Ep.1339: Do My Habits Glorify God? (Part II) Social Habits
Reviewing the power of our public habits and how to change them
CHAPTERS
Theme Scripture: Romans 8:5
Habits are BIG! In many ways, habits - whether they are good or bad for us - dominate our lives. The odd thing is we are not even generally aware of how deeply rooted they are and how much control they really have. In Part I of our 2-part habits series, we looked into the habits that define our personal lives, those things we do that may or may not impact those around us. In this episode, we look into the habits that define our public lives, those things we do when others are watching or engaging. The science of habits tells us the human brain is capable of being rewired through our conscious efforts. While this truth might be surprising, it also offers us a foundation for change. The Christian question here is, do I present myself in public in a way that brings glory to God, or do I have work to do? How are my social habits?
In Part I of this 2-part series, we focused on two things:
- We learned about how the brain’s neuroplasticity contributes to the forming of habits. New habits can replace old ones.
- We focused on our personal habits and assessed whether or not they should be replaced in order to glorify God.
Here in Part II, we took things one step further as we considered our public habits. When you think about it, these public practices say a lot about who we are to others. Do they show our Christianity or display our fallen humanity?
Likely the unfortunate answer to this question is that our habitual behavior in public is generally designed to feed our human inclinations. Because these behaviors are not usually designed with God’s glory in mind, our need to work at changing them becomes evident.
Where do we start?
The first thing to realize is that how we act in public depends upon what type of people are in our present circumstances. If we are among fellow Christians, our often-repeated behavior will fall into a specific category. If we are situated among family, friends or associates of some kind, our habitual natural responses will probably look different. Finally, if we find ourselves among those who would stand against us, our habitual responses would undoubtedly be very preservation-oriented and different once again. What do we do with all of this?
Check out our June 6, 2024 podcast, “Do My Habits Glorify God? (Part II)” for answers. We assess each category of our public habits. Next, we establish what the thought process needs to be to systematically replace any of our subconsciously engrained public habits. We then match this thought process with the science of habit-changing behavior. We end up with a remarkable message! As Christians, we are called upon to reflect godliness at every turn in our lives. As we combine Scripture and science, we see the pathway to this higher godliness unfold. Join us! Changing our lives to better honor God is not only possible, but also joyful as well!
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