Gail Rodgers Sharing the Journey

Loved by God Part 14 - Habits that Hurt

by Gail Rodgers

Kelly loved pretty things. We all do. Just where it got out of hand she didn’t know. But the credit card bills were piling up and she was in trouble. Her stomach churned and she yelled at the kids. In short, she was a wreck worrying about how she would handle this full scale crisis.

Sure she was a Christian. She went to church when she could and read her Bible now and then. But God was reserved mostly for those “panic button” times of life. And this was one of them.

We all have tendencies that could be pushed to the limit. God actually warns us about such things. He calls them “lusts of the flesh”. We generally throw that word lust around in relation to sexual things. But God warns us that any desire of the flesh that becomes self serving will get us into trouble. He says these things will wage war against our soul.

“Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against your soul”. 1 Peter 2:11

You know you are on your way to being trapped by an unhealthy habit when you find yourself in the “sin-confess-sin-confess” cycle. Being caught in this cycle does dry up your spirit and your soul is troubled. “Fleshly lusts” are self serving and inward focused. Some of the “fleshly lusts” commonly found troubling lives and souls are constant complaining or criticizing, swearing, gossiping, needing to be in control, gambling, having a confrontational or divisive spirit, sexual sin, eating disorders, substance abuse, stealing.

If you are caught in any self serving desire that is bringing havoc to your life and troubling your soul, talk openly to God about it. Confess it to Him. Ask for His direction in seeking out the help of a friend or a counselor. God is the one who cautioned about such behaviors and He is the one who can help you begin that journey to break the cycle.

prayer & reflection

Dear Heavenly Father,
You know the cycle that has my life spinning right now. I confess to you my self serving desires that have the potential to wreck my life and my health and are troubling my soul. I ask for your forgiveness. Father, thank you for alerting me to the destruction this is causing in my life. I ask you to help me turn my focus upward toward you. Please be my guide on this journey to break this habit. Lead me to people who can help me and hold me accountable. Thank you for cleansing me. By the power of your Holy Spirit I choose to move toward wholeness and to be a good steward of the physical life you have given me.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

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