Hot off the presses is MAKING GOOD HABITS, BREAKING BAD HABITS, a brand new book by Joyce Meyer, bestselling author and one of the world’s leading Bible teachers. According to Meyer, we all have habits, both good and bad. What we often fail to realize is just how those habits affect our choices, actions and attitudes. But habits are learned, which means bad habits that steal our peace and joy and prevent us from achieving success can be “un-learned.” Of course, it’s not enough to break a bad habit. It’s vital that we replace that bad behavior with something positive. And that is exactly what this book explains.

"MAKING GOOD HABITS, BREAKING BAD HABITS will prompt you to take a deeper look at the behaviors you have learned and how they affect your life, either positively or negatively."

In the introduction, we are informed of a recent study by Real Simple magazine, asking its readers what habits they wanted to break. Among the most popular answers were cell phone addiction, nail-biting, self-criticizing, cluttering, eavesdropping, watching too much television, never finishing projects, driving too fast, shopping as entertainment, and hitting the snooze button. Meyer goes on to say that if we tried breaking all of these habits at once, she could pretty much guarantee failure. The key is to choose a single habit that you want to overcome and work to conquer it before moving on to the next. She then asks readers to make a list of the habits they want to make and the ones they want to break, choose one, and use the principles laid out in this book to make it happen.

So what are those principles? Well, Meyer has come up with a practical plan of “14 new behaviors that will energize your life.” Each chapter covers one specific behavior. Those behaviors are:

1. The God Habit --- talks about putting God where He belongs.
2. Thoughts, Words, and Habits --- teaches how the way we think affects how we talk.
3. The Habit of Being Decisive --- shows us how to make decisions in a wise and timely manner.
4. Healthy Habits --- it’s easier to form good habits when we’re healthy.
5. The Happy Habit --- reminds us that happiness is a choice.
6. The Habit of Faith --- yes, being in faith is a habit!
7. The Habit of Excellence --- we can choose to be excellent.
8. The Habit of Being Responsible --- getting rid of blame and excuse.
9. The Habit of Generosity --- generosity breaks the habit of self-centeredness.
10. The Hurry Habit --- all about minimizing the stress in your life.
11. Emotional Habits --- lists the negative emotions that affect our behavior.
12. The Confidence Habit --- maintaining confidence in Christ.
13. The Habit of Adding Value to Others --- encouragement goes a long way.
14. The Habit of Discipline --- not easy, but always worth it!

In her typical straightforward manner, with plenty of scripture, humor and personal illustrations, Meyer lays out each habit in an easy-to-understand and practical way. Motivation and encouragement are at the root of her teaching. She has been there, done that, and has no qualms about sharing her struggles, especially because she has learned how to overcome them. Not that she’s perfect; Meyer is the first to say she’s a work-in-progress and is continually growing and being transformed into who God wants her to be. In this book, she talks about her issues with anger, insecurity and “people-pleasing.” These are things we can all relate to, and Joyce’s “Open Book” personality is what endears her to readers.

MAKING GOOD HABITS, BREAKING BAD HABITS will prompt you to take a deeper look at the behaviors you have learned and how they affect your life, either positively or negatively. Following the advice set forth in this book will help you replace your bad habits with good, resulting in a better, more successful you. This latest work is definitely another keeper to add to your Joyce Meyer collection.