A nail is driven out by another nail;
habit is overcome by habit.
So said Desiderius Erasmus, Dutch philosopher and theologian of the 1500s.
Research in recent times has proven his statement true. One of the best ways to break a bad habit is to replace it with a good one.
That’s why President Reagan replaced his cigarettes with jelly beans, dieters replace chips with popcorn, and late-night TV addicts forego talk shows to read calming books.
Some of the most stubborn bad habits are those that occur in the mind. It’s no easy task to shut down anxious, negative, or covetous thoughts—even when we know they contribute nothing to our well-being.
But if we apply Desiderius’ advice, we can retrain our brains toward healthy, even delightful thinking. For example, we can:
Replace anxiety with trust.
Worry spirals us downward into fear; trust-statements provide the way out–trust-statements such as these:
- I can trust the One who died for me. He will thwart every plan that should be stopped and complete each one that results in his greatest glory and my highest good.[1]
- God is with me and for me. His strength enables me, and his light guides my way.
- Time and again I’ve witnessed God’s provision and protection, his miracles and blessings. “All that I have seen has taught me to trust him for all that I have not seen.”[2]
As other trust statements come to our attention, we can record them in our journals or in Notes on our phones. Then we’ll be prepared when the slide into worry begins.
Replace negativity with positivity and praise.
Continual praise is what changes the emotions,
lifts the darkness, offers hope, frees the mood
and blesses God so that evil is driven out.
Praise changes everything.
–Arnold Prater[3]
Throughout the day take a praise-pause now and then. Praise God for his power to keep this world on its axis, tilted just right to support life. Praise him for the proofs of his creativity in nature, for his goodness and loving mercy that prompted him to make a way to heaven for us.
Of course, the demands of the day often distract us from such thoughts. But if we post reminders here and there—around the house, on the visor of the car, at our places of work—we can jump-start this habit.
Replace covetousness with gratitude.
Gratitude doesn’t change the scenery;
it merely washes clean the glass you look through
so you can clearly see the colors.
–Richelle E. Goodrich
Too often our attention gravitates toward wants instead of haves, fostering discontentment and envy–emotions we’d do well to eliminate.
One helpful strategy is keeping a gratitude journal. Even brief entries can be effective. I only record one or two things each day, but discovered there’s benefit in the process of reviewing the day to glean the highlights. An added delight: rereading old entries and feeling grateful all over again.
Of course, developing good habits is not as easy as driving out a nail. What about those days when we fail? That’s the time to remember: even in failure there is progress.
Failure points to the inadequacy of striving on our own, and turns us toward greater dependence on God.
We learn, on the one hand,
that we cannot trust ourselves
even in our best moments,
and, on the other,
that we need not despair even in our worst,
for our failures are forgiven.
–C. S. Lewis[4]
We can begin our habits of trust-statements, praise, and gratitude right there!
[1] Based on a quote from J.H.M., Streams in the Desert (Zondervan, 1997) 295.
[2] Ralph Waldo Emerson
[3] Bonding with God (Marno Books, 2000) 78.
[4] Mere Christianity (MacMillan, 1952) 78.
Photo credits: http://www.flickr.com (2); http://www.heartlight.org (2); Nancy Ruegg; http://www.wikipedia.org; http://www.heartlight.org.
From the Inside Out 
Amen ❤
As always, I praise God for his inspiration. I’m so glad this touched your heart, Kristi Ann!
Hi Nancy. This is the second time today, that I have read a message about praising. Ya think that the Lord may be trying to tell me something? I am one of those people, who cannot seem to get a handle on the brain spinning out of control. Not that I really worry all the time; but I make lists of things to be done etc. I am going to try and substitute praise throughout the day. The Lord blesses us with so many good things to praise Him for. Thank you and have a blessed day.
I’ve caught myself spinning out of control in my mind too, Shelley. Little by little I’ve learned to get out of that spin with praise and gratitude. It has NOT come easy, and I’m still working at it! But I do see progress, and that gives me hope! Striving with you, my friend!
Giving up bad habits and replacing them with good ones – makes all the sense in the world, Nancy! I especially like the idea of keeping a gratitude journal. I did that once several years ago; not sure why I stopped, but I do think it would be a wonderful practice to reinstate. I’m so thankful that God is still working in me to keep me from going back to smoking. Whew!
Blessings!
You probably recall, I began a “God Is Faithful” journal in 1983 to record the times I saw God at work in our family. It wasn’t until 2017 that I started the daily gratitude journal, “A Celebration of Small Things.” It’s been great fun! With you, Martha, I celebrate the strength God has given you to give up smoking. That is NO small thing!!
Good-to-the-last-word counsel, Nancy. And the Lewis quote makes an ideal capstone. And what a visually cadenced, graceful hand you have—beautiful letter-forms for beautiful thoughts. So glad I took my oasis here today!
