Amen. All right, we're there in 2 Corinthians chapter number 5, and of course on Sunday mornings
we started last week a brand new series entitled Habits, How to Develop Good and How to Break Bad
Habits. And if you remember from last week, we started with an introductory sermon
entitled The Power of Habits, Why You Would Even Want to Develop Good Habits or Why You'd Want to Break Bad Habits.
And I would encourage you if you weren't with us last week to check that sermon out. You can find it on our YouTube channel,
our website, and
this morning we're going to continue on with the subject of habits. And today
we're going to look at the idea of how to develop good habits, how to develop good habits.
We talked about the power of habits last week, how to develop good habits this week. Next week
we're going to talk about how to break bad habits.
And then we'll end the series with a sermon on how to dial in your habits. And this morning
I want to give you three thoughts in regards to
habit formation or how to develop good habits. Because here's what we all know, good habits are hard to
develop. Bad habits are easy to develop. In fact, you develop those without even trying.
And they just, you know, you just wake up one day and you realize you've developed all these bad habits.
Good habits are hard to develop and easy to break. I want to speak to you about how to develop good habits. Now
obviously when we're talking about a habit, if you remember from last week, a habit is something that we do routinely,
regularly, and sometimes even automatically. And again, these would be good things, it could be bad things. Next week
we're going to talk about breaking bad habits. A habit, in order for you to do a habit,
you're going to have to perform it on a regular basis, whether it's a daily habit or a weekly habit or even a monthly habit.
It has to be performed on a regular basis.
I think we all understand that. When it comes to developing good habits though, there are
some thoughts in regards to how you must change. Because when we're talking about developing good habits,
that's really what we're talking about. We're talking about changing your behavior. We're talking about changing the things you do,
starting, and again next week we'll talk about breaking bad habits, stopping,
doing bad things. And when we're talking about good habits, we're talking about starting up good habits.
So I want to give you three thoughts this morning, and we'll go through it as quickly as we can.
Three thoughts in regards to how to develop good habits, how to develop good habits.
I would encourage you to take some notes down on the back of your course of the week.
There's a place for you to write some things down, and we want to talk about developing good habits.
And again, this goes alongside with the idea that if you're going to develop a habit, you're going to have to do it on a regular basis.
If it's a daily habit, a weekly habit, something you want to do two or three times a week,
maybe you want to develop a habit of exercising two to three times a week.
Obviously, you're going to have to do that. You're going to have to do
the exercise two to three times a week. You want to develop a habit of Bible reading. I'd encourage everybody to develop a
habit of Bible reading. You want to do that every day, or prayer time, or soul winning once a week, whatever it may be.
You're going to have to do that. The problem is that people say, well, yeah,
simply said that that's easy.
I understand that I have to exercise two or three times a week to develop that habit,
but how do I get myself to actually do it? How do I get myself to actually go there?
Let me give you three thoughts this morning, and hopefully they'll help you out.
You're there in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, look at verse 17. Notice what the Bible says. It's a very famous verse.
The Bible says, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.
All things are passed away.
Behold, all things are become new. This is a verse that is telling us that when you got saved,
and hopefully if you're here this morning, you're saved. If you're not sure you're on your way to heaven,
please don't leave here without letting us show you. You can be 100% sure you're on your way to heaven,
and it has nothing to do with your habits.
It has nothing to do with the things you do. It has nothing to do with how religious you are.
It's all about believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, and we'd love to show that to you and explain that to you.
But if you're here this morning, you say, I'm saved. I know I'm a believer. I've accepted Christ as my Savior.
I've called upon Him in faith for salvation.
I know I'm on my way to heaven. Then the Bible says that when you got saved, you became a new creature.
Now, sometimes people misunderstand this verse, and they'll say, oh, well, if you get saved, then you're never going to
do anything wrong anymore. You're not going to sin anymore.
You're not going to have the struggles of the old life anymore.
And that's not true, because though you are a new creature, you still have the old man.
You have an old man, and you have a new man, and these are often at odds with each other.
But I want you to notice that the Bible does say, if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.
You say, what does this have to do with habit formation, or what does this have to do with developing good habits?
Here's point number one. To develop good habits, you must change your identity.
If you're going to develop good habits, you're going to have to change your identity.
You're going to have to change the way you see yourself. See, to change in life,
to change your behavior, to change your conduct, you must change your identity.
You say, well, how in the world do I change my identity? Two ways. First of all, we change our identity
by changing what we do.
You change your identity by changing what you do. Now, here's the good news. If you're saved, you already have a new identity.
We read it, right? Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.
All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. When you got saved, when you called upon Christ for salvation,
God gave you a new man. God made you a new person. You were created a new,
you became a new creature, and God gave you a new identity.
Have you ever noticed, and I'm not going to take the time to go through and show you all the verses,
you'll have to look those up on your own if you'd like, but have you ever noticed in the Bible how God often changes the
names of individuals in the Bible? And you'll notice that that change in their name doesn't always happen when they got saved.
Sometimes it happens when they got saved, but it usually always happens when they begin to follow
God, or begin to be a follower of God, because please understand this, getting saved and being a follower of Jesus Christ are two different things.
