The Christian Habits Podcast

Lie: This Year Will Be Different… Right?

Every January, we feel it: fresh starts, new motivation, and the quiet confidence that this year will be different. We make lists, set goals, and imagine a better version of ourselves waiting just around the corner. And yet, for many of us, a few weeks or months later, we’re right back where we started—discouraged, frustrated, and wondering why change feels so hard. If you’ve ever told yourself “This year will be different” and then watched nothing really change, this post is for you. Where the Belief ‘This Year Will Be’ Different’Comes From The belief “this year will be different” usually comes from New Year’s euphoria. Everything feels possible. Our goals feel exciting instead of heavy. It’s like standing at an all‑you‑can‑eat buffet of goals—career, health, habits, relationships, spiritual growth—and piling our plates high. This belief also shows up anytime we start something new: A new habit or routine A new time‑management system A new food or exercise plan A new Bible reading plan A new season of life or relationship We assume that because the thing is new, the outcome will be new. But there’s one thing we forget. The Part We Carry Into Every New Start No matter how new the system, plan, or habit is… we bring ourselves into it. If we approach new goals with the same patterns, the same expectations, and the same mindset we’ve always used, the results won’t change—no matter how fresh the calendar feels. As the saying (often attributed to Einstein) goes: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” So the real truth is this: This year will only be different if we approach things differently. Why ‘This Year Will Be Different’ Usually Fails Let’s be honest about some common patterns that quietly sabotage our goals. 1. Too Many Goals Many of us create long, impressive goal lists—so long they’re impossible to sustain. The result? We complete the easy or fun goals and ignore the rest. The unfinished goals linger all year, quietly fueling guilt and discouragement. 2. Relying on Willpower Alone We assume writing a goal down will magically produce motivation. But willpower is unreliable, especially in areas we’ve never been consistent in before. Expecting sudden willpower is setting ourselves up to fail. 3. Doing It All on Our Own Some goals can be done privately with God alone, but many are easier—and more sustainable—with support. Isolation often makes change heavier than it needs to be. 4. Expecting Fast and Easy Change When change doesn’t come quickly, we interpret struggle as failure. Discouragement sets in, and quitting feels logical—even inevitable. What Actually Makes ‘This Year Will Be Different’ Come True If we want this year to be different in a real, lasting way, we need to change how we approach change itself. 1. Choose Fewer, Smaller Goals Instead of a full year packed with resolutions, consider quarterly goals. Shorter time frames make goals feel more realistic and manageable. A helpful structure: One main goal ( a one and done goal even though it may require upkeep – could do 2/3 if you’re an advanced goal accomplisher) One habit goal (an ongoing habit) Maintain a few habits you already have Less is often more. 2. Combine Practical Tools and Spiritual Renewal Most meaningful goals require both: Practically: Break goals into small steps. Learn routines and time‑management skills Create systems that reduce decision fatigue (I teach all of these in my How to Stop Procrastinating course.) Spiritually: Renew your mind when you can’t make yourself work on your goal. Identify the beliefs fueling your habits. Partner with God instead of relying on sheer effort. (I teach how to do this in my How to Stop Procrastinating course.) Scripture reminds us that transformation happens through the renewing of the mind—not just trying harder. 3. Expect It to Take Time (and Include Failure) Lasting change is a process. You will fail along the way. That doesn’t mean you’re incapable—it means you’re human. Failure becomes destructive only when we let it lead to quitting. With God’s help, failure can become feedback instead of a verdict. 4. Don’t Do It Alone Support matters. Whether it’s a local group, an online community, or structured accountability, having others alongside you lightens the load. That said, the most consistent support comes from walking closely with God—talking honestly with Him, renewing your mind, and persevering together. A Word of Encouragement for the Journey The goal isn’t instant transformation. The goal is faithful perseverance. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9 Your future self will thank you—not for being perfect, but for not giving up. More than that, the journey itself draws you closer to God, who is ultimately in charge of the results. This year can be different—but not because the calendar changed. It will be different because you approached it differently, with honesty, wisdom, and God’s help. How to Stop Procrastinating Course If you’d like help with a difficult goal—so that this year really can be different— my online course will help. In addition to on-demand videos and practical, hands-on assignments, I’ll also be hosting some online “work parties” in January of 2026 for those enrolled in the class to work on your hard-to-make-yourself-do goals! Click on the image below for more info. How to Listen to This Podcast Episode Listen or subscribe on YouTube. (You can also watch the podcast on YouTube now!) Listen or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Listen or subscribe on Android. Listen or subscribe on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Christian Habits Podcast.” The post Lie: This Year Will Be Different… Right? appeared first on Barb Raveling.

