It has been said that man is a creature of habit.
“Man is largely a creature of habit, and many of his activities are more or less automatic reflexes from the stimuli of his environment.”
—G.Stanley Hall
What is not so much discussed is
- Why so many of man’s habits are bad?
- How did man acquire so many bad habits?
- Why are these habits so much harder to break then to begin?
Science! and its faithful traveling companion, Medicine!, have a LOT of stories about habits which claim to offer answers.
OF COURSE, Science! and Medicine! have a LOT of stories about EVERYTHING.
MORE: Science: A Collection of Stories
Today’s question has to do with “How do we fall into the snares of our habits?”
But in particular, “How do we fall into the ILLOGICAL habits we become creatures of?”
While researching something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, a story about Starbucks (the modern chain made famous for serving $5 and $7 dollar coffee-flavored milkshakes) was unearthed. This brought to mind the remembrance of a woman who once made a daily trip of an hour EACH WAY to frequent a Starbucks–which then charged her $4 for a beverage she decided she MUST have.
Eventually, the woman overcame her lust for $4 coffee.
It was ILLOGICAL that for several years this woman made her daily trips to spend money at a Starbucks. The costs alone made it so–as well as the costs in time and wear-and-tear on her vehicle.
It was ILLOGICAL that for several years, this woman made her daily trips to Starbucks–which became a HABIT–yet often professed to derive no special pleasure from the beverages she bought.
Upon asking how her Starbucks coffee was, often as not, she would confess that “I’m not sure how it tasted. I don’t really remember drinking it on the way home. I was thinking about something else. But it had to be good. It’s ALWAYS good.“
It was ILLOGICAL that a Starbucks sixty miles away was the target of her daily pilgrimage no matter the condition of the roads or the weather. Rain, snow, sleet, ice, hail: no element seemed bad enough to deter her trip for over-priced coffee.
Put aside for a moment that one day the authorities of the world announce coffee to be the elixir of life; the next, that coffee is a demon’s brew of pure poison to all who ingest it–usually as a result of the endless “studies” which seem to be conducted on the matter.
One can know when one has fallen into a bad habit.
How can one know?
Simple: the bad habit becomes a very, very, VERY hard behavior to forgo–even if the person with the bad habit KNOWS what they are doing is bad for them.
Why this meandering discussion of habits, mostly bad?
There a few reasons.
1- Habits are the building blocks of one’s routine.
And routine, believe it or not, is going to drag a great many to hell because so many routines contain so much that goes against God’s Word.
Actually, routines will drag many to hell because routines offer a sort of comfort and relief from the chaotic and unexpected.
2- Routines and habits, once established, give the illusion that they will continue on forever.
Even when it is apparent they will not.
3- In times of uncertainty and trouble, many turn to their habits and routines for comfort.
Instead of God.
NO habit or routine can give true, lasting comfort.
God can.
This discussion will continue.
God willing.
DOES the reader have a favorite habit he turns to for enjoyment and/or comfort?
HAS the reader ever considered whether his habit is bad for him or not?
It is not YET too late: there is still time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.
DOES the reader believe he is saved?
Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival
DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?
Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: Making a Choice
- The Gospel of Jesus Christ
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: The Power of God Unto Salvation
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: The End Times Power of God Unleashed
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16
MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report
[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: March 2, 2020.]
MORE
- ROUTINE: Man and His Routine
- NORMALITY BIAS DECEPTION: Worshiping the Routine of Daily Life
- The Bells and Whistles of a Normal Day
- The Deception that Tomorrow Will Be Much Like Today and Yesterday
MORE
- Man Struggles Against God
- God is in Control
- The Nature of Spiritual Deception
- Tender Mercies of the Lord: Will Not Always Be Available
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by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier
image: Photo by Manan Chhabra on Unsplash.com
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