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Hope is not enough. We can hope all we want, but hope won’t change our life. Believe me, hoping to eat healthier has never helped me eat better. Hoping to get our finances in order won’t control our spending or increase my giving and generosity. Hoping for a better relationship with God doesn't get me out of bed earlier in the morning to spend time reading the Bible. Hope is a start. Hope is important and good and right but hope alone is not enough.
In this series we have learned that behavior modification won’t bring about lasting change, we need spiritual transformation. We need to dig deep and ask some spiritual why questions. Why do we really want to change? Why might God want us to change? Last week, Pastor David talked about the need for us to see ourselves differently. We need to ask ourselves some spiritual who questions? Who does God want us to be? Who do we want to be? Do we see ourselves as the kind of person who can do more and be more than we think is possible because of the power God gives us? Today we are going to begin to talk about the spiritual how. How do we begin to actually change our lives?
In all of our lives there is something very small that can turn our hope into change. If we can harness the power of this one thing, our lives will change for the good. To help us understand this one small thing, let me ask you, what did you do Friday morning when you first woke up? Most of us know exactly what we did because we did the same thing on Thursday and Wednesday. What was the first thing you did when you woke up? We all know what Pastor David did. He hit the snooze button a few times. That’s the kind of person he is, but what did you do?
All of us have some version of doing the same thing every morning. If you are a man over a certain age, the first thing you probably do is make a trip to the bathroom. Then in some order we shower, get dressed, make the bed, make some coffee, check our email, and turn on AccuWeather to see what Bernie Rayno says about the weather for the day. Maybe then we fix breakfast for ourselves, or our kids, take some time to check the news, facebook, and then hopefully read the Bible, read a devotional on our Bible app, say a prayer, brush our teeth and go to work. We all have a certain routine filled with small habits.
Every morning my grandmother read the obituaries. Before she would even do the crossword puzzle, she would read the obituaries. She would tell us that if her name wasn’t in the paper, she could start her day. It’s what she did every day. One day she really struggled because her name was in the paper. She was reading the obituaries and there it was, Catherine Russell. She told us that she didn’t know what to do or if she could continue on with her day because her name was there, but when she read the obituary and realized that it wasn’t her, she could begin her day.
While the order we do things might change from day to day, and time might limit some of what we do, most of us have some kind of morning routine filled with small habits. These habits have become part of our lives, and it is small habits like these that can become powerful agents of change. For a great take on the power of small habits, I encourage you to listen to the commencement speech given by Navy Admiral William McRaven in 2017 titled, If You Want To Change The World, Make Your Bed! Here is part of what he said:,
If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.
Little things in life matter. One small habit can change everything. Now I want to be clear and say that when we talk about habits that can change our lives, I am not talking about behavior modification. We learned a few weeks ago that just changing our behavior won’t bring about spiritual transformation, but once we tap into the power of God’s Holy Spirit and begin to see ourselves the way God sees us, then small holy habits can begin to bring about transformation. We don’t start by changing our habits, we start by being clear about why we want to change and seeing us the way God sees us, but then changing our habits can turn our hope to change into actual change.
There is a story in the Old Testament that shows us how one small habit helped change an entire nation. In 587 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated Israel and took most of the people into captivity. The very promising young men of Israel were all taken to the King’s palace to be indoctrinated into the culture of the Babylonians. The goal was to make these men into strong leaders for Babylon. One very promising young man was Daniel.
Daniel was able to interpret dreams and when no one could interpret a dream that troubled Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel was sent for and he gave the king its meaning. Nebuchadnezzar was so pleased with Daniel that he said that there was only one God in all the land and it was the God of Israel. King Nebuchadnezzar said, surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings.
How did this amazing event ever take place? How did Daniel get to the place where he was close enough to the King to tell him the meaning of his dream? What we learn about Daniel is that it all started with one small holy habit. After Nebuchadnezzar died, another king came to power named Darius. Daniel continued to rise in power and leadership and all the Babylonian leaders were jealous of Daniel so they tried to discredit him. Because they couldn’t find any flaw in his character or wisdom, they knew they had to somehow undermine his faith.
Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” Daniel 6:5
So the Babylonian leaders went to Darius and said he should set a decree that all the people could only pray to him and if anyone prayed to someone other than him, they would be thrown to the lions. This pleased Darius, so he set the decree and no one could pray to anyone other than the King. But Daniel had always been faithful to the God of Israel. Here’s what Daniel did.
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Daniel 6:10
In the face of persecution and certain death, Daniel didn’t waver or hesitate to do what he had always done, which was to bow down to God and pray. Daniel had always prayed to God three times a day. Daniel always prayed facing Jerusalem to honor God and he always prayed on his knees to humble himself before God. This was a holy habit that Daniel had been doing for years. This life of prayer is how Daniel rose to power in the first place and it was his life of prayer that gave him the ability to interpret dreams. This one holy habit of prayer is what gave Daniel the courage to remain faithful, even in the face of the lions, and help the king of Babylon proclaim that the God of Israel was the God of gods and the Lord of kings.