Lie: It Shouldn’t Be This Hard to Change

A couple of months ago, I sent out a survey asking which lies people struggle with the most—today’s lie came in #1: “It shouldn’t be this hard to change.”  The next two? “I’ll never change” and “I can’t do this anyway, so why bother?” What’s interesting is that those second two lies come after repeated failure. But today’s lie—“It shouldn’t be this hard to change”—actually causes the failure. Why? Because if we believe change should be easy, we won’t put in the work required for real transformation. Let’s dig into this idea and replace the lie with biblical truth. Why We Believe Change Should Be Easy This lie shows up most often when we’re trying to break a habit—but typically only at the very beginning of the journey. Once you’ve worked on change long enough, you learn (from experience!) that change is supposed to be hard. But if you’re new to the process or haven’t seen much progress yet, you’re far more likely to believe the lie, It shouldn’t be this hard to change. So where does this belief come from? 1. Our Culture—Especially Marketing We live in a world that constantly tells us: Buy this product. Start this program. Take this course. It will be easy! Marketing promises quick, effortless transformation. That seeps into our thinking, so we assume change should just “happen”—no struggle, no sacrifice. It shouldn’t be hard to change… 2. Misunderstanding Christian Growth Sometimes, in the church, we unintentionally absorb the belief that spiritual growth should be easy, too—almost effortless. We think if we go to church, join a Bible study, or attend a small group, we’ll naturally glide into spiritual maturity. But that’s not how the Bible describes transformation. It uses words like training, fighting, resisting, disciplining, and battling. Real change takes intentional effort, spiritual weapons, and daily engagement with God. We Also Misunderstand What “Hard Work” Really Is Many of us think trying our hardest means “showing up,” like my husband did one day in high school when he told his mom he got a C on a test. “Well, you tried your best,” she said—except he hadn’t studied at all. Lesson learned? That effort meant simply being present. But effort is more than that, especially in spiritual growth. Breaking a stronghold, uprooting a generational sin, rewiring long-held thought patterns, or resisting a habit you’ve practiced for decades—all of that is hard work. A More Accurate Picture: Training for a Marathon If someone told you to run a marathon in six months, you wouldn’t think, “I’ll just show up that day.” You’d know it required effort, planning, discipline, and sacrifice. Yet we rarely apply that same mindset to our spiritual or emotional habits—even though the Bible clearly portrays transformation as a spiritual battle. The Truth We Need If I’m trying to change a stronghold, a generational sin, a long-term habit, or a behavior fueled by years of thinking, it will be extremely hard—and that’s completely normal. Hard doesn’t mean impossible. Hard doesn’t mean God isn’t with you. Hard doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. Hard simply means you’re fighting a real battle. What the Bible Says About Hard Change Hebrews 12 is a perfect picture of this struggle. It reminds us that resisting sin is painful, that discipline doesn’t feel good in the moment, and that even Jesus sweat drops of blood in His fight against temptation. But it also reminds us that discipline produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those trained by it (Hebrews 12:11). That harvest is coming—if we don’t give up. How to Renew Your Mind for This Lie When it comes to working hard on growth in the areas God wants us to change, that hard work looks like lots of renewing our mind—multiple times a day.  Towards the end of the podcast episode, I share some different ways to renew your mind for the lie, It shouldn’t be this hard to change. I give an example for Scripture meditation, truth journaling, and using the Tired of the Struggle questions from my book, Renewing of the Project. Here are the truths I shared in the podcast as examples of what you could write down when you’re truth journaling the lie, It shouldn’t be this hard to change. The last truth is a truth journal entry from my 2002 journal! : Belief: It shouldn’t be this hard to change. Truths: That’s crazy. Of course it’s this hard to change! I’ve been doing this for 40 years now! It’s hard to change years and years of thinking one way and doing things one way because of the thoughts. If I want to change I need to get down to the fundamentals and change the way I think. That is not going to be easy. It’s not that hard to make dinner, change my clothes, or play a game. It IS hard to break free from a stronghold or a generational sin. And it’s crazy hard to change years and years of the same old thoughts that are fueling the negative emotions that are driving this behavior Of course it’s going to take work to change! I’m being delusional when I think it won’t! If it was hard for Jesus – who was 100% God in addition to being 100% man – to withstand temptation, how hard will it be for me?! He sweat tears of blood in his fight against sin. Can I not at the very minimum renew my mind 2-3 times a day to fight this behavior? Thanks be to God, He know exactly what I’m going through and is willing to help. But he expects me to work alongside him. Barb’s Journal – 1/18/02 (23 years ago!!!) – Belief: Losing weight should be easy and fun – so should everything else in life! I shouldn’t have to suffer. [I hadn’t refined truth journaling yet as I wrote just one truth for three sentences!] TRUTH: It should be easy and fun, but it’s not! It may be that way for people who like to exercise and thrive on that sort of thing, but not for me. For me it is TORTURE and MISERY!!! Expect it!! [Note: tell them I didn’t really write the truth – I no longer believe it should be fun and easy – so God sometimes gives us truth in layers. For those who say they don’t know what the truth is – if you keep going God will show you it at a deeper and deeper level. Listen to the podcast for more insights and to renew your mind along with me! If you have a friend who is struggling with change in some area of their lives, please share this post or podcast episode with them. How to Listen to the Podcast Listen or subscribe on YouTube. Listen or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Listen or subscribe on Android. Listen or subscribe on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Christian Habits Podcast.” The post Belief: It Shouldn’t Be This Hard to Change appeared first on Barb Raveling.