The Lewis quote was meaningful to me too. Glad you found it so also. As for the handwriting, 26 years in the elementary classroom gave me lots of practice! : ) What an honor it is for me to provide an oasis for you with this post. Thank you, Laurie!
You give me some great ideas to kickstart areas in my thought life that need some refining, especially in caregiving on the rough days/moments. Thank you so much for this blog full of wisdom, Nancy.
You are so welcome, Patty. I pray your days be filled with joy, even as you work through the rough days/moments. And may it be an encouragement to know how you bless others with your blog posts, demonstrating how to work out our salvation in difficult circumstances.
Thank you so much, my friend 💖
It was Arnold Prader that said you can’t stop the bird from flying over your head but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.
Singing praise songs or reciting scripture helps me shew negative thoughts or Salons whispers away and set me back on track.
I miss Arnold Prader❤️
We miss Arnold too. Every now and then Steve and I say “Glory!” the way he used to! I love that saying of his you shared. I didn’t remember that one! So glad you mentioned reciting scripture as another means of turning away from negativity. Very helpful! Thank you for taking the time to comment, Swan!
Trust and praise came up several times each in my quiet time this morning. Then of course they were both tried and tested in new ways throughout the day. Trust. Praise. It changes everything. So this was a perfect way to end my day, Nancy. Thank you for your beautiful post. ❤️
Deb
Thank you, Deb. I love the way God affirms his Word to us by bringing a concept to our attention several times in short order. He’s such an attentive, gentle Teacher!
Yes and yes 🙌🏽 great advice my friend. One of the habits I’ve encouraged is to read the Bible no matter what!
Oh yes–I’m right with you, Brenda. Quiet time with God each morning is my favorite time of day. I LOVE digging into his Word to glean his wisdom and encouragement.
Amen 🙏🏽
Thanks Nancy for this post! This post was a tad hard to read since I have some habits that need to change! Now it is back to exercising and a few others.
That’s the ticket–get back to what you know you need to do. Start fresh! You’ll be so glad you did!
gratitude is so powerful. I am also learning to give myself grace – at first anxiety rules but then I remember I can choose trust. It takes me a bit to get turned around but I get there.
I feel the exact same way, Jean. As I told Shelley above, the longer I work at developing a Philippians 4:8 frame of mind, the less time it takes to turn from worry to praise. With you also I’ve discovered the power of gratitude. What an amazing gift it is that God has given us!
I needed to read this today, Nancy. Trying to change old habits isn’t easy, but these simple things will make much easier. Thanks!
You are so welcome, Mary. I think of you often and pray each day brings you smiles and “love-notes” from your Heavenly Father.
Thanks so much for your prayers, Nancy.
So good Nancy, I’m sending this over to my email so I can print it off..so relatable and such a helpful resource for me in this season of my life. Glory to Him—thank you for your obedience in writing!❤️
Praise God you found this post helpful, Alicia! Your kind words mean much!
Printed it off yesterday, it’ll be part of my daily encouragement to read.❤️
I am honored, Alicia!
Thank you, Nancy for this post. It is so encouraging. Praise and gratitude will definitely change our attitude.
You’re welcome, Pam. So glad you found encouragement here–praise God!
Great thoughts, Nancy! Thank you. Your post reminds me of the story Christ told about the person who had several demons inside them (let’s call them bad habits). The person broke these bad habits and cleaned up their life, but they forgot to replace the bad with something good. Next thing you know, the bad habits are back. Lesson learned.
A new and interesting take on that parable, David. Thank you for sharing it with us!
I was reminded in one of my devotions this week that obsessing over things like the state of our country should be replaced by obsessing over God and the many blessings He has bestowed upon me all of these years. I am so grateful for this nudge from the Lord that I should redirect my thinking! (Kind of like driving out one nail with another, right?)
Absolutely, Cheri! You’ve given another perfect example of driving out a bad habit with a good one!
Thank you Nancy. All so true. Your words and directions can give us peace. Laura
You’re right, Laura. Good habits do bring us a sense of peace; bad habits a sense of guilt! Good habits foster contentment; bad habits make us feel discontent. Thank you for your astute observation, Laura!
HI Nancy,
Fighting feelings over faith. I see that struggle and it’s an uphill battle for sure. Have a great week, Gary
Fighting against our feelings with faith helps to develop our faith muscles, right? Here’s to “working out” our salvation, Gary, with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12)!
Nancy, thanks for the reminder to replace the unhealthy with all that is good and lovely and excellent and praiseworthy!
THAT’S the verse (Philippians 4:8) to sift all our thoughts (and habits) through! Thank you, Linda, for adding it to the conversation.
Great point, Nancy!
Thank you, Mitch. Praising God here for his inspiration!