5 Behaviors I Gave Up to Walk with God

There comes a point in your walk with God where you realize… It's time to grow up. 

You can’t keep saying you love God while living in habits that don’t reflect Him. You can’t keep praying for transformation but holding onto the very things He’s asking you to lay down.

For me, there came a moment where I just had to put an end to certain behaviors — not because I was trying to be perfect, but because God was calling me higher. I wanted to walk with God like I meant it.

None of it happened overnight, but there came a point where I knew I couldn’t stay the same. God was calling me higher. And if I truly wanted to walk with Him, I had to start living like it.

So today, I want to share what that transformation has looked like for me — the things God helped me give up, the habits I broke, and the woman God is still shaping me to become.

First of all, this all started when I was about 26. I am 29 now. Apparently, the frontal lobe develops fully at 25 for women. A lot of things started to click around 25-26 for me and I’m telling you now so it can click earlier.

Let’s get into it.

1. UNWHOLESOME TALK

One of the first things God really convicted me about was my words. Ephesians 4:29 says, ‘Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.’ And that hit me — because for a long time, I spoke without thinking. I gossiped under the disguise of venting. I used cuss words carelessly. I joked in ways that weren’t uplifting. And the truth is, the words we speak reveal what’s in our hearts. So I had to make a decision to stop letting anything come out of my mouth that tears down instead of builds up. Now I try to pause before I speak and ask myself — is this going to encourage someone? Is this going to reflect Christ? It’s not about being fake or overly filtered; it’s about being intentional. I want my words to carry peace, kindness, and life, not negativity or poison.

The thing that gets under my skin the most is how people talk to their partners, and those of us who resort to humor and sarcasm might struggle with this. Some examples:

• Flirting with disrespect: Making comments or jokes that cross boundaries and then saying, “I was just kidding.”

• Jokes about his income, intelligence, or leadership. Even lighthearted remarks about “who makes the real money” or “who’s in charge” can bruise respect and trust over time.

• Jokes about her appearance, or anything that could tear down her confidence. Don’t plant seeds of disrespect because eventually, they will grow into a much bigger problem.

These kinds of words don’t cause a blow to the relationship when they’re said. They chip away at respect and unity over time. Don’t make it a habit.

2. LAZINESS

Another area God really worked on in me was laziness. Proverbs 31 talks about a woman whose hands are never idle — and that doesn’t mean she’s constantly busy for the sake of being busy, but that she’s purposeful with her time. For a long time, I made excuses for my lack of discipline — I’d scroll instead of study, procrastinate instead of prepare, and call it ‘rest.’ But real rest comes after obedience, not avoidance. The Proverbs 31 woman gets up early, she plans, she works hard, and she takes care of what’s been entrusted to her. That convicted me — because I want to be that kind of woman. Not one who’s scattered or slacking, but one who shows up, gets after it, and uses her hands, her gifts, and her time to honor God. Now I try to start each day asking, ‘How can I be faithful with what God’s given me today?’ — and that mindset changes everything.

3. GAMES

An immature behavior you need to let go of right now is playing games. I’m not talking about basketball or pickleball or candy crush. I’m talking about not meaning what you say. The “I’m fine” just to avoid  truly communicating with your partner. Saying “Yes babe you can go on that trip!” and then getting mad at him when he does I’m talking  silent treatments, being short and full of malice in a text when you’re angry. Jesus. These are JESUS’S WORDS!! In Matthew 5:37- He says to "let your YES mean yes and your NO means no.” He even said “anything beyond that comes from the evil one!" So say what you mean and mean what you say. Anything else isn’t getting you anywhere. Take it from me, work and pray on mature, direct communication. It will make it easier on everyone involved, and change your life. 

4. PRIDE

Pride was one of those things I didn’t even realize I was struggling with until God started revealing it to me. Pride shows up in so many sneaky ways. Having to be right, not needing help. How many of you strong independent females like me out there have had your husband showing you something and you say “I know how to do that! I’m not stupid!” Ok if you’re outdoorsy like me you might have had instances including but not limited to: like this while hanging a treestand, tying a fishing knot, how to fish a certain lure, learning how to shoot a bow. For those of you who DO hunt, fish, or practice any skill with your spouse, just know I became a lot happier and easier to deal with person once I laid down my pride and let my husband teach me things.

James 4:6 says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ It’s realizing that strength doesn’t come from being in control — it comes from surrender. Because humility doesn’t make you weak — it makes you more like Jesus.

5. SELFISHNESS

Walking with God means laying down the constant need to make everything about me. You tend to act this way not even realizing you do. Things like getting married (aka inviting another person into your life and space) shows you just how selfish you are. They say having kids REALLY reveals how selfish you are. 

Some times I get caught up in living my awesome life that I forget the need to serve, pray for others, and give to those who need it. I’m going to read some ways selfishness shows up in my life. Who can relate?

• Praying only on my own needs, instead of interceding for others

• Listening to respond, and not truly listening to hear. Responding with a story or anecdote about yourself and always interrupting people.

• Giving with the hope of being recognized, instead of practicing pure obedience

• Getting jealous when someone else gets the spotlight or answered prayer we wanted

• Not showing up for people we love. Is it inconvenient or are we just lazy?

• Expecting others to support us when we rarely do the same.

• Not making a plan to post about my faith on social media, despite posting about everything else in my life.

  
  

Philippians 2:3–4

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

The more we can live a life that isn’t about us, the better. The more we can flip the script and take the spotlight off of ourselves, the better.

So those are things I’ve given up, and am constantly laying down at the foot of Jesus. It truly requires daily surrender. If you stayed until the end of the video, hit me with the praise emoji in the comment section! And if you haven’t subscribed yet, please do! It helps me and my channel a lot! 

My prayer is that this encourages you to look at what God might be asking you to release. Because every time we let something go, we make more room for Him to move. Thank you for watching, and if this spoke to you, I’d love for you to comment below what God’s teaching you in this season. After all, we’re all growing together.