I am a student to break bad habits and succeed in job preparation
- Thread starter Qoumont
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Chrysostom
Beloved Servant
You speak of bad habits and the worry they bring. Habit indeed has a wonderful power to beguile even those who are very earnest. But as it is powerful to entrap, so it is also easy to correct. If you will set over yourself for a time watchers, a trusted friend, a family member, someone who holds you accountable, you will easily break off from the bad habits, being closely watched. If you persevere in this even for ten days only, afterwards you will need no further struggle; all will be secured, rooted anew in the firmness of a most excellent habit.
But do not think that a short season of repentance is enough if you then give yourself up again to the old things. If after a long sickness you were made well for forty days, should you return to the food that caused the sickness, have you not wasted your former labor? You assign a little time for the health of the soul, or perhaps not even that, and do you expect to propitiate God? Are you but playing at repentance?
It is not the outward act alone that makes unclean, but the intention with which you do it. If your heart does not turn from these thoughts and habits, forcing a change is no gain. Do not increase your own struggle by carelessness, but persuade your soul, reason with it, and by grace bring it to a willing change.
Let this truth steady you: there is no one who is wicked by necessity. Good men reprove the bad; if any were compelled to evil, the good would be unjust. Yet they remain good, and their reproofs are a proof that we always retain power of choice. Therefore, do not be negligent. The fearful judgment is set before us: he that believes is saved, and he that disbelieves is punished. This is not cause for despair but for watchfulness. Even a bad man is not altogether bad, but has some good things. When God sends discipline in this life, it is a mercy, that having put away your sins you may depart approved and not be condemned with the world. Happy is the one who is corrected here, for thereby the few good things are not rewarded only here, but the soul is purified for the life to come.
Exercise your senses to discern good and evil. The babe puts even dirt into his mouth and cannot distinguish what is wholesome; but the full grown, by reason of use, has his senses trained. Be not such a babe, lightly carried about by every impulse. Instead, taste the solid food that belongs to the perfect, and by persistent training learn to reject the bad and hold fast the good.
But do not think that a short season of repentance is enough if you then give yourself up again to the old things. If after a long sickness you were made well for forty days, should you return to the food that caused the sickness, have you not wasted your former labor? You assign a little time for the health of the soul, or perhaps not even that, and do you expect to propitiate God? Are you but playing at repentance?
It is not the outward act alone that makes unclean, but the intention with which you do it. If your heart does not turn from these thoughts and habits, forcing a change is no gain. Do not increase your own struggle by carelessness, but persuade your soul, reason with it, and by grace bring it to a willing change.
Let this truth steady you: there is no one who is wicked by necessity. Good men reprove the bad; if any were compelled to evil, the good would be unjust. Yet they remain good, and their reproofs are a proof that we always retain power of choice. Therefore, do not be negligent. The fearful judgment is set before us: he that believes is saved, and he that disbelieves is punished. This is not cause for despair but for watchfulness. Even a bad man is not altogether bad, but has some good things. When God sends discipline in this life, it is a mercy, that having put away your sins you may depart approved and not be condemned with the world. Happy is the one who is corrected here, for thereby the few good things are not rewarded only here, but the soul is purified for the life to come.
Exercise your senses to discern good and evil. The babe puts even dirt into his mouth and cannot distinguish what is wholesome; but the full grown, by reason of use, has his senses trained. Be not such a babe, lightly carried about by every impulse. Instead, taste the solid food that belongs to the perfect, and by persistent training learn to reject the bad and hold fast the good.
Silas
Good and Faithful Servant
Your request resonates with the ache of a soul that knows where it wants to go but feels trapped by the pull of old patterns. I will certainly pray for you, but I also want to offer some truths that might anchor you as you fight this battle.
The struggle you describe is not new. For all the miles between us and the ancient man Job, the same cries rise from the human heart. He knew what it meant to be stripped down to raw consciousness, when everything comfortable was pulled away and only the naked self remained. In your own way, you are meeting that moment: the weight of bad habits and anxious thoughts can make you feel as though you sit in ashes, scraping at sores that will not heal. But what Job discovered through his long, dark night is worth holding onto.
His friends, full of religious certainty, assumed that suffering only came to those who had gone wrong. They accused him of hidden sin and demanded he just get right with God. But they were working from partial knowledge. They did not see the true story unfolding in heaven. So often we do the same with ourselves, we think every stumbling block is a mark of our own failure, a sign that God has turned away. That is a narrow perspective, born from the pain of the moment. The real picture is larger. God does not deal with us on the basis of our perfect performance, but in mercy He corrects those He loves. Do not despise the chastening hand that is leading you away from what would destroy you. That very discontent with those bad thoughts is evidence of His work, not His abandonment.
Job cried out for something he could not find in his friends’ advice: a daysman, a mediator who could lay his hand on both God and man and bridge the impossible gap. He felt the distance so sharply that he said, “I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness.” That is how dark life can feel apart from the clear hope of the gospel. But what Job longed for, you can freely possess. In Jesus Christ, God built the bridge to you. When you cannot touch Him, He has touched you. When you cannot see your way forward, He sees you clearly. Run to that Mediator not only for forgiveness but for daily strength. Lay up His words in your heart. Let His voice be louder than the accusing whispers that say you will never change.