You can be saved to not be a follower.
You can be saved to not be a disciple.
But you'll notice in the Bible that God will often change the names of individuals. You say, give me some examples.
Well, you remember Abram? God changed his name to Abraham.
You remember his wife Sarai? God changed her name to Sarah. You remember
Jacob? His name was changed to
Israel. If you remember Saul, his name was changed to Paul. If you remember Simon, his name was changed to Peter. All throughout the Bible
we have these examples of individuals that had their names changed. You say, why does God do that?
Here's why. Because it changes. He's changing their identity.
See, Jacob was known as a
supplanter. He was known as a thief. He was known as a liar. He was known as
as a sneaky person, a
bad person, but God changed his name to Israel. Why? Because as a prince he had power with God and with men.
Abraham, Abram was known as someone that
did not have children.
Abram was known as someone that did not have a legacy. Abraham was known as someone that was unable to have children.
Abraham, on the other hand, was known as the father of a great nation. And
with that change in name, there came a change in
identity. See, oftentimes God understands this and and God tries to teach this to us that if you're going to change your
identity,
if you're going to change, you must change your identity. And you say, well if I'm going to change my identity,
how do I do that? You've got to change the things you do. See, if you're saved, you already have a new identity.
It's in Christ.
You say, yes pastor, I understand. Go to Ephesians chapter 5 if you would. You're there in 2 Corinthians. Just go
Paschalations into the book of Ephesians. Your new identity is in Christ. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature.
All things are passed away. Behold, all things have become new.
Go to Ephesians chapter 5, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians. You say, Pastor, I understand. When I got saved,
I became a new creature in Christ. I got a new identity in Christ. I became a new man in Christ.
The problem is that before I got saved, I was lazy. And after I got saved, I'm still lazy.
The problem is that before I got saved, I smoked. And now after I got saved, I still smoke.
The problem is before I got saved, I lacked character. I lacked discipline.
I lacked integrity. And then I got saved, and you wouldn't believe it. I still lack character. I still lack integrity.
I still lack discipline.
Well, again, that goes to the idea that salvation is not of works.
You don't get changed by turning over a new leaf. You don't get changed by repenting of your sins.
You don't get saved by changing anything. Look, when you got saved, all that change was your
destination where you would go when you died.
But God did give you a new identity.
You say, well, how does that help me? Well, here's the thing. You've got to walk in that identity.
Ephesians 5, look at verse 8. Notice what he says.
For ye were...
Notice the past tense.
Ye were in the past. Ye were sometimes darkness. That was your old identity.
Your old identity before salvation was darkness.
Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For ye were
sometimes darkness. Notice, but now, present tense, are ye light. That's your new identity.
Your old identity, darkness, your new identity, light. But notice, it only works if you work it. Notice,
but now are ye light in the world. Notice these words. Walk as
children of light.
The Bible says, but you are light. Yes, God says you are light, but now I want you to actually walk as
though you are children of light. See, it's not enough to get a new identity. You have to walk in that identity.
You have to actually begin to do... See, you say, how do I change my identity? You change your identity by changing what you do.
You're there in Ephesians. Go to Ephesians chapter 4. You're there in Ephesians 5. Flip back to Ephesians chapter 4.
We've seen these verses recently, but they're good verses to kind of deal with this, and I want you to see them again.
You say, I don't want to... You don't understand. You know, I've just always been this way.
I've always been late. Everywhere I go, I'm always late. I get fired from jobs for being late. Well, that's ridiculous.
You need to change something. You know, I've always just lied. I lie even when I don't need to. I've just always lied.
I steal. I just steal things. You know, I've always just been lazy.
I've always been... See, you have these identities, and you say, I want to change it, but I don't know how.
The most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do.
Ephesians 4. You say, that's not very deep. Well, look at what the Bible says. Ephesians 4.22. We've seen this.
Look at it again. Ephesians 4.22.
That ye put off. I like this passage because the Apostle Paul deals with our conduct and behavior and our actions as though they are something that, like clothes, it's a choice.
See, here's the thing about clothes. You choose what you put on. Yes, some of you decided to come to church the way you look, and I'm just kidding. You all look great. Fabulous.
But the thing about clothing is that we choose to put things on. We choose to take things off, and Paul says, look, your conduct, your behavior are choices you make.
Notice that you put off like a garment. That you put off concerning the former conversation. You see that term, former conversation?
The word conversation is an older word in our King James Bible that means your lifestyle, your conduct, or your behavior.
The former conversation is your old lifestyle, your old conduct, your old behavior. Notice that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man.
That's your old identity. Darkness.
Which is corrupt according to deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. We're going to come back to verse 23 later on in the sermon. Look at verse 24.
That ye put on. Why don't you notice the three steps in these three verses? Step one, you remove. Step two, you renew. Step three, you replace.
You put off some things, and then you put on some things that you put on the new man. What's the new man? That's your new identity, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
See, you must change. You say, I want to develop some good habits. Well, you must change your identity. You say, how do I do that?
