Breaking Bad Habits: My Taco Bell Habit

“…this I keep on doing” ~Romans 7:19

We all make choices every day based on what's familiar and convenient. Whether it's grabbing fast food from the drive-thru or putting off our Bible reading until tomorrow, the path of least resistance often wins. But what if our spiritual growth depends on developing better habits?

Jesus spoke clearly about this struggle when He said, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). We genuinely want to grow in our faith, but our habitual patterns often pull us in the opposite direction.

Breaking Bad Habits This Lent

This season is really about breaking bad habits and letting God replace them with life-giving ones.

Think about that Taco Bell versus Chipotle choice. Both satisfy hunger, but one offers convenience while the other offers quality. Similarly, we can choose the quick spiritual fix—a rushed prayer, skimming scripture, or surface-level worship—or we can invest in deeper spiritual nourishment that requires more effort but offers greater benefits.

Lent gives us a perfect opportunity to break these patterns. Just as Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days, we too can set aside our comfortable habits to pursue something better. This season has always been about preparation and purification—making space for God by letting go of what distracts us.

Paul recognized this battle when he wrote, "I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing" (Romans 7:18-19). We're all caught in this tension between what's easy and what's best. Thomas à Kempis wisely noted that "habit overcomes habit." The solution isn't simply trying harder but replacing unhelpful patterns with life-giving ones. As Paul writes, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2).

Daily Goal: This Lent, identify one "Taco Bell habit" in your spiritual life—something quick and convenient but not particularly nourishing. Then choose one "Chipotle habit" to replace it with throughout these forty days. It might mean going to bed 30 minutes earlier for unrushed prayer in the morning, or finding a quiet spot to read scripture without distractions. By Easter, this new practice might just become your new normal, for "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion" (Philippians 1:6).

Always improve the present moment.