Lie: I Want to Do This (So I Should)

Have you ever noticed how quickly a desire turns into a justification? That looks good—so I should eat it.That sounds fun—so I should do it.I feel like it—so why not? This lie shows up everywhere, especially in the habits we struggle with: overeating, overspending, over-scrolling, overworking… basically anything where desire takes the wheel and drives us somewhere we later regret. Often people tell me, “I don’t know what I’m thinking. I can’t pinpoint the lie I’m believing.” This makes it hard to truth journal because we need to begin with a lie if we want to put the truth to it. In today’s Christian Habits Podcast episode, I cover a lie you can always use to truth journal whenever you feel like breaking your boundaries with a habit: I want to do this, so I should. At its core, this lie is about desire: we want something. When we believe this lie, we assume that desire equals permission. But desire isn’t a good decision-maker. Where the Lie Comes From Culture constantly tells us: Follow your heart. You deserve it. Live your truth. And while that might work when our desires are healthy, it’s a terrible strategy when our desires lead us toward sin, addiction, struggles with our health and finances, relationship problems, and regret. God never designed desire to be our leader. He designed it to be something we steward. A Better Way to Live Romans 13:14 gives us a completely different approach: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regards to its lusts.” That means: 1. Put on ChristTalk to Him. Ask for help. Sit with Him instead of your temptation. 2. Make no provision for the fleshIn today’s words: Make your habit hard to do, and obedience easy to do. Ask yourself: When am I most tempted? How can I create roadblocks that make indulging difficult? Where can I move, limit, or remove access to the habit? For example: If your phone derails your day, stop keeping it nearby. No social media before a certain time. Put it in another room during work hours. Small barriers create big freedom. Renewing Your Mind Here are a few truths you can use when you’re truth journaling today’s lie: Just because I want something doesn’t mean I should do it. My life is better when I live by design, not desire. One little indulgence isn’t harmless—it reinforces the idea that I have no boundaries. If I did everything I felt like doing, my life would be a mess. God’s desires for me lead to joy, health, and freedom. Transformation doesn’t happen by willpower. It happens by renewing your mind—catching the lie, replacing it with truth, and practicing that truth one decision at a time. And over time? Desire stops driving the car. Wisdom does. Truth does. Faith does. God does. And that is when real change begins. Listen to the full episode on the Christian Habits Podcast! I’ll give you a chance to renew your mind and go more in depth on the topic.  Resources Mentioned on the Podcast Indulgence questions from the Stopping a Habit section of the Renewing of the Mind Project How to Listen to the Podcast (Christian Habits) Listen or subscribe on Apple Podcasts Listen or subscribe on Android Listen or subscribe on Stitcher Listen or subscribe on YouTube Music Listen or subscribe on Spotify Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Christian Habits Podcast.” The post Lie: I Want to Do This (So I Should) appeared first on Barb Raveling.

