Resisting Happiness

“Our lives change when our habits change,” is an often used quote from Matthew Kelly. It fits very well with these chapters because resistance loves negative patterns and habits that pervade our lives. Good healthy habits help us to overcome resistance.  Developing good habits help us to have our lives in order and when we have our lives in order we can plow through those days when resistance is fighting hard to overtake us. 

All of us have demons that we need Jesus to cast out. We have negative thoughts that run through our head on occasion, thoughts of self-doubt, self-sabotage, and self-destruction. Most of us have tried on our own over and over to break the cycle of these thoughts and failed. We have to admit that we are powerless and recognize the need for God’s help.

We can overcome these behaviors by turning to prayer and fasting. Fasting, as we learn during Lent, is not just about food but about stopping behaviors that are self-destructive and unhealthy physically and spiritually. Giving these things over to God helps us to break the cycle and the slavery we have to these negative areas of our lives.

Even before Lent begins, think about the behaviors that keep you from being happy. What are the areas of your life that need fasting? Ask God to
deliver you from your slavery.