The Seven Habits of a Godly Life – Dr. Charles Stanley

seven habits of a godly life you should

get every one of them down ask yourself

the question are you a godly person so

first of all I want to define a couple

of things and first of all I want to

define what a head it is and a habit is

a recurring often unconscious pattern of

behavior that is acquired through

frequent repetition that’s what I have

it is something we do over and over and

over again the second definition is

simply this what is a godly life

so what’s godly it’s a life no longer

seeking satisfaction through a sinful

lifestyle but is now surrendered to God

and His will for your life what is a

godly life a life no longer seeking

self-satisfaction they’re a sinful

lifestyle but is now surrendered to God

and His will for your life in other

words we would call that a sanctified

life not perfect doesn’t mean you never

sin but it means that your life is fully

surrendered to him so I want to give you

seven habits that every single believer

ought to make as a part of their life

and the first one is this the habit

first habit is a life of prayer and you

recall one of my favorite passages very

simple in the mark that first chapter

when the disciples they didn’t never

quite get a hold of this but the

scripture says in chapter one of Mark

verse 35 in the early morning while it

was still dark Jesus got up left the

house and went away to a secluded place

and was praying there Simon and his

companions search for him they found him

and said to him everybody’s looking for

you and so that’s sort of typical about

the way people operate sometime

Jesus is doing the most important thing

in life and they don’t quite get that

and them again for example in the fourth

chapter of Luke and the 42nd verse when

they came Jesus left and went to a

secluded place and the crowds were

searching for him and came to him and

tried to keep him from going away from

them and he said to them I must preach

the gospel and so forth now when we talk

about a life of prayer we’re not talking

about once in a while we’re talking

about that every day you sense the need

the desire and the joy and the awesome

power that comes through pray talking to

the father that is it ought to be a

habit something that is recurring in

your life not just when you get in

trouble when you get in need but because

you love God because you’re grateful for

who he is and what he’s doing in your

life and for example I’m the 11th

chapter of Luke the disciples came to

Jesus and said now would you would you

teach us to pray like him John the

Baptist teaches his disciples to pray

and so they saw something absolutely

different about Jesus praying it wasn’t

some ritual that people who usually

would go through in those days but they

could sense that he was talking

personally to the Heavenly Father so

when I look at these verses and think

about it

the truth is you can’t live a godly life

unless you have a prayer life you’re not

you can’t you live in a world we all

live in a world of temptation and trials

and heartaches and burdens and sin and

everywhere you turn there it is you

cannot live a godly life

I didn’t say a life with that innocent

but a godly life and we defined what

that meant

you can’t live a godly life unless you

have a good prayer life because the

prayer life keeps you connected to

Almighty God’s sensitive to his will and

his purpose and his plan for your life

you don’t pray you won’t live a godly

life and if you’ll think about it it’s

the most important activity of your life

I’ve been a Christian 73 years and I got

started off praying because my mother

taught me to pray and taught me how

important it was and it would remind me

since my father died when I was nine

months of age which I’ve told you it was

she and myself and we didn’t have much

else but the two of us she taught me to

pray the trust God not to worry and fret

but just just to trust them and watch

him work in their life so that’s what

I’ve been doing all of these years and

the second thing about her praying was

and she wouldn’t let me lie in the bed

and pray she had me to get out on my

knees beside her and pray

the greatest lesson my mother probably

ever taught me

and so when I think about how powerful

that is in every single area of life and

I remember later on I was already

finished college and I was in seminary

the second year and I remember my place

to pray was over the corner of the

living room because we only had as I was

married then I only had live in a room

in a kitchen and a bedroom and so I had

to fund me a place to pray well mother

had made me an African so that’s where

I’ll stretch that I’m gonna Kona and

I’ll never forget one evening I don’t

have an out-of-the exactly when I was

praying and this like God said to me

whatever you accomplish in life you’ll

have to accomplish on your knees you

can’t trust your education you can’t

trust your abilities and talents and

skills whatever you accomplish you’ll

have to accomplish on your knees that

was a great message to me as a young guy