How to Develop a Consistent Quiet Time – Interview with Coffee and Bible Time

Have you ever wondered how to study the Bible in a way that actually feels approachable—and even enjoyable? In this episode of the Christian Habits Podcast, I had the joy of sitting down with Ellen Krause, Ashley Armijo, and Taylor Mitchell—the inspiring mother-daughter team behind the Coffee and Bible Time ministry—to talk about their new book, The Easy Bible Study Method. These three women are passionate about helping others connect with God through Scripture in a simple, grace-filled way. Whether you’re brand new to Bible study or have struggled with consistency, this conversation is packed with encouragement and practical tools that can help you develop a quiet time that fits your life and strengthens your faith. What We Discussed on the Podcast How the Easy Bible Study Method helps with ADHD and boredom How to use the Easy Bible Study Method to know God better and grow closer to Him Tips for developing a consistent quiet time habit How to avoid perfectionism with quiet times Differences between Bible in a year vs. studying small amounts of Scripture This conversation is a gentle reminder that Bible study doesn’t have to be complicated or intimidating. When we approach God’s Word with open hearts and simple tools, we find joy, peace, and the life-changing presence of Jesus—right in the middle of our busy, everyday lives. Listen to the full episode on the Christian Habits Podcast! Resources Mentioned on the Podcast Coffee and Bible Time website and online community Coffee and Bible Time YouTube channel The Easy Bible Study Method: A Guide to Understanding, Applying, and Delighting in God’s Word by Ashley Armijo, Taylor Krause, and Ellen Krause How to Listen to the Podcast Listen or subscribe on YouTube. Listen or subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Listen or subscribe on Android. Listen or subscribe on Spotify. Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Christian Habits Podcast.” About the Authors ASHLEY ARMIJO is cofounder of Coffee and Bible Time, a ministry that helps women learn how to delight in God’s Word and thrive in Christian living. She is an alumna of the Moody Bible Institute with a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Ministry Studies. It is Ashley’s passion to teach women how to study and delight in God’s Word whether that is online through Coffee and Bible Time or opening up her home to young women in the community. ELLEN KRAUSE aka Mentor Mama, is cofounder of Coffee and Bible Time with daughters Ashley and Taylor. She hosts the CBT Podcast, which equips people to delight in God’s Word and thrive in Christian Living! Ellen has been involved in women’s ministry for over 20 years and mentors women worldwide through CBT. Her MA in marketing and her years in corporate America help CBT flourish. TAYLOR MITCHELL is cofounder of Coffee and Bible Time. She holds a bachelor’s degree in pre-counseling and has devoted herself to extensive academic and personal study of the Bible. She is passionate about helping women apply biblical principles to their everyday lives, guiding them to grow closer to God through His Word. With a deep commitment to integrating spiritual and mental health, Taylor encourages women to embrace their true selves and feel fully loved. The post How to Develop a Consistent Quiet Time – Interview with Coffee and Bible Time appeared first on Barb Raveling.

Encore: 10 Tips to Achieve Your Goals

Do you ever set goals and fail to reach them? I used to do that all the time. The only goals I completed each year were my recreation goals! Over the years, though, I’ve learned some tips to help me be more successful with reaching goals. On today’s podcast, we’ll discuss ten tips about how to achieve your goals this year. I’ve asked my friend and fellow podcaster and writer, Dr. Melanie Wilson, to help me with this podcast as she is the master at completing goals! What We Discussed on the Podcast 10 tips for achieving your goals How to let go of perfectionism A 3-question format you could use for a mastermind group or friends goal group How to be a good coach to yourself Why it’s important to plan for obstacles and how to do that How to Stop Procrastinating Course This will be an on-demand video course with 17 lessons, three live Q&As (in October 2025), journaling questions, assignments, and an opportunity to find accountability partners. It also has a community feature so you can connect with others in the class.  Click here to find more about the course. Resources Mentioned on the Podcast Barb’s How to Stop Procrastinating Course Melanie’s routine kit Melanie’s book: A Year of Living Productively  Melanie’s blog: homeschoolsanity.com Melanie’s podcast: The Homeschool Sanity Show Barb’s James Bible study Freedom from Procrastination Renewing of the Mind Project Barb’s decision making sheet (Click on the link, then scroll down to “Resources Mentioned in the Book.”) 45 Bible Verses for Procrastination About Melanie Wilson Melanie Wilson is a Christian psychologist turned homeschool mother of six.  She is also the author of a fascinating book called A Year of Living Productively. For one year, Melanie made a commitment to try a different productivity strategy, app, or program each week. In the book she shares how it went that week and what she liked and didn’t like about each of the productivity strategies. How to Listen to the Podcast Listen or subscribe on Apple Podcasts Listen or subscribe on Android Listen or subscribe on Stitcher Listen or subscribe on YouTube Music Listen or subscribe on Spotify Amazon Alexa: To listen on Amazon Alexa, say, “Alexa, play the Christian Habits Podcast.” The post Encore: 10 Tips to Achieve Your Goals appeared first on Barb Raveling.