“Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭14‬ ‭CSB‬‬

We are all creatures of habit to varying degrees, meaning we fall into routines, get comfortable with patterns of behavior, and appreciate events that happen as expected.

I want my car to start up every time I push the button. If it doesn’t, I panic. I get annoyed if someone wakes me up earlier than usual or keeps me up too late at night. I’m suspicious when a friend uncharacteristically calls me out of the blue. Moving or starting a new job are two of the biggest stress triggers there are.

Although God created me to be a creature of habit, not all habits are good. But the older a habit is, the harder it is to get rid of.

I’ve heard the easiest way to get rid of a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. That makes me think of today’s verse. It’s not enough to turn away from evil. I should do good in its place.

That’s one of the reasons Alcoholics Anonymous is as successful as they are at helping people overcome alcohol addiction. Instead of just telling people to stop drinking, they give them good, active things to do in the hard moments instead like going to a meeting or calling a sponsor or working the steps.

To turn away from evil, first I have to recognize it though. Would I recognize evil or do I let it routinely wash through my life unnoticed?

On the other hand, doing good takes conscious effort as well. I must plan it, even schedule it. I must intentionally consider what to do, how to do it and then follow through.

The psalmist doesn’t say “ignore evil and allow good.” He uses very active verbs.

Turn away from evil. See it, recognize it, acknowledge it as evil, and change my direction and orientation so that I am not moving toward it or even looking at it anymore.

Do what is good. Decide what is good and make sure it happens.

Dear God,

Please show me whatever bad habits you want me to examine and replace with good. Show me where there is evil around me and teach me how to turn away from it. Also give me ideas of the good you want me to do. Forgive me for allowing evil and hoping for good. Forgive my apathy, laziness, and complacency. Show me the good you want me to start with today.