"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us..."
Hebrews 12:1
Good Facts to Know According to a 2009 study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, it takes 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit. The study also concluded that, on average, it takes 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. According to the National Institutes of Health, pleasure-based habits are particularly difficult to break, because enjoyable behavior prompts your brain to release dopamine. The Science It is important to realize that there is a science behind our habits. If you have been struggling to make good decisions and have concluded you need to change your habits, how successful have you been? Certain habits that are damaging, over eating, substance abuse, too much screen time or porn, can be hard to break because of that dopamine hit you receive in the moment. Dopamine is the chemical reward that strengthens the habit and creates the craving to do it again. Your body literally craves your habit. What is Our Response? If that is true, how should a Godly man resist these habits and form Godly habits in its place? We must follow the call found in Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Men, we will never get anywhere spiritually without a conscious divestment of the things that are holding us back. What habits are weighing you down? The call to discipline demands that you throw it off. Are you man enough? Commit & Act A runner does not wake up one day deciding today he will run a race. He puts his body into strict training. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9 that he beats his body and makes it his slave. After that, Paul commands to train yourself to be Godly. The science of habits meets the demands of spiritual discipline on the race course of life. Don't Quit! Men, we must not make excuses or wimp out. The habit that seems to have defeated you so often is no match for the liberation and power we find in Christ Jesus. To form new habits, you must be willing to do the work. It may take over a year for it to take hold. When you fail, get back up, dust yourself off and keep running. It is and will be worth it!
Travis Sellers MD5 Lab Facilitator