“The chains of habit are to light to feel until they are to strong to break”

Man is a habitual being.  Part of our make up is that the longer we engage in behavior the more it becomes our nature.  If you studied psychology you probably remember Pavlov’s dogs.  As part of an elaborate experiment on human nature he was able to manipulate a dogs response by continually using the same stimuli.  Pavlov noticed that whenever a dog came to its food, as he was preparing the food it would salivate.  He began to ring a bell every time he fed the dog.  Soon he was able to make the dogs salivate even in the absence of food if he simply rang the same bell.  Although man is a vastly superior creation than the dog, we nevertheless have a very similar mechanism in our brain.  View full article »

Friendships do matter

II Timothy 3:22 “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Proverbs 22:24 “Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and get a snare for your soul.”

To a large degree our character is influenced by the people we call our friends. We’ve all heard the adage: “birds of a feather flock together.” The people I choose as my friends reveals the kind of heart that I have. If my friends are critical, divisive people—I will become the same way. If my friendships take me to the bars and dens of sin— I should not be surprised that I too engage in these activities. View full article »