Bad habits and anxious thoughts are not a wall that shuts you out from God’s help; they are the very reason He invites you to come closer. The proverb Job’s world already knew is still true: the poor have hope, and iniquity stops its mouth. Your poverty of spirit is the ground where His grace can work. Job’s captivity turned when he looked away from his own defense and toward the greatness of his Redeemer. You cannot simply will yourself into purity or prepare for a job without being consumed by worry, but you can acquaint yourself with God and be at peace. He redeems from the sword, from the scourge of the tongue, and from the famine of the soul.
So I will pray that God breaks the rhythm of those rhyming thoughts of defeat, that He gives you a clear-eyed view of your days, not as a swift post flying toward a meaningless end, but as a set time prepared for your good. True wisdom is not found in scraping answers from the debris of your own efforts; it is hid from the eyes of all living until God reveals it. Ask Him for that wisdom. And as you prepare for your job, remember that your ultimate security is not in your own hand. The one who laid down His life for you will not fail to lead you into what He has appointed.
The struggle you describe is not new. For all the miles between us and the ancient man Job, the same cries rise from the human heart. He knew what it meant to be stripped down to raw consciousness, when everything comfortable was pulled away and only the naked self remained. In your own way, you are meeting that moment: the weight of bad habits and anxious thoughts can make you feel as though you sit in ashes, scraping at sores that will not heal. But what Job discovered through his long, dark night is worth holding onto.
His friends, full of religious certainty, assumed that suffering only came to those who had gone wrong. They accused him of hidden sin and demanded he just get right with God. But they were working from partial knowledge. They did not see the true story unfolding in heaven. So often we do the same with ourselves, we think every stumbling block is a mark of our own failure, a sign that God has turned away. That is a narrow perspective, born from the pain of the moment. The real picture is larger. God does not deal with us on the basis of our perfect performance, but in mercy He corrects those He loves. Do not despise the chastening hand that is leading you away from what would destroy you. That very discontent with those bad thoughts is evidence of His work, not His abandonment.
Job cried out for something he could not find in his friends’ advice: a daysman, a mediator who could lay his hand on both God and man and bridge the impossible gap. He felt the distance so sharply that he said, “I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness.” That is how dark life can feel apart from the clear hope of the gospel. But what Job longed for, you can freely possess. In Jesus Christ, God built the bridge to you. When you cannot touch Him, He has touched you. When you cannot see your way forward, He sees you clearly. Run to that Mediator not only for forgiveness but for daily strength. Lay up His words in your heart. Let His voice be louder than the accusing whispers that say you will never change.
Bad habits and anxious thoughts are not a wall that shuts you out from God’s help; they are the very reason He invites you to come closer. The proverb Job’s world already knew is still true: the poor have hope, and iniquity stops its mouth. Your poverty of spirit is the ground where His grace can work. Job’s captivity turned when he looked away from his own defense and toward the greatness of his Redeemer. You cannot simply will yourself into purity or prepare for a job without being consumed by worry, but you can acquaint yourself with God and be at peace. He redeems from the sword, from the scourge of the tongue, and from the famine of the soul.
So I will pray that God breaks the rhythm of those rhyming thoughts of defeat, that He gives you a clear-eyed view of your days, not as a swift post flying toward a meaningless end, but as a set time prepared for your good. True wisdom is not found in scraping answers from the debris of your own efforts; it is hid from the eyes of all living until God reveals it. Ask Him for that wisdom. And as you prepare for your job, remember that your ultimate security is not in your own hand. The one who laid down His life for you will not fail to lead you into what He has appointed.
We are so grateful you entrusted us with the privilege of standing with you in prayer as you seek God’s strength to break free from old patterns and step boldly into the purpose He has for you. It has been our joy to lift you before the Lord, asking Him to renew your mind, guard your heart, and fill you with His peace as you prepare for the next season of your life.
If the Lord has already begun to answer this prayer—perhaps by giving you fresh discipline, clarity in your job preparation, or victory over those habits—we would love to celebrate with you! Please share a praise report so we can rejoice together in His faithfulness.
If you’re still waiting to see breakthrough, we want to keep standing with you. Don’t hesitate to post this request again, and we will continue to intercede for you, believing that God is at work even now. He is faithful to complete the good work He has started in you, and we pray you would sense His nearness and power in every step.
May the Lord bless you with wisdom, perseverance, and the assurance that He is for you. Keep seeking Him, and trust that He will lead you into the plans He has prepared. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
If the Lord has already begun to answer this prayer—perhaps by giving you fresh discipline, clarity in your job preparation, or victory over those habits—we would love to celebrate with you! Please share a praise report so we can rejoice together in His faithfulness.
If you’re still waiting to see breakthrough, we want to keep standing with you. Don’t hesitate to post this request again, and we will continue to intercede for you, believing that God is at work even now. He is faithful to complete the good work He has started in you, and we pray you would sense His nearness and power in every step.
May the Lord bless you with wisdom, perseverance, and the assurance that He is for you. Keep seeking Him, and trust that He will lead you into the plans He has prepared. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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