You change your identity by changing what you do. The most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do. Now, some of you are sitting here thinking, yeah, but you know, this sounds very spiritual. This sounds very religious.
How's this really going to help me really changing my identity, walking in Christ, being a new creature. How's that really going to help me in life?
But please understand this. I'm not trying to sell you on a spiritual concept, although it is a spiritual concept. You need to understand that the more you repeat a behavior, the more you reinforce the identity associated with that behavior.
Here's an example. Somebody offers you some cigarettes. It's a group of people smoking. You walk outside, maybe on your break or whatever, group of people smoking. Somebody offers you a cigarette.
One person says, no thanks, I'm trying to quit. The other person says, no thanks, I'm not a smoker. What's the difference? Identity. I'm not a smoker is my identity. I'm trying to quit is not an identity.
This is one of the problems that I have, and look, I understand we've got people that have gone to AA programs, and I'm thankful for AA programs and the benefits that they've had. I know they've helped people and all of that.
But one of the problems that I have with the AA program is this idea where you identify yourself as, hi, my name is so-and-so. I'm an alcoholic.
Well, your identity, see, in Christ you're a new creature. The old man might be an alcoholic, but not the new man. All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.
See, building better habits is not about doing. Please understand this. Building better habits is not about doing something new. It's not about having something new. It is about becoming someone new.
And the more you repeat a behavior, the more you reinforce the identity associated with that behavior. See, you may start by going running. You may start by going running. You start going running and run. You run and run and run.
But eventually you stop going running and you're just a runner. I remember having a talk with Pastor Anderson. Pastor Anderson, he likes to run. He's a runner.
I remember talking to him about how he got started running. And he told me, you know, he got started running because he used to do kickboxing or some sort of martial arts, something like that.
He wanted to build up his endurance to be able to do that better, so he started running to build up his endurance to do that better. So he got injured and he needed to kind of take a break from that anyway, so he started running on a regular basis.
Well, after running and running and running and running for weeks and weeks and months and months, he realized he just liked running. He forgot about the other thing. Now he just runs.
You know, he was going running for a certain purpose, but eventually he did that so much that just became his identity.
You want to know why some people love to run? And I'm not telling you you need to run. I'm just giving you an example. Some people love to run and some people force themselves to run. Here's the difference, their identity.
The person says, well, I got to go running because I'm trying to lose weight. I got to go running because I'm trying to exercise. I got to go running.
But eventually when you repeat a behavior enough, it reinforces an identity where you just say, no, no, I don't have to go run. I'm a runner.
You may start by trying to create art, but you do that long enough, eventually you'll be an artist.
You may start by playing an instrument and practicing an instrument, but you do that long enough, eventually you'll be a musician.
You say, there's a difference between, oh, you play the piano? Yeah, I play the piano. And there's a difference between that and somebody says, no, I'm a pianist.
You may start by going soul winning. You do it long enough, repeat it enough, you'll be a soul winner.
See, some people say, oh, I got started and look, I understand this. I'm not knocking this. We all have to start somewhere.
But sometimes people get into a church like this and they say, well, I'm here and I'm going to try it. I'm just going to try what the preaching says.
This is all new to me and I'm trying this. But here's the point. Eventually, look, one day you come to a church like this.
You come to a church like this. You participate in a church like this. You get involved in a church like this.
You support a church like this. You like a church like this. But one day, one day you wake up and you're like, oh, yeah, I'm going to that Baptist church.
And then one day you wake up and you realize, no, I'm not going to a Baptist church, I'm a Baptist.
I'm not going to a fundamentalist, independent Baptist church. I'm an independent, fundamental Baptist.
I'm not going soul winning. I'm a soul winner.
See, as you repeat a behavior, repeat a behavior, repeat a behavior, you reinforce the identity associated with that behavior.
So you say, what do I need to do to develop a good habit? You must change your identity.
Quit saying, I'm trying to quit drinking alcohol and say, I don't, I'm not an alcoholic. I'm not a smoker. I'm not a drug user.
I'm a new creature in Christ. Because as you identify yourself, as you identify yourself with the things you do.
And by the way, you didn't set out, you didn't set out to be known as the rebellious brat teenager.
You just started rebelling and being a brat. And you did that repeated enough to where this is how your parents became to know you.
You didn't set out to be known as the untrustworthy liar. You just started lying and became untrustworthy.
And now this is how you're known. You didn't set out to be known as the person who spends all their money and never saves.
You just started spending all your money and never saving. And here's what I'm saying. You say, but that's who I am.
Yes, but you can change that identity. You say, well, how do I do that? Slowly by slowly start telling the truth.
Slowly by slowly start saving some money. Slowly but slowly start having the right attitude. Slowly by slowly.
Step by step like we talked about last week. Line upon line. Precept upon precept. Here a little. There a little.
Start moving in the direction and performing the action that you want to be known for.
And one day it won't be something you do. It'll be someone you are.
You say, how do you develop good habits? You must change your identity. You say, how do I do that?
You must change your identity by changing what you do that ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man.
And ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
See, they used to know you as a drunkard. They used to know you as a drug addict. They used to know you as a crook.
