How to change (continued)
Shape your environment so it will help shape you. (continued)
Create good habits and stop bad ones.
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Serving God is a way of life – not a one-time action.
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Ephesians 2:2, 10; 4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15 – Notice the term walk. This is a figure for way of life.
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Romans 6:4, 13-16 – After baptism, a Christian is to walk in newness of life. We are slaves for obedience. We’re not a slave for a day. We are to submit to God from now on.
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Colossians 1:10; 2:6; 3:7; 4:5 – Walking
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Remember to shape your environment to make good habits easier and bad habits harder.
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Daniel 6:10 – Daniel had a well-engrained prayer habit. He had a place just for praying.
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Deuteronomy 17:18-19 – Israel’s kings were to read God’s law everyday.
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We tend to do what’s easy and convenient. We must reduce the friction for good habits and make the bad habits harder and inconvenient.
Examples:
Let’s say you want to do a better job of loving your spouse (Ephesians 5:22-33). List some ideas that would help in that endeavor:
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Think of yourself as a new person.
- “I am the kind of person that thinks of her first.”
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Shape your environment so it will help shape you.
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Have a career that allows time for family.
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Shrug of bad advice about marriage from those who do not fear God.
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Watch how strong couples interact and love each other.
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