because what he was saying is this

whatever I do in your life is going to

be a result of what you are willing to

do in the area of submission to my will

giving me time and listening to me how

grateful I am for that simple lesson and

if you’re gonna live a godly life you’ve

got to have a life of prayer secondly

the second habit

is trust or faith whichever word suits

you best

and I love that hundred and third song

and the 19th or US and the Bible says

the Lord has established his throne in

the heavens and his sovereignty rules

over all so if you’ll think about what

that verse says if God Almighty has

established his throne in the heavens

and watch this his sovereignty that is

his all-knowing supernatural divine

power rules over everything then what

does that do that gives me an awesome

foundation to believe him knowing that

he’s in charge it doesn’t make a

difference what happens how it happens

through whom it happens for whatever

reason I know that God is in control and

I can trust him but whatever he allows

in life and I think that’s why that

verse is so important is because if you

don’t if you don’t trust him if you

don’t trust him you’re not gonna pray

and you have to ask yourself the

question well where is where is trust in

your own spiritual life trust in the

Lord with all your heart lean not to

your own understanding and all your ways

acknowledge him and he’ll direct your

path and I quote that verse to you very

often because it is a basic verse that

somebody says well what happens when we

don’t do that well I think exactly what

happens and if you’ll turn to the 37th

Psalm because people who do not pray in

trust the Lord as they should here’s

what they do in this passage of

scripture warns us about it in the 37th

Psalm in verse 1 three times in these

first nine verses he says what do not

fret because of evildoers and he says do

not fret because of him who prospers in

his way because of the man who carries

out wicked schemes and he says we do not

fret it only leads to evil doing so have

a choice

and they can either trust him I’m fret

about things now let’s be honest how

many of you fret about things why should

you do

we all have fretted about things so

remember this a godly life has stepped

beyond fretting to trusting in other

words you have a choice when you start

fretting about something if it’s

something wait a minute now who’s in

charge the Bible says God for His

sovereignty rules over all therefore

therefore if he rules over all why am i

fretting I’m fretting because for the

moment I’m not believing I’m not

trusting I’m not believing that he can

handle this situation

so three times in that song he says fret

not fret not fret not and when you’re

not trusting what happens it builds

intimacy with him and intimacy means

that I have a relationship with him I

don’t have to introduce myself to him an

intimate relationship with a person

means that that you are close not only

to their heart but their thinking the

way they think the way they feel an

intimate relationship is what every

husband and wife thought I have all the

days of their life intimate relationship

with God is you and he talked together

he listens to you

you listen to him you obey him he guides

you

that’s an awesome sense of intimacy in a

life that trust God and if you want to

know whether you’re a trusting person or

not ask yourself this question what am I

worried about if you can’t look around

say I’m not worried about anything that

because you’re trusting it whatever

you’re worried about is God’s long

awesome thing of saying you’re not

trusting me at this area of your life a

godly life is a life of trust third

third habit in this awesome life is the

habit of meditation in the Word of God

now I don’t know how you describe how

important this is but the scriptures are

there and I want to look at it for just

a moment and the psalmist said in this

63rd chapter in the sixth verse listen

when I remember you on my bed I meditate

on you in the night watches for you’ve

been my help in the shadow of your wings

I sing for joy my soul clings to you

your right hand upholds me then what

does it mean to meditate it means that I

read it it means that I think about it I

search my heart in the light of what God

is saying I ask him whatever questions I

have on my mind

I surrender whatever he brings to my

mind and meditating upon him here’s what

meditation does meditation is like

looking into a mirror but it is also

looking beyond the mirror that is I see

what God sees and then I see beyond that

and I see him your focus is on him and

when you begin to focus on God here’s

what happens worries drift away concerns

drift away your mind is no longer

contaminated with all kinds of things

that do not do you any good at all and

and for example at 119th song and 130

third verse listen what he says

establish my foot steps in your word do

not let any iniquity have dominion over

me

meditation keeps us fresh and alert and

sensitive to whatever God wants to do in

our life so ask yourself the question

