How to Defeat Harmful Habits (Counseling Through the Bible Series) Read Online Free PDF

outwardly reflect inner morals and character.
    I I NTENSE —They grow stronger and more ingrained with repetition.
    T T ENACIOUS —They persist and become hard to change over time.
    S S ATISFYING —They are purposeful and provide a degree of pleasure.
     

    Your habits reflect your heart and communicate your devotion either to God or to the things of this world.

“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other”
    (L UKE 16:13).
B. What Constitutes Four Categories of Habits?
    Upon being indicted by a federal grand jury for dogfighting and other charges, Michael Vick’s impulse was to…lie. Habitually. He lied to the media, the public, teammates, team owners, and eventually to a federal grand jury and judge. 20 Especially heartbroken by the immense betrayal was Atlanta Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank, who had “bet the future of the franchise on the young quarterback, awarding him the largest contract in the history of the NFL…and stood by him as the charges piled up and Vick fell from grace.” 21
    Still, Vick had no intention of halting his harmful habits, daringly defiant of the lifelong consequence that lay in wait. Michael was like those described in Romans 1:21:

“Although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
    Scripture uses words like “strongholds,” “slavery,” and “bondage” to paint a picture of being a prisoner to sin. Although you may not be enslaved to the more visible vices (e.g., drunkenness, gambling, or gluttony), you may be held captive to a seemingly “acceptable activity.” Even behavior that appears “good,” such as volunteer work, can be wrongly motivated and overindulged to the degree that it goes beyond God’s will and thus becomes sin.
    No behavior, whether viewed as harmless or helpful, is to have mastery over us. If it does, then it has enslaved us. The Bible clearly states, “A man is a slave to whatever has mastered him” (2 Peter 2:19).
    Harmless Habits
    Some habits are common to many but cause injury to none. They are at best innocuous and at worst irritants (e.g., nail biting and hair twirling, cracking knuckles and popping gum, belching and bellowing). The Bible offers this insight: “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult” (Proverbs 12:16).
    Heart Habits
    The heart that is not right in God’s sight produces wrong attitudes and emotions that result in ungodly “heart habits” (e.g., envy and jealousy, prejudice and pride, ungratefulness and unforgiveness). The Bible directly states this truth: “Out of the heart come evil thoughts” (Matthew 15:19; see Jeremiah 17:9).
    Hidden Habits
    Some habitual actions are often not recognized as harmful addictions because they are not recognized as being habitual or regarded as being negative. They are viewed as “good behaviors” done to excess, which turns them into “bad” behaviors and “hidden habits” (e.g., excessively helping and rescuing others, working and cleaning, apologizing and procrastinating, shopping and spending). The Bible cautions against such excess: “The man who fears God will avoid all extremes” (Ecclesiastes 7:18).
    Hard Habits/Addictions
    Destructive habits create a damaging climate for everyone, making them “hard habits” (e.g., verbal and emotional abuse, drunkenness and divisiveness, vulgarity and violence, stealing). The Bible explains, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12; see also Galatians 5:19-21).
----
Imelda—Compulsive Spending and Her Shoes, Shoes, and More Shoes

It was a compulsive shopping spree that lasted 20 years, and millions of Filipino people believe they footed the tab.
At the side of the corrupt President Ferdinand Marcos, his wife, Imelda Marcos, believed she was “a