Psalms 51:8
Make me to hear joy and gladness;
that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Have you ever had to try and break away from a habit? I don't believe I've ever heard of many habits that were "good habits". Mostly the habits we speak of are bad ones. (But I know there are many good and great habits we need to keep, but today let's focus on the ones that need to be broken)
When I was a child, I was a thumb sucker. This habit was one that was cute when I was small (well young, I was never small). I would carry a silk blanket around my fist and suck my thumb. Dreamland was not a problem for a thumb sucker. This is the reason it was declared an ok, or good habit. But when I started approaching the seventh grade (high school grade back then) my parents begin to deem this as a bad habit. Oh the things that would come from this bad habit... "Buck teeth, overbite, crooked teeth, not to mention the shame if anyone spent the night and saw me suck my thumb when I was 11-12 years old. That was so hard. My dad wanted to put hot sauce on my thumb to break me of it (among other things... Haha). Mom would wrap it up so I wouldn't do it. Take my blanket from me to break me of it.
What I'm trying to say is that while you think those habits you choose to do or carry around with you are harmless, most habits are sinful (not sucking your thumb). Our gossip, backbiting, sex-drug-alcohol-addiction, smoking it, snorting it, chewing it, over medicating, lying, over-eating, stealing, etc... Anything that you MUST have, and there is no control over it could be a bad and sinful habit.
God wants so strongly to remove our habits. He knows the outcome of them all. Over-eating can cause huge health problems. Many will say right now that you can have health problems without over eating, and they would be right in that truth. But not right in justifying over-eating. See you can have health problems without over-eating, but you can't have over-eating without health problems. Believe me I understand this better than anyone.
I chose the food route because that's what I knew for so long. I would say things as, "I don't over-eat" "I don't eat much". So many times I would pray to God that He would heal me of diabetes, blood pressure and pants pressure (hahaha you know what I'm talking about), all while sitting in my recliner with a fork in hand. See God desires to break you first. Break you of these things. Break you of the fork. Break you of the recliner. The whole time you think it's hurtful of him. Maybe you get so hungry. Maybe you want to suck your thumb. Well just maybe He is breaking you of those things.
Before you get irate and go into a spiral, I talked only of me. I can't break you of your chains/habits/sin. That can only be done by our Holy God.
What do you need broken from today?
Stop what you are doing and ask Him to help.
Ask Him to remove it.
Ask Him to break you from it, so that you may rejoice.
Ask Him to break it from you.
