Dear BPCWAians, Some like to dip their biscuit into their hot cup of tea or coffee before eating it. Some have to shower first thing in the morning, while others will shower at the end of the day, and some both times. As a saying goes, man is often a creature of habit. What we do regularly and for a long enough period of time becomes our habit and our routine. So, our habits will often shape our lives. They often determine how we spend our time and what we do. Yet, we often do it almost automatically simply because it has become our routine to do so. In fact, we are uncomfortable if we do not do it. And if so, it is almost fearful to think that we will simply keep doing it without thinking, especially if they are time wasters or if they are things which will cause us to sin. What is more fearful is that the parents’ routines will often form the children’s habits. How are we training our children in what we plan for them to do regularly? Does the Bible have anything to say about it? We are not merely talking about having good habits for daily living, but about good Christian habits that every Christian should desire to have.

Stopping bad habits. Before forming good habits, we must first deal with our bad habits. As long as these stay in our lives, good habits are difficult to form. We should not continue doing something simply because we’ve been doing it for many years and are used to it. If we recognise sinful habits in our life as God reveals them as we study His Word, then we cannot continue to live in them (Rom 6:1, 2). No “grace period” must be allowed when it comes to sins, even if it is something that we’ve grown very used to. Deal with bad habits now. It may mean that we must do things very differently to remove ourselves from the path of sin, be willing to live with “inconvenience”, or disposing of things that are sinful (Matt 5:29, 30). Some typical bad habits are the results of being ill disciplined in how we spend our time and overindulging the flesh. For example, our addiction to checking our phones, aimless surfing on the internet, mindless texting, gaming and TV serial addictions, “shopping therapy” when we are stressed or bored, staying up till the wee hours doing unnecessary and trivial things, endless hours grooming our hair or nails or other parts of the body, overeating, oversleeping, and the list goes on. The issue is that bad habits results in idols in our hearts, unedifying relationships with people that cause us to desire worldly things, do things against God’s Word, or to go to bad places that Christians should not be at. Time spent with these idols will prevent our minds from being renewed and will not allow us to build up on good habits. In fact, they take up the time that we should use to be learning God’s Word, praying, and serving. These will be our stumbling blocks and must be removed. We cannot assume that they are harmless. What and who we spend time with (your favourite Korean movie star via Youtube for example) will affect your Christian walk – “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” (1 Cor 15:33). Recognise and face up to them, and be determined to stop doing them.

Building regular schedules to inculcate good habits. Ultimately, it is about being disciplined. Stop giving excuses and giving in to the flesh. Nobody could have had a busier schedule than our Lord Jesus Christ. And with the preaching and crowds that met Him, one would think that He would be the last to have something remotely regular. But even in the final week of Jesus’ Passion before His crucifixion, we are told that “in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.” (Luke 21:37, 38) Despite much to do, our Lord had a regular pattern. There was no internet posting Christ’s preaching schedule each day, but the people, accustomed to His pattern, knew when to expect Him and could wait for Him.

Most of us will remember having a school timetable. It would specify the time the first class started for the day, what time would the tea or lunch break be, and when school would be dismissed. Most mothers would agree that often, the child’s life then works around this schedule. This school timetable would often determine what time the child was woken up each morning, what time was breakfast, and so on. This regularity helps in building habits. Mothers know that when kids come back from school, they may be hungry and may need a snack. Then it is time to nap so that the little ones can sustain their energy to go to church for the prayer meeting or fellowship meeting that night. Sleeping times and patterns are adjusted to fit what is deemed important in the child’s life. This comes through planning and scheduling. But come holidays or when we grow up, it is then really left up to the individual how to spend their time – and this is where many often fail and backslide. I have spoken to many adults who tell me that their first habit in the morning has always been to do their Quiet Time with God. It may be even before they take their morning cup of coffee. After that, it may be a time of exercise before they go about the needed duties for the day. They build their schedule around doing what they need to do for the day, and make sure that they don’t miss out on the essentials.

This week, we can only look at 2 aspects of building good Christian habits, and both are important starting points. If we allow our schedules to be taken up with unedifying routines and bad habits, our Christian walk will ultimately be affected and there’s no one to blame but ourselves. Maintaining our walk with God often begins with planning our schedules around things that will help us to do so. What exactly should we plan to put into our schedules? We will look at a few areas next week. Even the world understands this and has a saying, “Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”

Yours in our Lord’s service

Pastor