The Mystery of Habits

Text: 2 Peter 2:19, 1 Corinthians 6:12.

2 Peter 2:19 (KJV): "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage."

In modern-day English, Peter is saying that a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

1 Corinthians 6:12 (KJV): "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any."

That is, a person can come under the power of a particular thing. Listen very carefully, beloveth, it has been well said that success is not an accident. The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people have successful habits, while unsuccessful people have unsuccessful habits. So habits are a very, very serious matter.

A Habit:

- is something you do daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly. It is something you repeat over and over again in a similar or identical way.

-is a pattern of behaviour acquired by frequent repetition.

-Is a customary action.

-is a routine of behaviour that is repeated regularly and so regularly that it tends to occur unconsciously.

A thief went to a place to steal, and when he forced the door open, he found out that the place was well kept and clean. His habit normally was to take off his shoes whenever he wanted to enter his house, so he removed his shoes by the door because it was his habit to do so. It was that habit that got him arrested, because by the time they picked up his shoes, they were able to find him.

So, habit is a learned behaviour, and it becomes a powerful force in our lives. The trouble with habits is this: they are either Christ-centred or self-centered. They can be good or bad. They can be a virtue or a vice. They can potentially be a beauty or a beast. So habits dictate our lives, but these things, as simple as they look, decide what happens to our destiny. So the difference between successful and unsuccessful people is their habits. Success is forming the habit of doing what failures do not like to do.

This is why habits have been identified for each group. For example, there are 14 major habits of successful people. There are also 14 major habits of unsuccessful people. So everything has to do with habits, meaning that your destiny and life are determined by the habits you exhibit day by day. Those habits are like bricks used to build your house.

14 Habits Of Successful People

1. Successful people find breakthroughs where others see problems.

2. Successful people are hard-working.

3. Successful people are not controlled or limited by fear.

4. Successful people always strive to maximise their potentials.

5. Successful people have a sense of destiny, and because of this, they are careful about how they live their lives.

6. Successful people innovate instead of imitate.

7. Successful people are highly focused on one thing at a time.

8. Successful people do not procrastinate. They do what ought to be done now, now.

9. They are good learners and are teachable.

10. They formulate goals and plans, which they follow.

11. They are generous and kind.

12. They embrace change. That is, they are adaptable.

13. They do not quit. They do not give up and just forget everything.

14. Successful people finish whatever they start.

These Are The Habits Of People Who Succeed.

14 Major Habits Of Unsuccessful people.

1. They refuse change. Some of them refuse to face reality.

2. They see problems but never the solutions. Those are signs of signs of failures and unsuccessful people.

3. They are easily discouraged by any little thing.

4. They think, say, and do negative things.

5. They act before they think. They act and think later.

6. They talk much more than they listen.

They talk and never listen much.

7. They try to bring others down.

8. They waste time.

9. They like taking the easy way out.

10. They are easily distracted.

11. They are lazy. They have this lazy habit.

12. They hate working in a team. They always like to be lone rangers.

13. They are poor learners and basically unteachable. They do not learn from what has happened to others. They do not understand what is happening to them. And they do not understand how to learn from the mistakes of others. Very sad.

14. They hang around destiny-sinking friends. Their friends are destiny sinkers.

So you can see that the difference between success and failure is the difference in their habits. When you want to stop a bad habit, it can cause discomfort, but you should not mind the discomfort; you should deal with that habit once and for all. Habits can be physical; that is the way you behave. Habits can be mental; that is the way you think. Habits can be spiritual; that is the way you handle your spiritual life.

There are positive and negative habits.