The Burden from Bad Habits by Dr. Rod Mattoon

About this sermon

In this message we find that Goliath’s bad habit of defying and blaspheming God’s people and the God of the Hebrews would come back to bite him. Burdens are usually the outcome of bad, sinful habits. Bad habits can get you into major trouble, as we will see in Goliath’s life. If you are a member of the Bad Habit Club, you know what I am talking about. Bad habits can lead to the burden of addictions to drugs and alcohol. They can lead to addictions to pornography, immorality, nicotine, filthy language, and gambling. Beloved, God provides warnings for Christians about the damage and burden from bad, sinful habits. We take a look at five of them. Beloved, what begins small tends to thrive out of control and ends deadly. Let me ask, "Is your spiritual condition worse or better than it was one year ago? Are you growing spiritually or growing cold and indifferent?" When we look through the Bible, we find some of the effects that bad habits have on the lives of people. We look at four people. We find that bad habits begin like threads but soon become ropes. They quietly wrap around our time, thoughts, health, relationships, finances, and fellowship with God until what once seemed harmless becomes a heavy burden we drag through every day. They drain our strength, dull our discernment, damage our testimony, and diminish our joy. Don't negotiate with a habit that is defeating you—name it, confess it, cut off what feeds it, replace it with what is right, and seek accountability. Beloved, Jesus can lift the burdens of bad habits that have become like chains around the soul and weights upon the heart. When we bring them to Him, He does more than forgive the past—He gives strength for the present and power for a new direction. His grace can break the grip of what has mastered us; His Word can renew our thinking, and His Spirit can strengthen us to say "no" where we once surrendered. What has bound you for years is not stronger than the Christ who sets captives free. This message was preached on Sunday morning, September 6, 2026, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.

Topics

• Suffering & Trials
• Overcoming Obstacles