They used to know you as a thief. But when you start putting those things off and you start putting those things on,
eventually they'll start saying, oh, he's not a drunkard anymore. He's a Bible thumper.
Oh, he's not a criminal anymore. He's a Christian.
You develop good habits by changing your identity. How do I change it?
You change your identity by changing what you do. The most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do.
You just keep going soul-wanting long enough. You just run enough times.
You just sit down at that piano enough practices or with that violin enough times.
You just keep doing what you want to be and eventually it'll become part of your identity.
So you change your identity by changing what you do. There's another way to change your identity.
Go to Proverbs chapter 13, if you would. Proverbs 13. If you open your Bible just right in the center,
you'll more than likely follow the book of Psalms. Right after Psalms you have the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 13.
The first truth this morning to develop good habits is to change your identity. How do you do that?
You change your identity by changing what you do. There's a second thing you can do to help change your identity.
You change your identity by changing what you do. You also change your identity by changing who you spend time with.
The closer we are to someone, the more likely we are to imitate their habits.
Proverbs 13. You know these verses. Let's look at them together. Proverbs 13 verse 20.
He that walketh with wise men. It's not a coincidence.
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise. But, here's the compare and contrast.
But a companion of fools shall be destroyed. See, when you walk with wise people, you end up being wise like a wise person.
When you walk with foolish people, you end up being destroyed like a foolish person. Why?
Because the closer we are to someone, the more likely we are to imitate their habits.
Go to Proverbs 27. You're there in Proverbs 13. Flip over to Proverbs 27.
Here's the truth. We don't choose our earliest habits. We imitate them.
Look at children with their parents. You'll talk to a young person, a young man, a young lady, and as you talk to them, you'll say,
Man, you sound just like your dad. You sound just like your mom. You sound just like this or just like that.
Oftentimes, the guys that we train to preach here at our church, especially the ones on staff, they'll be told,
and I don't know if they take this as a compliment. They might not take it as a compliment, but they'll say,
Man, you preach. You sound like Pastor Jimenez. Well, they listen to Pastor Jimenez a lot.
We don't choose our earliest habits. We imitate them.
Proverbs 27, verse 17, Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friends.
See, your friends will determine the quality and the direction of your life.
You young people, please listen up. If you don't listen to preaching often, please just listen right now.
Your friends will determine the quality and the direction of your life.
You will be like the people you spend time with.
The closer we are to someone, the more likely we are to imitate their habits.
By the way, this is why the drunkard on the job, this is why the drug addict on the job,
this is why the blasphemous person on the job, this is why the vulgar person on the job,
we should be kind, we should be friendly, but they shouldn't be your friends.
You say, Why? Because you'll end up being just like them.
The closer we are to someone, the more likely we are to imitate their habits.
And young people especially need to understand this.
Please, young people, you teenagers, listen up.
Young people need to have the fortitude and need to have the strength.
Please listen to me. If you want to grow up to be a Daniel, if you want to grow up to be a Joseph,
if you want to grow up to be a David, young people need to have the fortitude and the strength
to walk away and stay away from their peers when their peers begin to act like fools.
You say, But if I do that, they'll make fun of me. Let them make fun of you.
They're going to be fools that will be destroyed. He that walketh with wise men shall be wise.
You don't worry about what they say about you.
You don't worry about the names they call you, the things they make fun of you about.
You don't worry about that. You realize that the closer you are to someone,
the more likely you are to imitate their habits. And if their habits are no good, stay away.
Why? Because you change your identity by changing who you spend time with.
Listen to me. Anybody, anybody, any dead fish can float downstream.
It takes strength. It takes character. It takes integrity.
It takes, it takes, it actually takes some energy to say,
No, I don't want to talk about that show you're watching.
No, I don't want to talk about that music you're listening to.
No, I don't want to talk with you about that. I'm going to walk away.
Look, any dead fish can flow downstream.
You realize and you realize that the people you spend time, you will imitate them.
So spend time with the right people.
Your friends will determine the quality and direction of your life.
If you want to be a fool, hang out with a bunch of fools.
If you want to be wise, get around wise people.
By the way, it works in every area of life.
If you want to be financially successful, get around financially successful people.
You want to be broke? Hang out with broke people.
You want to be fat? Hang out with fat people.
You want to be healthy? Hang out with healthy people.
It works in every area of life.
You change your identity by changing who you spend time with.
Go to 1 Corinthians chapter 12.
I meant to tell you to keep your place in 2 Corinthians. I'm not sure if I did that. I don't think I did that.
If you happen to have your place in 2 Corinthians, just flip back to 1 Corinthians.
If not, just find 1 Corinthians chapter 12.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians chapter 12.
We must change our identity to develop good habits.
We change our identity by changing what you do.
You change your identity by changing who you spend time with.
The closer we are to someone, the more likely we are to imitate their habits.
And let me just say this about who you spend time with.
Nothing sustains motivation more than belonging to a group.
You know that we as human beings want to belong to groups?
We want to be part of a community.
That's why social media works so well.
Social media works so well because everybody wants to be part of a group.
1 Corinthians 12, look at verse 18.
The Bible says this, you know that God already gave you a group you should belong to.
