Foundations of Godly Habits: Building on Rock, Not Sand

 

Last night, as the storm rolled in, I sat watching the sand around our pool wash away. The rain pounded hard, and the soil shifted little by little. What once looked firm and secure now appeared fragile, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the foundation might give way.

It made me think about life. We all go through storms—sometimes they come as sudden downpours, other times as long, exhausting seasons that seem to erode us little by little. If our lives are not built on a strong foundation, if our habits are not healthy and stable, the storm will quickly expose the weakness of our footing.

Healthy habits are like the firm ground that holds us steady when storms come. Without them, it’s easy to slip into unhealthy cycles: grabbing at quick fixes, self-medicating with substances, or turning to destructive behaviors to cope. But with a strong foundation—rooted in God’s truth and practical self-discipline—we can withstand the storm without being washed away.

Bad habits never announce themselves with chains. They creep in slowly, often guarded by excuses:

• “It’s not hurting anyone.”
• “I can stop whenever I want.”
• “I’ve done this for thirty years—it would take the next thirty to change.”
• “At least it’s better than what others are doing.”

But like the storm that washed away the sand around my pool, these excuses slowly erode stability. They leave us fragile, unable to stand when life’s pressures rise.

Our culture loves shortcuts. A pill promises instant focus. A new diet promises fast results. Gambling promises a rush of excitement. Social media offers fleeting validation. Pornography and sexual indulgence promise relief from loneliness or stress.

But none of these fix the foundation. At best, they swap one behavior for another. At worst, they enslave us further.

This is why Jay Adams, in How to Help People Change, reminds us that real transformation is not surface-level behavior modification—it’s a change of the heart. His biblical framework is clear:

1. Put Off – Name the addiction honestly. Repent and turn away from it.
2. Renew the Mind – Let God’s truth reshape how we see ourselves, our desires, and our habits.
3. Put On – Replace destructive patterns with godly ones—habits rooted in obedience and trust.

Romans 12:2 calls us to this kind of transformation:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Self-control isn’t simply “gritting our teeth until we succeed.” Scripture says it is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). That means it grows as we surrender to God daily. When we resist destructive cravings, we’re not just saying no—we’re saying yes to something better: peace, freedom, and alignment with God’s will.

But this is not merely a spiritual issue in isolation. Sometimes the body has been affected—imbalances, trauma, or chemical damage may need to be addressed with the help of doctors. Medical care can support the process, but only Christ renews the heart. True healing brings both body and soul under His care.

These truths matter in our homes and schools too. Too often, children showing normal immaturity or restlessness are quickly medicated to make classrooms “manageable.” But a medicated classroom does not produce young adults who can regulate themselves.

Proverbs 22:6 reminds us:

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Children need loving discipline, clear expectations, and training in self-control. Excusing or glossing over harmful behaviors—or masking them with medication—does not lay a foundation. It builds on shifting sand.

One of the strongest chains of bad habits aka addiction is shame. It whispers: “You’ll be rejected if anyone finds out. Hide it. Handle it alone.” Past experiences of rejection or being told to “keep it secret” can push people deeper into isolation.

But secrecy feeds addiction. It leads to more guilt, more shame, and greater dependence on destructive habits. God’s Word offers the opposite:

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5:16)

Healing begins in honesty—with God and with trusted community. In the light, the cycle of shame breaks, and grace begins to rebuild what storms have eroded.

Storms will come. Stress, grief, loss, trauma, temptation—they’re unavoidable. But if we begin laying a foundation now, with habits anchored in God’s Word, we won’t collapse when the rain falls.

Jesus said:

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24–25)

Our habits are the daily bricks of that foundation—small choices surrendered to God. They may seem insignificant in calm weather, but when the storm rages, they are the difference between standing firm and being washed away.