well I let’s put it this way do you have

a time in your life when just you and

the Lord is together by yourself and you

have opened his word and you were

reading the word and you’re asking God

to speak to your heart and let me ask

you this question what do you think most

people do last before they go to bed

what do they do and we’re not talking

about how you dress

what would the most people do rightfully

go to bed they turn nuttin most people

turn off the television right before

they go to bed amen

it’s it’s really they turn off the

television so what do they do they carry

to bed with them all the bad news all

the bad movies or all the things that

are gone instead of with God they fill

their minds with what the world has to

say listen if you meditate upon God’s

Word you are not you know fretting and

worry

wake up in the middle of the night and

churning over this and that and the

other for the simple reason your minds

full of the world’s stuff

meditation is an absolutely essential

part of living a godly life and where

there’s no meditation you’re not gonna

live a godly life you can’t you think

about when you get up in the morning how

much of the world crowds itself into

your thinking you have to get dressed of

course and breakfast and you got to get

in your car and drive down the

expressway or somewhere and finally get

to work in as soon as you do it’s chatta

chatta chatta chatta chatta all the day

or the keyboards flying all the day in

your mind it’s all then you’ve got to

get back in your car get back on the

highway and and dodge the traffic again

all the way home and when you get there

you undress inside relax and then

there’s dinner

I can fill up your day and not even know

you because that’s what we do and so

where is God where’s where’s God’s

private time with you what leads to a

godly life is the time of being alone

with him longing for him meditating upon

him thinking about him and as I say

again the last thing you should do

before you go to bed is not watch

television

listen to this it’s listen you can

listen to what the you can listen to

what these commentators say about the

world they don’t agree you can listen to

the voice of God and you got it right

that’s the choice you have you do not

have to carry the world with you to

sleep every night you carry your own

anyway and then there’s a fourth habit

very important one and the one you hear

me say all the time

obey God and I want to go back to

Deuteronomy 27 all the way back in the

Old Testament because he makes it so

crystal clear in this 27th chapter in

the tenth verse God speaking through

Moses to his people here’s what he said

he said you shall therefore obey the

Lord your God and do his commandments

and his statutes which I command you

today and then down the torch after 28

verse 1 now it shall be listen this if

you diligently you know what that means

consistently diligently obey the Lord

your God being careful to do all his

commandments which I command you today

the Lord your God will set you this has

sent you high above all the nations of

the earth he was talking about Israel

but put yourself in that position when

you and I obey God we listen well think

about this we’re walking on a higher

level think of and how the world lives

they live with all kinds of evil

thoughts and busy busy busy no time for

God you have chosen to follow Jesus and

the following means you live on a higher

level it doesn’t mean that you’re

looking down on other people it just

means that you have chosen to live by a

standard that’s higher than the world

standard it doesn’t mean that we’re

better than somebody else

but Italy means our lifestyle is better

than the lifestyle in the world so ask

yourself the question now do I have a

habit of really praying and trusting and

that is heading upon the Word of God and

when I be considered an obedient child

of God so I would ask you this question

what in your life is the greatest threat

to your obedience to God now stop right

there what’s the greatest threat in your

life to your obedience

– god what is that temptation that trial

or whatever’s going on that just

threatens your desire are you willing

this all you think your capacity to obey

God and how many times have you said it

and you said as well as I can the wiser

way to live is to obey God then leave

all the consequences and circumstances

to God now I will do that only if I’m

have a life of prayer only if I’m

trusting only if I’m meditating upon him

that’s the only way I’m going to do it

so these are simple habits that make

your life what God wants it to be and

listen think about this there’s nothing

that can keep you from obeying and

walking in these seven habits nothing

except the choice you make you say you

have to you have to cheat you have to

choose some things you have to choose to

go with them oh my god have this or have

God walk this way

I have God’s Way and so I the reason I

said seven habits because there remember

we said the habit is are occurring off

an unconscious pattern of behavior

that’s acquired through frequent