It's called the local New Testament church.
1 Corinthians 12, 18, but now have.
Please look down at these verses.
Remember the local New Testament church?
I don't know if you know much about the local New Testament church. Let me just fill you in on something.
It's very important to the Lord Jesus Christ.
In fact, it's so important to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible says that Jesus died for the church.
The Bible says that Jesus is the head of the church.
The Bible says that Jesus builds the church.
The Bible says that the church is the body of Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 18 we're told this,
But now hath God set the members, every one of them, in the body.
Now the body here is referring to the local church.
That's the analogy that's being used here.
The member there is talking about the body parts that have been placed in the church.
And we would call these church members.
You say, I'm a member of the early Baptist church.
Well, let me explain something to you.
If you're a member here, do you know who brought you here?
You say, I brought myself here. No, you didn't.
But now have God set the members, every one of them in the body.
Notice these words, as they have pleased him.
I don't like this church. I think I'm going to go find another church that I like better.
Yeah, but this is the church that God liked for you better.
I liked that other pastor better.
Yeah, but that other pastor might not tell you what you need to hear.
And maybe God brought you here because it didn't please you, but it has pleased him.
As it has pleased him.
But now have God set the members, every one of them, in the body, as it has pleased not you.
People say, find the church you like.
How about you find the church God likes?
How about you find the church God put you in?
How about you find the church that God set you to be a part in?
Look at verse 24, same chapter, 1 Corinthians 12, verse 24.
For our commonly parts have no need.
Notice, but God had tempered, the word temper means to mix together, amalgamation.
It means to mix it together.
But God had tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to the part which lacketh.
Here's the truth, your identity becomes linked with those who you surround yourself with.
So surround yourself with God's people.
Go to Acts 2.
Acts 2, there in 1 Corinthians, go back to Romans, the book of Acts, Acts chapter 2.
And look, please don't misunderstand me.
I do believe that there is a time, I believe that there are times when God moves people,
and it's time for people to move, and they go and they find another local independent Baptist church,
and King James only, and soul winning, and all that, and I think that's fine.
You know, if you said to me, I got a job offer at this place,
first question I'd ask you is like, what church are you going to go to?
Oh, there's no good church in the area.
Then it's not God's will for your life.
How can you say that?
Because the local church is God's will for your life.
Now if there's a good church in the area, praise the Lord.
We'll celebrate it and we'll be glad for you.
But with that said, let me just say this.
Don't be so flippant about church attendance and church membership,
because the Bible says, as we just read, God has divinely placed you where you find yourself.
Acts 2, 47, praising God and having favor with all the people.
And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Who added to the church? The Lord added to the church.
Look, I'm not trying to, look, take this to the right.
I hope, I'm praying the Holy Spirit helps me to communicate this in the proper way.
Sometimes people come to a church like this, let me tell you something.
I believe Verity Baptist Church is the greatest church in the world.
Not because of your pastor or your pastor's wife, but because of you.
And sometimes people come to a church like this, and they're like,
you know, this is great, the preaching's great, the fellowship's great, the counseling's great,
everything's great, people are great, the homeschool group's great, this is great, this is great, everything's great.
But it's in California.
So I'm going to move to Alaska.
Because there's a church there, and look, I don't even have a church in Alaska, I'm just giving you an example.
And people think, oh, you're going to find this there, and the truth is, you're not going to find this there.
All churches are different.
Not every Baptist church is created equal. I don't know how else to say that, and I'll try to say that in the spirit that I can.
Don't get this idea, you say, well, Pastor Jimenez and Ms. Joanne, they do this and this, they spend time with us,
and they give us this, and they spend time, and they take us out to eat, and they write notes, and this,
so any church will do that. No, no, hate to break it to you, no.
Not every church is going to treat you like the way this church treats you.
And I'm not even talking about us, I'm just talking about the great people of Verity Baptist Church, you're not going to find them everywhere.
God has divinely placed you here. It is the Lord that added to the church daily. Such as should be saved.
So here's the goal for every believer. Here's the goal you should have for every convert.
Every convert should believe, that's salvation. They should become, that's discipleship, and they should belong.
That's church membership.
Why? Because you change your identity by changing who you spend time with.
Because the people you spend time with are likely to influence your habits.
And nothing sustains motivation more than belonging to a group.
By the way, that's why, that's why people say, oh, I'm just going to go soul winning on my own.
And I'm all four people going soul winning on their own, I think that's great, but I'll just tell you the truth,
it's really hard to go soul winning on your own and to sustain that for ten years.
It's easier when you show up on Saturday morning like we had yesterday morning and 111 people show up.
There's just something about belonging to a group that helps.
Because nothing sustains you, nothing sustains you like belonging to a group.
So make sure you belong, you say, how do I change my identity?
Because I want to develop a good habit and in order to do that I need to change the way I see myself, how do I do that?
Well, you change your identity by changing what you do and you change your identity by changing who you spend time with.
Number two, let me give you a second thought.
You're there in Acts, go to Romans, after the book of Acts you have the book of Romans, Romans chapter 12.
