A New Habit.

"The Lord takes care of his people like a shepherd. He gathers the people like lambs in his arms. He carries them close to Him. He gently leads the mothers of the lambs." - Isaiah 40:11

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Looking throughout history, it is a known fact that everyone has habits. Whether good or bad. These habits take a major role in shaping and making us.

A habit that I have struggled with since I was little is peeling the skin around my fingers. . . I know, sounds gross right? This habit was so bad at some points that I had to have band-aids around my fingers and gloves covering my hands. Even with that, it didn't help.

It wasn't until I started learning to play the guitar, that my gross habit began to fade and be replaced with playing guitar.

One thing that I've learned is that the quote, "old habits die hard," is so true. Something that has worked for me is replacing my old habit with a new habit. The journey wasn't perfect, but I was able to change one habit and replace it with something better for me.

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One thing that many people don't think of as a habit is fear. Many people struggle with fear and allow it to take over their mind.

There has been times in my life where fear became debilitating, and what I was fearful of was the only thing that I could focus on. That fear took time away from important things that I need and want to do.

You may be asking, "How did you overcome the fear?"

I replaced it with a new habit. Instead of focusing on the problem or the thing that was causing me to fear, I set my focus on saying, "I trust you, Jesus." No matter what was happening around me, I would out-loud say, "I trust you, Jesus."

When I began to feel anxious about a situation, I would breathe and proclaim, "I trust you, Jesus."

Let me say it one more time. . . I. Trust. You. Jesus.

Eventually, it became a habit that when I would begin to be fearful or anxious I would say those four words, and sometimes, I didn't even notice. The more I said it, the more I began to believe it.

Psalm 27:1 - "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? . . ."

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Choose to remember that God is ALWAYS in control. No matter what battles come your way, God has a plan to prosper you and keep you. God loves you more than you can even imagine.

Choose to replace old habits with new habits. Choose to remind yourself that God is in control, so there is no need to fear.

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By saying, "I trust you, Jesus," you are proclaiming and acknowledging that God is in control. It is then, at that moment, that fear begins to loosen its grip on your life, and the peace of God begins to take its place.

So, when you are facing tough times, trust God and His faithfulness that He will guide and provide for all your needs.

Through these times of learning to trust God and giving my fear to Him, He then used it to grow my faith. He never once left me stranded. Even when I couldn't see the "why," He was still there loving me.

Trusting God is never a habit you will need to break.

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READ ON YOUR OWN

Psalm 62:2; Isaiah 42:10; Psalm 139:7-10