12 Mar Hopes & Habits (Because you can’t have uphill hopes and downhill habits) Part 23

Posted at 11:44h in Uncategorized by

Over the last number of months we have sharing from our series Hopes & Habits.

Let’s take this week to review all that we have learned.

We began with “8 Habit Helpers”:

    1. Hope is not a strategy (Heb. 6:19).
    2. The things we do and the things we should do don’t always line up (Rom. 7:19).
    3. The two greatest gaps in life are “wanting and having” and “knowing and doing”.  If you’ll close the second gap, the first gap will automatically close.
    4. We are what we repeatedly do.
    5. We form our habits then our habits form us.
    6. Always point your saying, sowing and serving in the same direction.
    7. Always point your mouth, money and ministry in the same direction.  Again, this is the same principle as #6 but said in a little different way.
    8. Habit will take you further than desire.

Then we shared with you “3 Different Dynamics”:

  1. Renew your hope (Prov. 13:12).
  2. Repent from your past (Rom. 2:4).
  3. Redefine your habits (Heb. 5:13-14).

Then we finally shared with you “Four Biblical Habits” that will radically change your life:

  1. Focus on firsts (Matt. 6:33).

         Four “First” Facets:

1.) What you do first reveals who you are.

2.) Whatever you prize you will prioritize.

3.) Whatever you put first you set up to meet your needs.

4.) First things have power

Then we shared Three “First” Formulas:

1. Give God the first of your month…scheduling and budgeting

2. Give God the first of your week…worshipping and resting

3. Give God the first of your day…studying and praying

Then we discussed “Three Alignment Aspects”:

  1. If God is simply on your list, your life will be misaligned.  If God is at the top of your list, your life will be aligned.
  2. God models what He expects.  He put us first by going first.
  3. Expect the rest to be blessed.

Then we continued with…

   2.  Foster new thoughts (Rom. 12:2).

“Two Change Challenges”:

  1. God-given change is both possible and profitable.
  2. God-given change creates better “normals”.

Then we shared “Seven Channels of Change”:

  1. Change your “saying” (James 3:3-4).  

4 “Saying” Superlatives:

  1. Don’t use your words to describe your life…use your words to design your life.
  2. Don’t speak what you experience…speak what you expect.
  3. You can’t out-think the devil but you sure can out-speak him (see Matt. 4:1-11).  
  4. Take the faith in your heart and overpower the doubt in your head…by the words of your mouth!

     2. Change your “thinking”

Then we shared Three Thoughts on Thinking:

1.) If you want to change your life, you must change the way you think.

2.) Wherever you go, there you are!

3.) The worst advice you can give some people is “just be yourself!”

“7 Ways to Think for a Change”:

  1. Think biblically (II Tim. 2:15)
  2. Think positively (Phil. 4:8)
  3. Think creatively (Mark 2:4)
  4. Think practically (Eph. 1:8)
  5. Think reasonably (Prov. 1:3)
  6. Think logically (I Cor. 14:40)
  7. Think methodically (Ps. 90:12)

3. Changing your thinking changes your expecting (Ps. 62:5)

      4. Changing your expecting changes your attitude (Eph. 4:23)

      5. Changing your attitude changes your behavior (II Pet. 3:11)

      6. Changing your behavior changes your performance (II Cor. 2:14)

      7. Changing your performance changes your life (John 10:10)

Then we continued our “Four Biblical Habits” that will radically change your life:

   3.  Find your purpose (Eph. 2:10)

Not only do we need to:

  1. Focus on firsts
  2. Foster new thoughts

You need to…Find your purpose!

To assist you we began our “Seven Purpose Principles”:

  1. You have a purpose (Eph. 2:10).  

God created us, we did not (see Psalm 100:3).  Therefore He knows how we will function at our best and highest.  The Bible tells us, “For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which He foreordained from the beginning of time that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

The Greek word translated “workmanship” is the word “poema” (we get our English word ‘poem’ from it).  You are God’s special, original poem. God created you uniquely for a unique purpose. Our life becomes more and more pain free when we align ourselves with His purpose!   However, aren’t you glad God doesn’t want to replace us…He wants to repair us!

Remember this:  Live your life by God’s design not human default.

     2. You must have purpose beyond your pain.

When we are in pain we are self-consumed.  Have you ever been to a new hotel and gotten up to use the restroom in the middle of the night?  Have you ever stubbed your toe on one of those heavy hotel desks? If that has ever happened to you I promise you when you whacked your toe you did not scream out, “I want to feed orphans in Africa!”  No, all you could focus on was the throbbing pain in your toe!

Pain releases selfishness.  That’s why we must have purpose beyond our pain.  

Remember this: You can’t be a selfish person and live a significant life!

Join us next week as we share more from our Seven Purpose Principles from Hopes & Habits!