The Habit Breaker – Ems HancockSample

What triggers our habits?

Our reading today shows us the longings of a desperate man. Here, David is aware of his own sin with Bathsheba and is crying out to God for mercy, forgiveness and help.

We all need to feel reconnection with God and with people after we have done something wrong or been through a difficult circumstance. But if we don’t find that bond, we will try and comfort ourselves with something else – anything else – to numb the pain. Our addictions are normally a way of diverting and soothing ourselves. Bad habits can form when we are seeking deep connection but somehow, don’t find it.

In this Psalm, David is asking for God to stay close to him in his crisis. This is wise! Verse 10 says, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” This is a powerful prayer.

Many of our addictions are birthed in a time of lonely trauma. We humans go to great lengths to avoid pain, and will try lots of different things to anaesthetize ourselves from it. Overspending, misusing alcohol or food, entertainment, prescription pills, sex, and all manner of things are readily available to us as ways to evade hurt or hide from our problems.

When ordeals we go through are not dealt with at source they can leave behind a toxic mixture of unprocessed emotional baggage. These feelings won’t sit silently, but start to try and work their way out of us. Our emotions are always “in motion”. They move us! But when we don’t allow them to be brought into the open and healed, they will express themselves as “symptoms”. They might move us to start some negative habits.

If we are honest, most of us have got deep-rooted discomfort that easily triggers and brings our addictive patterns to the surface. I believe that if we can recognize this and treat it (with the help of God) we can learn to see those patterns coming and stop them from taking control.

Ask the Holy Spirit now about your own habits.

• How long have they bothered me?
• When did I first notice them?
• What could I pray about connected to them today?

PRAYER:

Pray in your own way, asking God for His help and transformation in the things that trigger or prolong your habits today.