repetition something that you not do

continuously now each thing I’ve

mentioned so far you can do the reason

you do not do it is because you don’t

think it’s important now watch that the

reason we don’t do things of absolutely

sacred godly awesome life-changing

lifting habits is because we’ve decided

to choose the world’s way and no matter

who you are how gifted you are or how

much money you have how wise you think

you are how much education you have you

cannot live a godly life the best life

without practicing these seven habits

now what is the fifth one this earth

habit is dependence upon the Holy Spirit

and somebody says well what does that

mean it means that I surrender my life

listen to the indwelling presence of the

Holy Spirit and I remember what Jesus

said to his disciples he said sit down

wait in Jerusalem until you be endued

that is until the Holy Spirit comes into

your life and when he does then you’ll

be ready to do of what I have called you

to do

so I’ve given you some some scriptures

here some of them are familiar to you

maybe simple or not but in Ephesians

chapter 5 you remember what the

scripture says in this particular

passage and let’s look at verse 18 the

scripture says do not get drunk with

wine for that is dissipation of waste

but be filled with the spirit now if I

took a quart sized jar and set it up

here and I had it half full of water you

would say well it’s only half full it

would only be full when it’s up to the

top brimming complete when he says be

that that a Greek verb says be ye being

filled which means it’s a continuous

thing in the morning when you two get up

amidst your prayer before you if when

you’re meditating before you even get

out of the bed you should say Lord I

just want you to fill me with your

spirit today

now here’s what that means jesus said to

his disciples in Luke before you do what

I told you to do wait in the city of

Jerusalem until you be endued until the

Holy Spirit has come upon you to enter

well you for the simple reason you are

not equipped to do what I’ve called you

to do apart from the indwelling presence

of the Holy Spirit who will empower you

he will empower you teach you how give

you guidance and direction to do what

I’ve called you to do now most people

don’t have any idea who the Holy Spirit

is you are as a follower of Jesus as a

believer of Christ you’ve trusted him

for your salvation you are now already

into wealth by the third person of the

Trinity

who is the holy spirit he’s dwelling

within you or why is he there listen to

what Jesus said to his disciples he said

sit down in Jerusalem until you’re ready

you’re not ready you’re not ready till

the Holy Spirit comes upon you the truth

is you and I are not ready each day of

our life to live out a life apart from

the indwelling presence of the Holy

Spirit that is the third person of the

Trinity who listen who indwells each one

of us and if you if you look at these

verses Ephesians look at Ephesians

chapter one in him you also after

listening to the message of truth the

gospel of your salvation

having also believed you were sealed in

Christ in him with the Holy Spirit of

promise that is one of his works the one

of the works of the Holy Spirit is this

seal that is when you got saved you were

sealed the Holy Spirit seals you as a

child of God and the scripture also says

that you had that you are sealed that

4th chapter 30 verse you are sealed unto

the day of redemption that is your seal

to the day God calls you home forever so

that when you and I choose to disobey

God we choose the sin against the Holy

Spirit who is within us and whom God

sent into our life to enable us to

become to be to do to accomplish

whatever he has in life so you you’re

never alone you’re a yearand dwelt by

God the Holy Spirit who was there to

enable you help you encourage you

strengthen you heal you you name it he’s

there because we need a God in our life

and he knew we would and so what you

have to ask is this are you depending on

the Holy Spirit to help you do what God

wants you to do or you for example they

use sense that you sort of live in your

life and it’s the world against you or

you again and many people feel that away

they feel like that a lot more Christian

but but and they name all these things

that are tough in life you have God

living within you ready to release in

and through you that which you need at

the moment to have whatever God has in

mind and listen otherwise how can you

live within the peace peace isn’t

something we conjure up peace is the

awesome gift of God so when you’re not

waking in the mornings our first

thoughts ought to be about him and this

is why it’s that habits something that

happens continually and amidst what we

would think in early morning we thank

God we have the Holy Spirit to guide us

and lead us and pointers the right

direction and put it this way you’re in

the midst of doing whatever you’re doing

you get a phone call or some

interruption and something you think and

you have a decision to make first thing