One holy habit changed everything. So what is one holy habit you can adopt to become the person God says you are? God told Daniel that he was a man who would always remain faithful, and the habit of prayer helped Daniel be that man.
If God says you are a parent who passes your faith to your children, one small habit you might want to embrace is to pray with your children before they go to bed, or before they go to school.
If God says you are the kind of person who is grateful in all situations and sees the good in all people, then one small habit you might want to embrace is to send out thank you notes each week.
If you want to be a more spiritual person who is able to more clearly hear the voice of God, one small habit you might add to your life would be to read the Bible in the morning before you turn on the TV or check in on social media.
If you want to be closer to God and feel like you are part of a larger community that has power and can change our world, one small habit might be to commit to being in worship every Sunday, and if you are able to be there in person, be there in person.
Let me be clear, I am very grateful for our ability to worship together online. Our online presence gives many people who can’t be with us in person the opportunity to worship and be present with us. When people are sick or move away, we have the opportunity to stay connected. There are many wonderful and important things about our online worship, but if you are able to join us in person, I invite you to do so. Being together in worship is important.
Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25
There is encouragement, love, and yes, power that we can tap into when we worship together in person. While it is important to gather so we can experience that love and grace and power, it is also important for us to meet together so we can be the one offering that love and grace and power. One of the important parts about being present in worship is that God might want to use you to encourage and spur others on. We can’t do that when we are online and sitting at home.
Worship isn’t just coming together to get strength and power from God and others, it is also about coming together to serve and love and strengthen others. One small holy habit to strengthen your faith this year might be to simply return to in-person worship. We are here and we would love to have you join us.
The power to change your life is often found in one small holy habit. If you are hoping for change but the change you want seems too big, don’t be afraid to start small. Start with one small holy habit. And if you want to start a new habit, here are two things that research shows can help you.
1. Make it obvious.
If you want to read your Bible every day, put your Bible on the table where you will see it every day. If you have to go find it all the time, chances are something else will get in the way. You know the old saying, out of sight, out of mind. Keep it visible and obvious.
We do this with medication and vitamins. If you want to remember to take a vitamin every day, don’t put the bottle back on the shelf, leave it out where you will see it. Put your pills in a weekly case where you will be reminded to take them every day.
If you want to pray before you start your day, put a notification on your phone that goes off at the same time, and no matter where you are or what you are doing, stop and take a few moments to ask God to help you through your day. Even if you are driving you can ask God to guide you through the day, just don’t close your eyes.
2. Make it easy.
James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, talks about a 2 minute rule. When you start a new habit, make it something you can do in 2 minutes. If you want to make prayer a part of your life, don’t start with 20 minutes of prayer, start with 2 minutes, everyday, and go from there. If you want to pray together as a family, start with just a few minutes a day.
If you want to practice gratitude and send out notes, make them short and sweet. Keep the box of cards on your desk and take just 2 minutes to let someone know you appreciate them.
I always liked the idea of journaling but felt like I had to write paragraphs every day. If you want to journal, write just a sentence or two. Make it easy. Those simple first steps will lead you to longer and more involved habits as you keep going.
Too often we think that something short and small might not be worth it, but it is. Those small holy habits can help us tap into the power of God that can change our lives, our families, and even our futures. In his letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul said,
Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.
1 Timothy 4:8 (NLT)
Small changes can change our lives and our destinies. Don't be afraid to start small. When Israel started to rebuild the Temple after King Nebuchadnezzar tore it down, the work was going very slowly, but the prophet Zechariah encouraged the people with these words.
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. Zechariah 4:10 (NLT)
What one small holy habit can you add to your life so that in time you will become the person God created you to be? What one small holy habit can help you tap into the power God gives us to change? Find that one small holy habit and start doing it today and allow God to give you the power to change.
Next Steps
The Power to Change - Week 3
Holy Habits
Reflect on the spiritual whys of change.
● What are the spiritual reasons you want to change?
Reflect on the spiritual who.
● Who does God want you to become?
● Who do you want to become?
Now focus on the spiritual how.
● What are some of your current habits?
● In what ways do these habits honor God?
● How could you use these habits to start a new one?
Read Daniel 6 (Look specifically at verse 10)
● What holy habit did Daniel practice?
● How had this habit helped Daniel in all of the difficult situations he faced?
● How did this one habit change the Kings of Babylon and even the people of Babylon?
One holy habit can change everything.
What one holy habit do you need to start this week in order to become the person God created you to be?
● Find ways to make this habit OBVIOUS.
● Find ways to make this habit EASY.
○ Can you start this habit in just 2 minutes a day and then build from there?
God, because we have a relationship with You, we’re able to experience real change. Help us identify a habit in our lives that You’re calling us to start. Then, show us how we can start practicing that habit today and all this week.
We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen
