How to Defeat Harmful Habits (Counseling Through the Bible Series) by June Hunt Read Free Book Online Page A

became one of the most popular basketball players in the Women’s National Basketball Association, signing a multiyear deal as a point guard with the Tulsa Shock in February 2011.
    More importantly, Marion maintained a spirit of humility and repentance. Once her thinking changed, her life changed. Why do others not change? Because they never change their wrong beliefs.
    W RONG B ELIEF — THE R EBEL :
    “I really don’t want to change. What I’m doing is not that bad!”
    R IGHT B ELIEF — THE R EBEL :
    “I really need to change and take responsibility for my behavior. Instead of choosing to please myself, my deepest desire needs to be to please the Lord, yielding my life to Christ’s supernatural control.”
     
“Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness”
    (R OMANS 6:12-13).
     
    W RONG B ELIEF — THE R EPENTANT :
    “I really want to change and I’ve tried, but I can’t. There is no hope for me.”
    R IGHT B ELIEF — THE R EPENTANT :
    “I can have success by yielding my bad habit to Christ’s supernatural control. My new habit is this: With Christ living in me, I will submit to His leadership so that His character can be clearly seen through my life.”

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength”
    (P HILIPPIANS 4:13).
IV. S TEPS TO S OLUTION
911 Operator: “911, do you have an emergency?”
Caller: “Yeah, we have a shark attack.”
911 Operator: “And the person is still in the water?”
Caller: “They’re still in the water, yes. I think her arm might be gone.” 36
    By age 13, Hawaiian surfing prodigy Bethany Hamilton had quickly risen through the ranks of amateur surfing in pursuit of her lifelong dream of turning pro. She had sponsors interested in endorsing her and a tight-knit family of surfing enthusiasts who staunchly supported her. But, in a matter of seconds—while paddling to catch the next wave off Kauai’s North Shore—she had an arm savagely severed from her tiny frame by a 14-foot tiger shark. 37
    Emergency responders rushed Bethany to the hospital, radioing ahead to alert the staff. Bethany’s father, Tom—prepped to undergo knee surgery that same morning—was quickly removed from the same operating-room table his daughter would occupy minutes later as doctors raced to save her life. 38
    After surgery, Bethany awoke to find more than her left arm missing. Gone, too, were her dreams and her identity as a surfing phenomenon. But not for long. Within days, an undeniable desire to surf the world’s wildest waves came flooding back. Was such a feat physically possible? she wondered. And, if so, how? What new habits and skills would be needed? Bethany had more questions than answers. But of one thing she was certain: As soon as her stitches were removed, she would head straight back to the water with a surfboard under her right arm…her only arm.
A. Key Verse to Memorize
    For as long as Bethany could remember, her parents emphasized having true faith in Christ and, indeed , she received Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior, entrusting her life to Him. Never in the ensuing years, however, had her growing faith been tested so severely as on October 31, 2003—the day of the attack—and in the grueling months to come.
    Uncertainty over how to live life as an amputee—and a surfer—was a constant companion. How could she tie on her swimsuit top, much less tunnel through world-class waves balanced atop a bobbing board? Since the Handbook of Habits for One-armed Surfers didn’t exist, Bethany turned to the only book she could trust to guide her—the Bible.
    She had learned from it in church and at home, committing many Scripture verses to memory. Now they came flooding back, reassuring her that…

“I