you should think is god you got me show

me what to do

help me to know you will in this

situation you have the answerer the Holy

Spirit living within you they give you

clear direction in your life at any

moment you need their direction and also

to empower you or to give you the

courage and the faith to do what you

need to do God doesn’t leave us alone to

live it out

he gives us whatever we need to do

whatever he’s call us to do at any point

in our life at any time if we trust him

if you see this is what I’m saying these

are seven habits this becomes so much a

part of your life

you don’t even have to think about they

know it’s just the way you live it’s who

you are these are the habits of your

life their life changing habits they are

godly habits that enable you to live the

kind of life that you really and truly

want to live and then of course there’s

the sixth son and that’s giving to God

unto others

and in the sixth chapter of Luke which

is a very very familiar chapter you

remember what he says give and it should

be given to you good measure he says

listen they will pour into your lap a

good measure pressed down shaken

together running over for by your

standard of measure it will be measured

to you in return I’m not thinking about

giving to God

my favourite example of that is I was

thinking about this last night my first

Sunday school teacher was this naturally

I was probably three or four years old

somewhere that balanced because I

started school at five which was too

early

nobody ever caught up and and and then

but I went to Sunday school every Sunday

and I remember all the chairs with

different colors green red yellow blue

and so forth

and then the Sunday school teacher was

this I don’t know how told she was but

she looks like she’s about ten feet tall

to me got sitting down she had black

hair sweet and wonderful lady and they

came around to take the offering

and I remember my mother would always

give me a few pennies to drop in oh yeah

she would never let me go without having

something to give so before I could

count my mother taught me to give to God

so when I got my first job which was a

paper route I made four dollars a week

well I was grateful to God I thought I

can’t get God change I gave him a dollar

but just when a person I never thought

about that I just don’t know what did

God yet then after that I had to pay

friend I made sixteen dollars a week and

so I gave God more than tithe don’t let

and then all of my life I’ve never just

served never for the simple reason I

learned very early in life you cannot

outgive God and watch this secondly you

can’t even predict what you’re going to

need and if you can’t predict what

you’re going to need how you gonna

manage all of it so we give to God

and trust him to do exactly promise to

do and so I give you this simple example

that many of you heard before because

it’s one that’s so impressed my life

under the Lord helmet of reach it’s

finished in high school I want to go to

college no money I had 75 dollars to my

name and I told my friend one night

standing on a street corner that I I

felt like God was calling me to preach

now I needed to go to school I didn’t

have any money and so we were standing

there talking and by the sovereign power

of Almighty God the pastor of the church

came walking by this is in the evening

we’re standing on a street corner then

those days we didn’t have TV so you sort

of met on a street corner and talked and

so he said to miss a Maquis I was

thinking I’ll be just a moment he said

Charles’s he believes God’s calling the

priest he wants to go to school but he

doesn’t have any money you think you can

help him so he said to me he said well

Joe come by and see me and let’s just

talk when but I see him in a couple of

weeks sat down told him my heart about

what God was doing and in a few short

weeks I had a letter giving me a

four-year scholarship with all my

expenses paid to go to college now that

began

that didn’t begin with my four dollars

in the paper route that began with when

my mother taught me to give to God so I

never questioned the matter given to God

when you obey God that becomes a habit

of your life you will never be in need

any further than God is using that need

to do something in your life so you have

to ask you something question is that

the young will be one of the habits in

your life and the vowel says that God

loves the cheerful Giver so if he loves

the cheerful Giver what about those who

what about those who are stingy who

don’t give God God tell you you know

I’ll tell you why God’s not pleased

forgets just what it says I can’t deal

without him

I’ll handle it I can manage I don’t need

God to manage my money

think about how foolish that is your

money could burn up overnight the

situation can be that you’d lose it all

overnight you have nothing but listen to

skip it you will never be in the

situation where you don’t have anything

because you have God living within you

and everything you need God has promised

to provide and awesome have it in their

