Identity & Habits

Your habits come from your identity. Your decisions make you. But your decisions come from your self-identity. I was thinking about this while doing the dishes. Why do people want to do something, or know that it is good for them and not actually do it? After research, experience and reading the word, it’s pretty obvious that what we do stems from who we think we are on the inside. But this is what I tried to do for so long in my life. I tried to change myself. But that is only possible up to an extent. Once I dedicated myself to Christ again things started to change from the inside out, the procrastination problems I had and the self worth problems started to diminish little by little. That is because my identity is in Christ, not in me. I am not my habits, money, car, sins, past, future. I am a son of God made by God, I am his creation and he sees me as perfect creative, talented, forgiven, awesome, handsome, influential, wealthy, healthy, confident, strong, kind, compassionate, empathetic, loving, caring, responsible and the list goes on and on. This is how he sees me, so the name of the game is how can I see myself as he sees me everyday? How can I internalize that so I can actually believe I am who he says I am. For me this happened through reading the bible, prayer, being around believers who see a light in you, going to church (Going at least once a week shocks your system because of the positive environment) worship and also stepping out in faith and actually doing what God tells you to do. When you do what God tells you to do, you become more courageous and your faith increases in spite of fear. 

The point is, you do what you think you are, not who you want to be. This is why diets, changes in habits and more other changes people try to change never last. We can’t rely on our own power, we have to rely on God’s power. When we have the Holy Spirit inside of us, there is absolutely nothing we can't do. Because of the Holy Spirit, God told us we do not have the spirit of timidity but the Spirit of love, power, sound mind and self control. When we are changing our habits for the better all we have to do is ask God to help us real time and he will change our ways. Also, if we fill our lives with good and more good then its not possible for the bad to come because we are too busy doing good. In the word it says we fight darkness with light. So instead of focusing on not doing bad, focus on doing good. If you're tempted to smoke instead go for a run. If you’re tempted to watch 3 hours of Netflix that will leave you sloppy the next day, pull out a book and read. Once you start these little habits of doing good, the little will turn into a lot. Jesus loves a little, as it says in the word, we need faith the size of a mustard seed. We have the opportunity of a lifetime to be the best version of ourselves, lets make it happen. 

James 1:23-25 
”Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do”