Trapped by an Old Way of Thinking
Why “How We’ve Always Done It” Is Holding You Back
Uncommon by Design – Part 2
You and I tend to stick to doing things the way we’ve always done them.
In the office where I work, you will often hear people say, “It’s how we’ve always done it.” What they are really saying is that they are living by an old covenant—an old set of rules.
And this way of thinking doesn’t stop at work.
Sticking to how we’ve always maintained our home is easy.
Sticking to the way we perform our job duties is easy.
Sticking to the traditional norms of our church is easy.
Sticking to the popular behaviors of our society is easy.
Sticking to how we interact with our family and how we treat our spouses is easy.
Sticking to the old way of thinking is easy and requires very little effort.
Accepting a new set of guidelines requires change.
Why We Stay Stuck in Old Patterns
We can almost always improve the way “we’ve always done it.”
Yet familiarity feels safe, and safety often keeps us from asking better questions.
When you hear the word covenant, you may immediately think old—something tied to the Old Testament of the Bible. But at its core, a covenant is simply a set of guiding rules or principles we live by.
That’s where the danger lies.
It is all too common for us to become trapped by an old way of doing things, even when a newer, better way exists.
The New Covenant: Inside-Out Change
Scripture tells us that God established a new covenant, a new set of rules to replace the old set.
“It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt….” says the LORD.” [1]
The old covenant focused on cleaning people up on the outside. People followed rituals, rules, and practices in order to make themselves acceptable for God’s use.
But the new covenant is different.
God’s focus is no longer external—it is internal.
The work begins in the heart.
Common living tries to fix externally what can only be adjusted internally.
A Better Way to Live Exists
You don’t have to remain trapped in the old way when a newer, better way exists.
It’s time for you to try a new way of maintaining your home—and improving your personal life.
It’s time for you to go the extra mile on your job—doing more than what’s expected.
It’s time for you to move beyond religious tradition into a direct relationship with God.
It’s time for you to change your behavior without worrying about what others think.
It’s time for you to fully commit where you’ve been riding the fence.
It’s time to accept a new covenant—a new set of guidelines for your life.
What old set of rules is holding you back from a better way to live?
What are you correcting outwardly that would be better addressed inwardly?
iPray
Lord, I’ve been doing it this way all my life and didn’t know there was a better way. Surround me with Your favor as I step into this new thing You’ve placed in my heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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[1] Jeremiah 31:32 NET, Bible.com, accessed February 3, 2026, https://www.bible.com/bible/107/JER.31.32.NET
All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights.
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