life then I would give you the 7th a

habit and that is very important one and

that is the habit of forgiving other

people and the scripture one of the very

clear scriptures in Ephesians chapter 4

and that we’ve all read it many times

before but it’s the truth and we read it

again and again and again and the

scripture says listen be angry yet do

not sin do not let the Sun go down on

your anger do not give the devil an

opportunity very very important passage

and then he says don’t greet in verse 30

don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God by

whom you were sealed that the day of

redemption then he says in verse 31 let

all bitterness and wrath and anger and

clamor and slander be put away from you

along with all malice

be kind one to another tender-hearted

forgiving each other just as God in

Christ has also forgiven you

it’s not always easy no it’s difficult

sometimes to be forgiving to people who

have done certain things to you and I

think one of the worst situations is

when you’ve been betrayed when you have

trusted really trusted somebody done

your best to help them in lots of ways

and then they betray you they they do

what would be the last thing you’d think

that they were doing your life and yet

we have to be forgiving and think about

Judas of all the people who ever lived

who had a great opportunity who blew it

he was a traitor to the Son of God he

betrayed him he lived as if he were one

of them he lived as if he were a true

genuine disciple and he betrayed the son

of God

betrayals are still out there and yet we

have to be willing to forgive and the

trust guard to take care of that no

matter what happens so if I love the

Lord I will forgive no matter what now

here are 7 habits listen carefully I

could have done this in a lot of

different ways but I want you to see

every verse and they get all seven

habits down so that every single person

in here fully understands the seven

habits about which you live a gun in

life a life that will be blessed over

and over and over again in many many

different ways but it’s a it’s a choice

you make and I would suggest that you

make a choice right now we’re gonna pray

in a second and in this prayer I’m gonna

pray that you’ll be wise enough and say

to God Lord I want these seven habits in

my life and I will begin today working

them into my

life it’s a working process into your

life

will you let would you live up to all of

them every day no but here’s what you do

you ask God to forgive you show me why

tripped up on that one Lord and I just

reaffirm my desire to be forgiving to

others or whatever it might be

Lord I was too busy this morning I got

up and ran off forgive me for not

stopping to meditate upon your word to

surrender my life to you yields myself

to you made a mistake god I don’t wanna

do that again you don’t think God would

correct you yes you will he will correct

you he’ll give you enough trouble one

morning after you get up and ignore him

that she won’t forget it

listen you know what is because He loves

us thinking about there’s a whole Bible

full of truth but I believe those seven

habits absolutely will transform your

life and lead you to be able to

accomplish in life more than your heart

could ever desire now if you here this

morning

you’re not a Christian you’re not saved

you never trust the Jesus as your Savior

I understand this is probably beyond you

but let me say this you’ll never

understand

I’ll be able to enjoy life at its best

until you surrender your life to Christ

because you can’t ever lose surrendering

to Jesus never you say what I have to do

you ask the Lord to forgive you of your

sin not because you deserve it but

because Jesus went to the cross died on

the cross shed his blood for you paid

your sin debt in full the Bible says and

therefore when you ask God to forgive

you because of what he has done for you

he paid your debt God forgives you and

makes you a child of God then you begin

the practice of these seven habits what

an awesome life you have before you and

I trust that you’ll do it following love

iane praise you and thank you for the

word of God from Genesis 1:1 to the last

verse of the

Malaysia and this morning we’re praying

that you’ll give us wisdom to recognize

there were these seven habits everything

else will fall in place then we will

open the door to the best of your

blessings and I pray for somebody here

today who is unsaved you’ve never

trusted you as their Savior that they

would be willing to ask you to forgive

them of their sins believe that Jesus

went to the cross and paid our sin debt

in full and by trusting his death at

Calvary the shedding of his blood that

confession and repentance brings forth

salvation and following salvation we

would develop these seven awesome life

transforming habits in our life and lord

I pray that for all of us today and that

somebody seated here and is not saved

would be willing to ask you to forgive

them and they cleanse their heart and

surrender their life to you right now

and we thank you for it in Jesus name

Amen

[Music]