Can boutons ever disappear? At this time, there is no evidence that boutons go away if they are not used. It appears that old habits form such permanent pathways in the brain that they can never be erased. This principle is illustrated in the life of Bible characters. Remember how Moses, after killing the Egyptian in a rash moment (Exodus 2:11, 12), lived a spotless life for many years afterwards? Yet when he was at the border of Canaan, after 80 years, one of his bad habits rose up again. Because Moses lost his temper, he could never enter the Promised Land. Yes, habits and character do determine our destiny. (Thankfully, Moses’ deep repentance for that action and his faith in Christ—also a habit—was able to provide the patriarch with reassurance of his entrance into that greater land, the heavenly Canaan.)

Yet what can cause a new habit pathway not to operate? When we break a law of health given by our Creator, the new GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) or breaking pathway may not operate. Getting inadequate sleep or becoming fatigued by overwork paralyzes the new GABA pathway even before acetylcholine or “action” pathway. How does diet affect the delicate neuron fibers? “The brain nerve energy is benumbed and almost paralyzed by overeating”(Healthful Living, p. 168). Spices, animal foods, rich cakes, pastries, and foods high in fat and sugar excite our delicate nerve cells. To protect us from weakening the delicate nerve fibers, our Creator gave us the ideal diet almost 6,000 years ago: Fruits, nuts, grains, legumes, and vegetables (Genesis 1:29). We must follow His health laws if we would have habit control.

In struggling to form a new habit, have you ever been tempted to fall back into the old behavior—maybe, for example, as you were trying to lose weight and stop snacking? Suppose a friend runs into you in the hallway at 10:00 a.m. and offers you some doughnuts. Immediately these thoughts pass through your mind: “They look so good; I will eat only one.” Just at that moment, another thought zooms by: “I had better not. I want to lose weight and establish healthful eating habits.” Your brain has an important decision to make: To snack or not to snack. Your action cell needs 10 millivolts of energy to fire. It does some quick calculation; the snacking decision will take 30 millivolts of energy; the decision not to snack takes 40 millivolts of energy.

• Don’t snack = 40 millivolts = Fire.

• Snack = 30 millivolts = Don’t fire.

• Difference = 10 millivolts = Don’t fire.

Yes, you made the right choice, but by barely 10 millivolts of energy. While you were making these choices, our enemy was walking around “as a roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8) trying to influence you to make a wrong choice. When he sees you gain the victory over a bad habit, he thinks: “I lost this time, but I will lay better plans next time.” Although Satan cannot read our mind, he does notice our indecision.

While you were deciding to snack on junk food, the Holy Spirit and the heavenly angels were by your side, influencing you to make the right choice. The great controversy between Christ and Satan is real. The battle is waged many times a day and involves you and me. Whether we become victorious or are defeated depends on whose voice we obey.

You have probably experienced that bad habits are more easily formed than good ones, and are given up with more difficulty. Once habits are formed, they are like an iron net. They are very difficult to break unless a Power outside of us comes to our aid.

“We shall be individually, for time and eternity, what our habits make us” (Child Guidance, p. 202). Habits build character and character determines destiny. What kind of character are you designing for heaven?

An architect draws a plan for a house. With trained mind and skillful hand, he places on paper the vision he has of the building. His plan is specific in every detail. He notes the type of material to be used in the building and estimates the time and cost of the project. The completed house plan with all these details drawn on paper is called a blueprint. The builder follows the blueprint in every particular, for he must build the house that the architect envisioned.

Each of us is an architect and builder of our character. Each repeated thought and action makes a deeper groove in our brain, just like repeated walking on the lawn makes a deeper path in the sod. We can form new habits, by firmly and consistently resisting the old ones. How can we use God’s laws and power to form new habits? We cannot be haphazard builders, for our character building must meet the approval of the Master Architect.

Like the architect, we must have a vision of what our character building will look like at completion. Instead of focusing on our bad habits, the Bible tells us to look to Christ: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; . . . For consider him . . . , lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:2, 3). God knew that some of us would get discouraged with our bad habits. This is why He said, “Consider him.” “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Since Christ was tempted on every point, He understands us and knows how to help us.

For morning devotions, we can read a Bible chapter or even a few verses on the life of Christ. We can ask the Holy Spirit to fix His life in our mind. While we are brushing our teeth, making the beds, or driving to work, we can think about Jesus. Think of His character, His words, and actions. As we face trying situations throughout the day, we can choose to respond in Christ’s way, not ours. One author recommends that we spend a thoughtful hour each day meditating on the life of Christ, especially the closing scenes of His life (The Desire of Ages, p. 83).

How do I know that I will change as I study and meditate on the life of Christ? “It is a law both of the intellectual and the spiritual nature that by beholding we become changed” (Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 2, p. 418). The apostle Paul states that “We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). As we daily look to Christ and try to imitate His habits, thoughts, and actions, by law, we will be changed from glory to glory.

When tempted to repeat an old habit, we must say energetically: “No, I cannot dishonor my Redeemer. I will not do it.” Solomon says: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). With Christ’s power, we must deny those old habits with all our might. We can never allow any exceptions. It is the exceptions that weaken the habit pathways.