Remember we talked about it last week, two are better than one.
Look, here's what I'm telling you, find somebody to live life with.
I'm not just talking about a spouse, although that's a good place to start.
I'm talking about find people that are going in the same, none of us are perfect obviously, none of us have arrived.
But find people that are going in the same direction you want to be going with and say I'm going to start hanging out with those people.
I'm going to start talking to those people, I'm going to start fellowshipping those people.
And you might realize, you might find, you start being like them.
They start being like you.
And your identity begins to change.
So number one, to develop good habits you must change your identity.
Number two, to develop good habits you must renew your mind.
Renew your mind, Romans 12, verse 1.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Look at verse two, and be not conformed to this world.
That's the old identity, right?
Be not conformed, that's the former conversation, the things you used to do.
And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed, that's the change.
How do I change?
By the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
If you are going to develop good habits you must renew your mind.
You say, but there you go again, you're a pastor, there you go again with all that spiritual talk.
Renew my mind, what does that mean? Renew my mind.
Renewing your mind simply means this.
We renew our minds by reframing our thoughts.
When we talk about renewing your mind, and this is a concept found all throughout the Bible, we renew our mind by reframe.
You know what it means to reframe? Like you put a picture in a frame, you say, well I've got it in this frame, but I want to reframe it.
I'm going to take it out of this frame, and I'm going to put it in a different frame.
You've got to reframe your thoughts. That's all it means to renew your mind.
You say, I want to be transformed. Alright, well you're transformed by the renewing of your mind.
How do I renew my mind? You renew your mind by reframing your thoughts.
You say, what does that mean? Go back to Ephesians if you would, Ephesians chapter 4.
You're there in Romans, you've got 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians.
While you turn there, let me just kind of explain to you something about habit and habit development.
What is it that you're really trying to do when you develop a habit?
And again, it's really easy for us to develop bad habits and really difficult to develop good habits, so think of this in the context of a bad habit.
What is it that you're trying to do when you develop a habit?
I mean, what was it that you were trying to do when you started smoking?
When you started drinking? When you started doing drugs?
See, when you perform a habit, first of all, your initial give in, you probably gave in because you were hanging out with people that were smoking and drinking and doing drugs.
Let's be honest. Your friends will determine the quality and direction of your life.
But you say, but yeah, but then I started doing it on my own. Yeah, that's the problem.
Then it became a habit or an addiction. When you perform a habit, what you are fulfilling is a craving.
You are fulfilling a craving and what you really want is to feel different because the craving is a sense that something is missing. It's discontentment.
You feel an urge. You feel a craving and here's what you're feeling, discontentment. Something's missing.
I need to smoke. I need to drink. I need to gamble. Whatever it is.
When you perform a habit, you're fulfilling a craving and what the craving is, is what you really want is to feel different than you feel right now because the craving is a sense that something is missing.
It is a sense of discontentment. You usually feel a craving or that sense of discontentment after perceiving a cue.
We're going to talk about that next week when we talk about breaking bad habits. You say, but what does that have to do with reframing your mind?
See, renewing your mind means reframing your thoughts and you say, well, what does that mean? We reframe our thoughts to change our behavior.
The idea is this, when you reframe your thoughts, you've really got to just start thinking differently about whatever it is that you want to change.
Let me show you again from the Bible and then I'll give you some examples. Ephesians 4, 22, we looked at it.
That you put off, that's step one, right? Remove concerning the former conversation, the old man which is corrupt according to deceitful laws.
Verse 24, and that you put on the new man that's replaced, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Notice between remove and replace, between verses 22 and 24, you have verse 23, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
See, you've got to remove, you've got to renew, you've got to replace. The renewal needs to happen in the midst of behavioral change.
You say, what does that mean? Look, you can make good habits more attractive by reframing the habit to highlight their benefits, not the drawbacks.
So, what does that mean? When we associate discipline with sacrifice, we tend to dread it.
But when we associate it with a benefit, you may find you begin to look forward to it.
You understand what I'm saying? You say, when you say, I really just don't want to get on that treadmill, I really don't want to get on the elliptical, I really don't want to go running, I mean I just hate it so much.
It's going to hurt for 15 minutes or 30 minutes or for some of you 3 minutes, whatever, however long you do it.
And I just really, and you dread it, in your mind you dread it.
But if you reframed your thoughts, if you renewed your mind to say, I don't like it, but I like the benefit that comes with it because when I do it long enough,
I'm not healthy, but I do it long enough and eventually I won't be doing healthy things, I'll be a healthy person.
I do it long enough, there's a benefit. See, when we reframe our thoughts,
when we take a good habit, we can make it more attractive by reframing the habit to highlight the benefit, not the drawbacks.
So you're trying to save money, and if all you focus on is the negative, I can't go out to eat, I can't go get a cup of coffee, I can't go do this, I can't go do that,
that's why your habits fail because you just focus on the negative.
But if you say, yeah, it really stinks that I can't go out to eat right now, but it's going to be great when we go on that vacation we're saving for,
it's going to be great when we make that purchase we're saving for, it's going to be great when we do this and all of a sudden you might find that you actually start looking forward to.
