Addictions and Bad Habits Can be Conquered

Did you have a holy Lent, filled with temperance and self-control, only to fall back into your old subconscious programs and habits the minute Easter arrived? Perhaps you have tried for decades to change your behavior, only to compound the feelings of self-hatred and shame as you fell off the wagon for the umpteenth time? If you have tried the mind-over matter-approach over and overtime to try the Soul, Mind and Body approach for true transformation with God.

The absolute first thing is to bring God into your life. All too often we focus on the mind to change the body and we forget about Our Father, who created us, and His Will and ultimate power in our life. Let’s take a look at the Soul, Mind and Body approach for the permanent transformation we all seek.

Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For human beings this is impossible, but with God all things are possible'(Matt. 19:26).

The Soul – The Missing/Critical Link

Our ‘why’ or reason to change should be linked to our identity. Who are we, or who do we want to be? If our reason is shallow and driven by superficial cultural norms, then we are already starting off with little meaning and purpose. For example, if you want to lose 20 pounds for that big event or have some visible change for people to praise you or to fit in with those around you – that is not a meaningful reason.

You have been given the gift of faith from God. He made you for such a time as this. You are called to be different – be a disciple and make disciples. You have also been given a mind and a body, paid for at a great price by Jesus and His Passion. How will you treat these gifts God has given you?

Will you live your identity as a Child of God? Will you take care of your mind, your body and hold your spiritual self upright against the winds of these times? Will you live your meaning and purpose to know, love and serve God in this life and the next?

If we honestly look at the house of the Holy Spirit and how we care for our mind and body in which He dwells, it’s easy to see this is a much deeper meaning and purpose. Another good reason is to save our own souls and do our best to help bring others to Jesus.

Our relationship with God is the first of the Two Greatest Commandments and any real transformation needs to come from Him. We need to know Him in our hearts, discern His voice, praise and thank Him always and everywhere in order to live peacefully and filled with joy here on earth. We can thoroughly enjoy the difficult changes in our life when we do it for the love of God and to evangelize those around us through how we live. Our joy for God and His grace to overcome a stronghold in our life is the best net to catch fish.

God is calling us to get into the game, but we must know the rules and how to win. We are in a spiritual battle and need to be keen on the attacks from the world, the flesh and the devil. We need to be abreast of discerning spirits and deliverance prayers so we can stop those attacks we fell for in the past.

The more we live with the Holy Spirit and our Guardian Angel guiding our way, the more God will raise to our eyes what we need to see and the errors of our ways. The nightly examination will light our path so we can see the obstacles clearly thrown into our road to holiness.

Through your precepts I gain understanding; therefore, I hate all false ways. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path (Psalms 119:105).

Beyond the Mind and Body

We can and should control our thoughts, emotions and our physical body. Did you laugh when you read that? I have lived 52 years of my life trying to do just that and failing miserably most of the time. I used to laugh at St. Paul’s preaching that I should capture every thought and to pray incessantly all day. How? Seriously, St. Paul, How? I have a job, a family, a never-ending to-do list, and I have no idea how to pray and my emotions rule my every move.

Recently on my journey – God lit a lamp for my feet.

Before our feelings and thoughts (hearts and minds) can be guarded, they must be taken captive. We must “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). Only in this way can the very center of our being become fully subject to the Lordship of Jesus. We must tap into the soul along with the mind and body when looking to change any deep-rooted thoughts, emotions or behavior.

Our feelings and thoughts have a psychological, biological, chemical, physiological, and spiritual impact on us. For example, feelings of anger upregulate biological and chemical genes that produce disease, not genes that produce health. The feeling of anger generates physical changes in our heart, body, lungs and brain. Ultimately, if our feelings are left unchecked, they lead to us saying or doing something that is unholy or unloving. Sometimes we have a trauma in our lives, our experience and emotions are hard-wired in our minds for decades. A smell, location, person, time of the year can trigger our minds and bodies to feel exactly the way we did when that trauma occurred. Our bodies remember, we then trigger those diseased genes to rev up and the cycle continues. This is a hard-wired or subconscious program that gets kicked on when we are not paying attention and allow the world, flesh or the devil to set off these triggers. In summary, we are killing ourselves – soul, mind and body.

