Here are a fist full of facts about habit, which is one of the problems Christians have to deal with. Before becoming believers many habits were acquired which, after conversion, are carried over into the new life. We must learn to replace these with their biblical alternatives (see my book, Winning the War Within). In dealing with habit it is helpful to keep them in mind:

Habits are . . .

• Comfortable—Like old shoes, one puts them on easily.

• Automatic—One rarely has to decide to do something habitually—you just drift into it.

• Unconscious—So you don’t have to think about what you are doing; you just do it.

• Skillful—habits (take lying, for instance) are performed with alacrity.

• Entrenched—It takes careful, continual, prayerful effort to replace them with their biblical alternatives.

Keeping these five characteristics of habit in mind can help you to deal with sinful ways of living. They can also show you how the new life can be assisted by learning biblical patterns that become habitual.