You say, I dread budgeting, but you might start looking forward to your budgeting time when you realize there's actually a little bit of a dopamine that is released
when you take that money and say, I'm going to put it in a savings account because, you know, we're going to go on this family vacation,
I'm going to put it in a savings account because we're going to purchase this vehicle, I'm going to put it in a savings account because we're going to do this project or do this thing that we've been wanting to do.
Here's what I'm saying is renewing your mind is just focusing on the positive, not the dread of the sacrifice, but the benefit.
When we associate discipline with sacrifice, we tend to dread it.
When we associate the benefit, you may find you begin to look forward to it.
When you wake up and say, I'm going to be healthy and I'm going to be healthy by changing what I do, I'm going to get on that treadmill, I'm going to get on that elliptical, I'm going to do that workout routine, I'm going to do, you might find you actually start looking forward to it.
Don't focus on the sacrifice, focus on the benefit.
Here's what I'm telling you, you want to develop good habits, you say, oh, this sounds, I don't know about this. Well, go ahead and keep failing at your habits then.
But people, people who develop good habits, they realize that with the change in their behavior, they must change their identity.
They realize that with the change in their behavior, they must renew their mind, they must reframe their thoughts, they must stop looking at the dread and the sacrifice of what they're trying to stop doing and they must start focusing on the benefit of why they want to, why you want to do it.
Let me give you a third one. I said, number one, to develop good habits, you must change your identity. Number two, to develop good habits, you must renew your mind.
Number three, go to Daniel chapter one, if you would, Daniel chapter one. Towards the end of the Old Testament, you've got those big major prophets, the big books of the Bible, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations of Ezekiel.
Right after Ezekiel, you have the book of Daniel, Daniel chapter one. Daniel chapter one, look at verse eight.
Here's a young man that did not give in to peer pressure. He was not a dead fish flowing downstream.
He said, how'd he do it? He must have been special. No, he wasn't special, but he did have purpose.
Daniel one, verse eight, but Daniel, notice, purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat.
Nor with the wine which he drank, therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
By the way, Daniel was not alone here. Daniel had been taken captive with all sorts of young people.
And all these young people had been told that they were going to have to defile themselves with the king's meat and with the drink that the king offered them.
And all of them gave in, but not Daniel. Not Daniel.
Would to God we'd have some Daniels around here. To stand up and say, I'm going to do right, no matter what everybody else does.
You say, what was Daniel's trick? The Bible says, but Daniel purposed in his heart.
See, to develop good habits you must one, change your identity. Two, renew your mind. Number three, you must purpose in your heart.
This is what sociologists today, people think they're so smart. They come up with these terms, and I'm not against them.
They don't realize the Bible had them in there the whole time. This is what is known as intention implementation.
You're looking at biblical intention implementation in Daniel 1 verse 8, but Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with a portion of the king's meat.
You say, I don't know what intention implementation is. Let me read to you an article and I'll explain it.
This is an article that explains why intention implementation is more important than motivation.
See, that's what you and I think. We think, I'm going to start a new habit. I need to get really motivated.
Motivation is less important than intention implementation. Let me just read this to you, hopefully it makes sense.
Here's how the article goes. It says, let's say that, like many people, you want to make a habit of exercising consistently.
And that's just an easy example. Researchers have discovered that while many people are motivated to work out, i.e. they have desire to work out and get fit.
The people who actually stick to their goals do one thing very different from everyone else.
In 2001, researchers in Great Britain began working with 248 people to build better exercise habits over the course of two weeks.
The subjects were divided into three groups. The first group was the control group. They were simply asked to track how often they exercised.
The second group was the motivation group. They were asked not only to track their workouts, but also to read some material on the benefits of exercise.
The researchers also explained to the group how exercise could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and improve their heart health.
Finally, there was the third group. These subjects received the same presentation as the second group, which ensured that they had equal levels of motivation.
However, they were also asked to formulate a plan for when and where they would exercise over the following week.
Specifically, each member of the third group completed the following sentence.
During the next week, I will partake in at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on they were to fill in the day, at they were to fill in the time, in they were to fill in the place.
After receiving these instructions, all three groups left. In the first and second groups, 35-38% of people exercised at least once per week.
Interestingly, the motivational presentation given to the second group seemed to have no meaningful impact on behavior.
But, 91% of the third group exercised at least once per week, more than double the normal rate, simply by writing down a plan that said exactly when and where they intended to exercise.
The participants in group 3 were much more likely to actually follow through.
The researchers discovered that what pulls that desire out of you and turns it into real-world action isn't your level of motivation, but rather your plan for implementation.
The punchline is clear. People who make a specific plan for when and where they will perform a new habit are more likely to follow through.
Too many people try to change their habits without these basic details figured out. We tell ourselves, I'm going to eat healthier, I'm going to write more.
But we never say when and where these habits are going to happen. The simple way to apply this strategy to your habits is to fill out this sentence.
I will fill in the behavior at filling the time in filling the location.
Implementation, intention implementation, is you purposing in your heart, deciding in your heart that you're going to do it and making a plan to do it.
