of impacting knowledge...

That's why FAITH is an action word!!!

You must work your faith as a believer...it's not enough to read, to catch rhema or to have ideas.... ACT ON THEM

 

4. REWARD

This is where you get addicted to it....there are 2 reward system here

    1. It is satisfying
    2. It teaches you

PS: ....your word have I hidden in my heart...
It satisfies your craving and then it teaches you to come back for more (dependency)
If a behavior is insufficient in any of the four stages, it will not become a habit. Eliminate the cue and your habit will never start. Reduce the craving and you won’t experience enough motivation to act. Make the behavior difficult and you won’t be able to do it. And if the reward fails to satisfy your desire, then you’ll have no reason to do it again in the future. Without the first three steps, a behavior will not occur. Without all four, a behavior will not be repeated.

You're believing God for something, if it is in His will, he has already answered....do your part, ACT!!!

How do you get rid of bad habits????

See David, Elijah, moses, Samson..tongue talking, fire brands...see their habits...only prayer cannot do it!!!!
If you'll confess your sin and repent...


The first step is to IDENTIFY the trigger of your bad habit!!!!!

And then the fruit of the spirit called.....SELF DISCIPLINE!!!!!!
 

 Thank you for your time everyone!!!!!!!