Breaking a Habit
"How shall I a habit break?"
As you did that habit make.
As you gathered, you must lose;
As you yielded, now refuse.
Thread by thread the strands we twist
Till they bind us neck and wrist;
Thread by thread the patient hand
Must untwine ere free we stand.
As we builded, stone by stone,
We must toil, unhelped, alone,
till the wall is overthrown.
But remember, as we try,
Lighter every test goes by;
Wading in, the stream goes deep
Toward the current's downward sweep;
Backward turn, each step toward shore
Shallower is than that before.
-John Boyle O'Reilly
Not all habits are redundant and not-so-big-a-deal. Someone could possess the habit of cursing, forgetfulness, gossip, procrastination, or lying. Even prejudgement can be a habit!
A habit could also be known as a tendency or a practice. If some practices are not stopped, they can lead to destruction. If a tendency - however slight - is not broken, it can tend to dishonor and penury. "In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury." Proverbs 14:23
We all have a will. No matter how sweet the heart, every single will is stubborn and strong. And I promise and guarantee we all have at least one tendency, one practice, one habit, that is not worth keeping. We must conquer our habits with our will, and when they are too binding to overcome, the Lord Most High is there to help us break those chains.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Galatians 5:22-25
