The Rules of Engagement

The Rules of Engagement

bring their tongue under the subjection of the lordship of Christ. He states in Matthew 12:36–37, “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (See Ecclesiastes 10:11; 1 Timothy 5:13.) G uilt Guilt is caused when a particular principle is violated or a law broken. We also tend to feel guilty when we have not lived up to expectations and standards that we have set for ourselves. If we believe that we “should” have behaved differently or we “ought” to have done better, we likely will feel guilty. Although genuine guilt is a healthy emotion, Satan can pervert it by turning it from a remorseful awareness of having done something wrong to self reproach. When this happens, we know that Satan has perverted a healthy emotion into a deadly weapon. When guilt assails you, rather than wallowing in your guilt to the point of defeat, pray a prayer similar to Psalm 51:1–12. Overcoming guilt and shame does not mean not caring about your actions. It involves taking responsibility for what you did and coming to terms with it. H abits Habits are unconscious patterns of behavior that are acquired by frequent repetition of a thought, action, or reaction, and that establish a disposition of the mind, character, or mannerism. When a behavior is practiced, day after day, you will naturally train yourself to form habits. As you regularly perform this habit, you become skilled at your behavior. It becomes easy and comfortable for you to take this action over and over again. Ultimately, you begin performing this action automatically. This action has now become your routine behavior. Habitual behaviors can be beneficial and liberating to you because of your ability to perform these tasks without having to consciously think about your every action. Habits can also be destructive. They can limit our effectiveness, stunt our personal growth, cut years from our lives, create antagonistic dynamics in relationships, alienate loved ones, and basically corrode a good quality of life. Bad habits can be likened to playing Russian roulette: disaster is always imminent. (See 2 Peter 2:19.)

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