There are two types of Christians in this world, those who read the Bible and those who don't.
And you say, well, what's the difference? Well, there might be lots of difference, but honestly, I'm talking about people that are saved.
They're both saved. They both have the Holy Spirit. They both have the Word of God, King James Bible.
They both, I'm assuming, love the Lord. You say, what's the difference? Here's the difference. Somebody decides, I'm going to read the Bible.
When? Sometime. Where? Somewhere. How much? I don't know.
Other people say, I'm going to get up tomorrow morning, I'm going to read the Bible at this time, in this place, for this much time.
Here's what I'm telling you. See, you young people, you want to make it to the marriage altar pure?
You can go ahead and give it up to chance, or you can make a choice right now and decide I'm not going to divide myself with the king's meat.
I'm going to purpose in my heart. I'm going to purpose in my heart to maintain my purity. I'm going to purpose in my heart to not drink alcohol.
I'm going to purpose in my heart to not watch garbage on YouTube and the internet or television.
I'm going to purpose in my heart not to listen to garbage on the radio.
Look, you say, I want to develop good habits. You've got to. Purpose in your heart.
I want to be a soul winner. Okay, when? Where? What time? For how long? With who?
I want to read the Bible. When? Where? Make an appointment with God. I want to develop a prayer time. Great.
Look, here's what I'm saying. If you wake up, if you wake up every Sunday morning and ask yourself, and ask yourself, am I going to go to church today?
Half the time you're not going to make it. But if you purpose in your heart, I go to church every Sunday morning. That decision has been made.
I go to church every Sunday night. It's not up for debate. I go to church on Wednesday nights. It's not, I'm not asking myself at 5 p.m. on Wednesday nights.
You say, well pastor, you're the pastor of the church. But years and years before my wife and I were in any full-time ministry, we decided a long time ago, if the house of God is open, we will be there.
Implementation, intention, purpose in your heart, made.
There was never the discussion at 5 p.m. on Wednesday night. You think we should go tonight? I don't know. You think we should go?
Decision has been made. The choice has been made. Here's what I'm telling you. Some people follow through with developing good habits because they make a choice.
The purpose in their heart. They decide, I'm going to be a faithful Christian, a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I'm going to read the Bible every day. I'm going to pray every day. I'm going to be faithful to church. I'm going to be a soul winner.
I'm going to exercise. I'm going to read outside literature. Whatever it is that you're trying to develop, you must, to develop a good habit, you must purpose in your heart.
Look, I don't care if it's flossing your teeth, when, where. That's how you develop the habit. To develop a good habit, you must purpose in your heart.
It's called intention implementation. You've got to ask yourself, you've got to determine, I will do this at this time, in this place.
Whatever it is, whatever it is that you're trying to do, whatever it is you're trying to accomplish, whatever it is you're trying to go.
Go back to 2nd Corinthians chapter 5, we'll finish up. Right where we started, 2nd Corinthians 5.
You say, I want to develop some good habits. This sounded a lot harder than I thought.
Cause see pastor, you started the sermon with this verse, and when you read this verse, I thought, oh great, this sounds great.
2nd Corinthians 5, 17, therefore if any man be a Christ, he's a new creature. All things are passed away, behold all things have become new.
When you started reading that verse, I thought, oh great, he's going to tell me that God's just going to do it for me.
I was unemployed before I was saved, but God's just going to give me a job now.
I was lazy before I got saved, but God's just going to make me a hard worker now.
I was a jerk before I got saved, but God's just going to make me patient and kind now.
Let me let you in on a secret. God will do it eventually. It's called your death or the rapture.
But you won't get any rewards for it. And you won't enjoy your life on this earth for it.
You say, I want to live a good life now. Well, then you need to start walking in your identity.
You need to decide in your mind, I'm going to change my identity. I'm going to change who I am by changing what I do.
I'm going to change who I am by changing who I spend time with.
You need to decide I'm going to renew my mind. I'm going to reframe my thoughts.
I'm going to quit focusing on what I'm losing and dread what I'm sacrificing.
I'm going to start focusing on the benefits, what I get, the result that will come.
And thirdly, you must have purpose in your heart. You need to make some intention implementations.
Some of you need to make some intention implementations about your Bible reading, about your prayer time, about your giving, about your church attendance.
Young people need to make some intention implementations about not being worldly.
It's that simple.
Do you remember like last week, people look at Joseph, they look at Daniel, they look at Esther, they'll say, overnight success came out of nowhere. No, they didn't.
They identified themselves a certain way. They thought a certain way. They purposed a certain way.
And that's why they're successful. And you can too. God has no respect for persons.
You can be as successful as Daniel, as successful as Joseph, as successful as David and Esther and any other Bible character you can think of if you begin to walk in your new identity.
Begin to reframe your thoughts and your purpose in your heart. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you for these truths.
Lord, I pray you'd help us. I pray you'd help us to learn, apply these thoughts, help us to realize that we can change.
We can change our habits. We can change our behaviors. We can develop good habits.
But you're not just going to do it for us, not on this earth.
Help us to put these things into play, these things into practice. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.