Even as I write this, I remind myself that the only power I have in this life is over myself—and how incredibly powerful that is. Who I am (the person God created me to be) and who God is are what I cling to in order to keep moving forward. I do not focus on anything outside myself to make me happy, to bring me peace, or to make me feel good about who I am. It is through how I choose to build my inner life, and how that flows into my outer life, that I find true strength.

• Who are you, and what things do you want manifested in your life? (Be honest. Be kind.)

• How do you see your character?

• What are your habits?

Your character is the sum total of your habits. Your responsibility is to develop new habits to change. —Rick Warren

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” —Ephesians 4:22–24 (NIV)

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: “Change happens moment to moment.” It comes through the decisions we make—the choices that differ from what we’ve always done. I’d venture to say we already know what those things are: the habits that fail to produce good results. Some of these habits may not be “bad,” but even neutral habits can become problems when they take too much time from what is good.

I have made excuses for things I do because they are not “bad,” but they have consumed too much time and mental space, giving me nothing but an escape. An escape from what, you ask? An escape from myself. I stop moving forward in changing behaviors because of fear—fear of judgment, fear of failure, fear of disappointment, and more. It’s all fear-based, stemming from how I’ve experienced the world. Yet it is not truth. Perception is not truth. Whether good or bad, I decide who I will be within my own mind and heart, and that choice is reflected in my actions.

Within myself, I am deeply flawed. We all are. We cannot change solely on the basis of our own principles. If we could, we would have no need to reach beyond ourselves for transformation. To grow and change, we need a compass. Jesus is my compass—my True North. God’s Word is my instruction manual and map. No matter who you are, you need a compass, too. Without trusted and reliable direction, you will wander and leave your life to chance.

In Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25, the same message is repeated: “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” We can so easily deceive ourselves. What habits are not serving us but instead working against us?

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.” —1 Corinthians 10:23 (NIV) 

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.” —1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV)

Changing habits takes prayer, because they can become so ingrained in our lives that we perform them without thought—and that becomes a slippery slope. Knowing this, we must confront the triggers or replace the habit with something different—something beneficial to God, our lives, our faith, and the lives of others.

I love that God loves me (and you) enough to let me experience life and the consequences of my decisions, though I can only guess what He has already saved me from. The truth is that we change when we choose to take responsibility for who we are, what we do, and how we decide to do things differently. This means being honest with ourselves, which often involves facing things we’d rather avoid. We must be brave enough to let go of how we have seen ourselves through the eyes of this world.

Give yourself grace, because you will fail—probably more than you succeed. It’s part of the journey. First and foremost, hold fast to the truth that God loves you deeply and that His grace and mercy are with you every step of the way.

No matter who we are, there is no area of our lives where we can escape God’s principles. Creation itself was built around them. We need to build habits that are beneficial and that flow positively through every part of our lives. We must live with conviction—anchored in integrity and guided by God’s truth. We need to know God’s truth and live as though we believe it. When we do, God blesses us more than we can ask or imagine.