3 Ways to Form Your Faith Habits
Did you know that it takes about 21 days to form a habit and 90 days to get it to stick?
That’s roughly three weeks for a habit to form, and then three months for it to become an active part of your lifestyle!
Charles Duhigg says in The Power of Habit,“You can't extinguish a bad habit, you can only change it.”
Read that again.
You can’t extinguish a bad habit once it’s put into place and you can only change what’s already set within your habits.
Makes us stop to think how important it is that we’re on the right track when establishing our habits, especially in the areas of our faith.
Reading the stories of Solomon, David, and Jonah, maybe it makes you wonder how Solomon could have gone astray so easily or how David could have messed up so big or how Jonah could have so foolishly run away from his calling.
But if you look at how these men of the Bible detoured from their faith, it all comes down to what they believed that distracted them from God’s plan.
So what are some things to watch for that could cause you to loose your footing in your faith:
Beliefs weaken after repetition. Constant opposition changes your belief on something.
Belief change happens gradually. Changes don’t happen overnight. Beliefs weaken as you receives messages that go against your beliefs.
Belief change occur after introduction. Beliefs slowly begin to change as you entertain the concepts that pose directly against your beliefs.
What you believe determines how you form your habits which defines who you are.
See the cycle?
So today, we’re going to take a look at three steps on how to form your faith habits.
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Colossians 1:21-23
Stabilize your Foundation
Before you form your habits, you have to remember the original state that we came from.
There are many conflicting beliefs out there that claim man is inherently good or inherently evil. For instance, Thomas Hobbes advocated that man is nasty, brutish, and solitary while Jean Jacques Rousseau is inherently good.
But which one is correct?
Instead of worldly philosophies, let’s look at how Paul walks us through the transformation of salvation in the tail-end verses of Colossians 1.
Paul calls us people who“once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds” (v. 21).
It’s interesting to note here how Paul sets up the the beginning of the chapter by being very encouraging to the Colossae Church.
Why now does he accuse them of being hostile and doing evil?
Paul is describing the state of man’s mind, physical status, and actions prior to their relationship with Christ.
We, too, have to remember where we came from before Christ intersected with our lives, and Romans 3:10-18 gives us a pretty cringe-worthy account.
Without Christ, we….
Do not understand (Romans 8:7)
Do not seek God
Turn aside (from Him)
Are worthless
Do not do good
Speak evil
Our words are equated to venom
Quick to hurt others
Our actions lead to ruin
Do not understand peace or God
Our natural state of being is being at odds with God. The ultimate consequence is death (Romans 6:23). Ephesians 2:5 says, “We were dead in our trespasses.” The Greek word dead is neckros, meaning dead body/ tissue. Not exactly a profile-worthy picture.
Without some extrinsic force and a total transformation, we had no hope.
We were in desperate need of saving.
Knowing the foundational concepts of where we came from helps us realize the absolute need for redemption and reliance on God to bring about our transformation.
We stabilize our thinking by recognizing our original state before Christ brought a total transformation.
2. Remain Steadfast in Your Transformation
He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death.
Colossians 1:22
Recognizing where we came from makes us value where God is taking us.
Paul does not leave us hopeless, however, and does not present this problem without a direct solution.
Knowing the exact state that we came from highlights how Christ’s death provided a direct and specific solution to our sinful state.
Our lives were crushed under the weight of sin.—It was the will of the Lord to crush Christ on the cross (Isaiah 53:10).
The consequence of our sin is death.—Jesus died on the cross.
We were at odds with God—Jesus reconciled us, bringing us back and reconciling a harmonious relationship.
Sin set death in motion on a trajectory that could not be undone.—Jesus paid for the consequences of sin, setting us free from death.
Our sin brought death.—Jesus’ death brought us eternal life.
Hebrews 9:22 says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.” He (Christ) brought you out of your trajectory and destruction by His flesh and shedding of His blood. Christ’s ultimate sacrifice was the solution that brought us abundant life!
I was snowboarding in Kuhtai, Austria, for the first time on a large mountain. Since I only snowboarded the hills in PA, it was a new experience. My host brother and I would go mountain to mountain, and there were certain sections that were so narrow it dropped off into a gorge. I had to remain steady and not shift my weight or else I could have died.
This Christian life is like hiking a harrowing mountain trek. We must be careful to cling to truth and not engage in behaviors or attitudes that threaten the precious relationship Christ’s grace has made a way for us to experience.
Since Jesus saved us from so much, it challenges us to remain steadfast in His salvation. It inspires us want to live in a manner that does not threaten undo the work of transformation Christ has begun in us.
Christ’s shed blood makes us shift our tactics to preserve and encourage the transformative work in us.
3. Shift your Perspective
“Present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”
Colossians 1:22
If Christ brought a complete transformation, maybe you’re asking, “Why do I still sin?” Why are we still in the middle of our sinful state yet are asked to be “blameless and above reproach”?
Maybe this Latin term Martin Luther, Father of the Reformation, came up with can help. Martin Luther came up with the Latin formula—simul justus et peckator.
Let’s break down this saying:
Simul means simultaneously, at the same time.
Justus means just, or righteous.
Et simply means “and.”
Peccator means sinner
Luther is literally saying that we are at the same time both sinners and justified.
R. C. Sproul says, “One perspective, in one sense, we are just. In another sense, from a different perspective, we are sinners; and how he [Luther] defines that is simple. In and of ourselves, under the analysis of God’s scrutiny, we still have sin; we’re still sinners. But, by imputation and by faith in Jesus Christ, whose righteousness is now transferred to our account, then we are considered just or righteous. This is the very heart of the gospel.”
So we still struggle against our flesh and we still sin, but in another view, we are completely justified because of Christ’s work on the cross.
By imputation and faith in Jesus, His righteousness is now credited to our account, and we are considered just or righteous God’s eyes!!!
Here’s where we get to another big, important term: double imputation.
Double imputation means sin is imputed (assigned) to Jesus, and his righteousness is imputed to me.
We can shift our perspective from being sinners to justified saints because of what Christ accomplished. We can walk blameless and holy even when we battle against sin because the value of Christ’s death has been transferred to our life account!
Recognizing where we come from before Christ and understanding what God has done for you to experience newness of life gives us the foundation for forming habits that keeps us founded in our faith.