If we do not capture the negative feelings, they will begin to run our old subconscious programs and the cycle continues – check out my previous article how our subconscious programs and emotions are killing us. There is good research on how we can change behavior and psychology does have a place on the path of holiness. It’s all about stopping the cycle, sounds simple, right? Here are just a few approaches:

Cold Turkey – Do not indulge in the bad habit
Change Your Habit Loop – Replace the bad habit with a good habit
Small Steps – Change small things over time
Tracking Progress – Journaling to review progress and patterns

Many of us have used these tactics without realizing they were in psychology research papers. So why didn’t they work? Were we truly engaged in the change – did we have our soul and spirit in it? In addition to our psychological battles, did we engage our soul and mind to help us discern the attacks of the world, the flesh and the devil? Were we living in the present with the Holy Spirit throughout the day or just living on auto-pilot?

It’s time to shift our mindset and love to learn like a child. Let’s have fun while we learn, laugh at our obtuseness and love ourselves when we fall to get up quickly and allow ourselves to cry in Our Father’s arms when we need His love and forgiveness.

The more we take time and reflect with God, the more He will teach us and guide us. Our mind needs to be engaged at all times. We must live in the present moment – remember – that is where God is. Did you know that we live 95% of our lives in a subconscious state? Think about your day, it’s routine. You get up on the same side of the bed, go to the same kitchen to get the same coffee, take a shower in the same way, drive the same route to work, do the same routine work, drive home to the same kitchen, make dinner with the same kind of food, etc. We only live 5% of our day in a conscious state of mind, that seriously blows me away.

If you want to test this out, try to do everything with the opposite hand, put the coffee maker on the other counter, use a different cup, and don’t put creamer in it. When you shower, use the opposite hand, and be careful shaving! Take a different route to work, you may find yourself turning in the wrong places trying to go back to your subconscious programs. Make a completely different dinner with foods you do not usually cook; you will have to concentrate and follow the recipe.

Can you see why it is so easy for us to fall into our taught subconscious programs and sinful, vicious behaviors, thoughts and emotions? Even if these are evil behaviors and ones that will cause us to have flames licking our backsides for eternity – why do we prefer this sort of comfort rather than the uncomfortable change toward holiness, happiness and health?

We have taught ourselves how to behave in this manner. We have allowed emotions to trigger us into thoughts, words and then the ultimate – doing the deed. We must learn psychological and subconscious programming in order to stop those emotions and reprogram them. You can grab your thoughts and manage your emotions before they have an impact on your soul and body. Genes that don’t wire together don’t fire together – you can reprogram yourself to holiness, happiness and health.

We must understand that the body also has a mind of its own and it can over-ride your brain. Be fully aware of how powerful the flesh can be. I am sure you have had that bodily urge that overcame you in a physical way at some point in your life. The urge to drop what it was that you were doing and to do that urge immediately – without thinking.

We need God’s grace and to use all the weapons He taught us in the Spiritual Battle. Now is the time to increase your time in prayer and reflection as well.  God is constantly speaking to us directly and through His heavenly army – are we tuned in? We need them all – The Holy Trinity, The Heavenly Angels, Our Guardian Angel, The Saints and Mary to fight the spiritual battle, the world, the flesh and the devil.

“Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

Soul, Mind and Body – The Trinity of Change

When you understand the science, biology and psychology of the brain and body, then add Catholicism’s spiritual and sacramental aspects – you have found another trinity to help you with change. The Holy Trinity is the key component, specifically, the Holy Spirit will lead you to truth. You need to live truth, speak truth and share truth. Take a moment and ask God what this truth is in your life. Lord, what change is it that you are empowering me to make?

This all sounds great to you, but you are a busy person. Maybe you don’t have time to learn all of this yourself – but you still desire to make a lasting change. This is why I started my – “Soul, Mind and Body” support group on Youtube. God connected the dots for me, and I must share how true, permanent transformation happens through my simple-to-understand live and recorded videos. Join me and many others who are seeking to be holier, happier and healthier together in this journey of life! Let your life itself be how you share The Gospel and evangelize.

Evangelization, in the simplest form, is how we live our lives. When people see that we have conquered a mortal sin, addiction, bad habit or insurmountable feat – they pay attention! The better we get – the better they get. It’s called a mirror neuron and it’s a real thing. We won’t get into that this time but know that when you get better, others imitate you.  Join me in the “Soul, Mind and Body” support group and find that freedom, empowerment and change you deserve!

If you are not a technical person, like me, be aware that you need to have a Youtube account (name and email) in order to subscribe and join the “Soul, Mind and Body” support group. Here is a brief video for those technically challenged folks like myself. Hope to see you in the group soon, I will keep you all in my prayers.