My Habits Will Determine My Spiritual Growth

In 1 Corinthians 9:25 I read, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." (NIV)

I’ll grow when I develop good habits. This applies to every area of my life, including my spiritual growth. When I build good habits, I’m going to have good character. If I have good character, I’m going to have a great destiny. My character is the sum total of my habits.

The Bible says, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:17 NIV).

I won’t get God’s blessing for knowing the right thing to do. Rather, I’ll get God’s blessing for doing the right thing and making it a habit in my life. I build habits, through repetition and practice. Study after study shows I have to do something, whether it’s exercise, diet, or a spiritual habit, every day for six weeks before it becomes a habit.

Doing only a few days of study and then skipping a day and then repeating the pattern over and over again is like rolling up a ball of string and dropping it. I keep undoing everything I’ve gained every time I miss a day.

I have to develop habits that I’ll use the rest of my life that will help me grow and be strong. Successful people are just normal people who decide to develop good habits that stay with them for the rest of their lives. I determine my habits, and my habits determine me.

“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Corinthians 9:25 NIV).

The good habits I build in my spiritual life are going to pay off forever in eternity.

In summary, to compete requires strict training. In this life many do this for a prize that won’t last. I do it for a prize that will last forever. I’ll grow when I develop good habits. This applies to every area of my life, including my spiritual growth. When I build good habits, I’m going to have good character. If I have good character, I’m going to have a great destiny. My character ends up being the sum total of my habits. I won’t get God’s blessing for just knowing the right thing to do, rather, I’ll get God’s blessing for doing the right thing and making it a habit in my life. I build habits through repetition and practice. I have to do something every day for six weeks before it becomes a habit. Doing it only a few days and then skipping a day, is like rolling up a ball of string and dropping it. I need to develop habits that I’ll use the rest of my life, ones that will help me grow and be strong. Successful people are just normal people who decide to develop good habits that stay with them for the rest of their lives. The good habits I build in my spiritual life are going to pay off forever in eternity.

Self-discipline requires an honest look at my strengths and weaknesses, with emphasis on the latter. It means building the will to say no when a powerful appetite inside me screams yes. Self-discipline is a long, steady course in learning attitudes that do not come naturally, and channeling natural appetites toward God's purposes. What are my weak points? Pray for God's help to redirect weakness into strength.

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Today, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, and doing well and making a difference in my new job.  I pray all these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen. 

How to Remove and Replace My Old Habits

In Timothy 4:15 I read, “Practice these things. Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress.” (GW)

The moment I gave my life to Jesus, he gave me a brand-new nature. But I will still have old habits, patterns, and practices that need to be removed and replaced. It’s a lifelong process, but here are two bits of guidance I can use on my journey.

First, let go of the fears that keep me from growing. The truth will set you free, but it often makes me miserable first. The fear of what I might discover if I honestly face my character defects can keep me living in the prison of denial. Only as God is allowed to shine the light of his truth on my faults, failures, and hang-ups can I begin to work on them. This is why I cannot grow without a humble, teachable attitude.

Secondly, stop basing my identity around my “defects.” Don’t say, “It’s just like me to be . . .” or “It’s just the way I am.” The unconscious worry is that if I let go of my hurt, hang-up, or habit, I won’t know who I am anymore. This fear can definitely slow my growth.

Lastly, remember that my character is the sum total of my habits, and that good habits take time to develop. I can’t claim to have integrity unless it’s my habit to always be honest. Being faithful part or most of the time is not faithful at all! My habits define my character.

Remember: I have to practice every day the habits that will make me more like Christ. In fact, “Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15 GW).

In summary, I have to practice every day the habits that will make me more like Christ. In fact, I should devote my life to them. Allow others to see my progress. The moment I gave my life to Jesus, he gave me a brand-new nature. But I will still have old habits, patterns, and practices that need to be removed and replaced. It will be a lifelong process. First, I need to let go of the fears that keep me from growing. The fear of what I might discover if I honestly face my character defects can keep me living in the prison of denial. Only as God is allowed to shine the light of his truth on my faults, failures, and hang-ups can I begin to work on them. I cannot grow without having a humble and teachable attitude. Secondly, I need to stop basing my identity around my “defects.” Things like, “It’s just like me to be . . .” or “It’s just the way I am.” Lastly, remember that my character is the sum total of my habits, and that good habits take time to develop. I can’t claim to have integrity unless it’s my habit to always be honest. Being faithful part or most of the time,  is not faithful at all! My habits will define my character. I need to practice every day the habits that will make me more like Christ. In fact, I should devote my life to them. 

An athlete loses their abilities if their muscles aren't toned by constant use. Likewise, I will lose my spiritual gifts if I don't put them to work. My talents are improved by exercise, but failing to use them causes them to waste away from lack of practice and nourishment. Am I using what God has given me to regularly serve?  I must also be on constant guard against falling into sin that can so easily destroy me. I must watch what I believe just as closely. Wrong beliefs can quickly lead me into sin and heresy. I should be on my guard against those who would persuade me that how I live is more important than what I believe. I should keep a close watch on both, staying true to the faith.

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Father, replacing my old habits with new ones that will make me more like Jesus will take time and I need to understand that. But it’s important that I practice them and make them part of my life and my character. I ask you for your help in accomplishing this.

Today, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in my new job.  I pray all these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen. 

When I’m Working, God Is Watching

In review of Ephesians 6:6 this morning, I'm reminded “Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do” (The Message).

Paul's instruction in this verse encourages responsibility and integrity on the job. As a Christ follower, I need to do my job / work as if Jesus Christ was my direct supervisor. As a leader of others, I need to treat those who report to me with fairness and respect and not as machines. I need to remember that no matter whom I work for, and no matter who works for me, the one I ultimately aim to please is my Father in heaven. Whether or not anyone else sees what I do, God sees, and he doesn’t want me to waste the time and resources of my employer.

It doesn’t matter If I’m happy or not happy with my job or even think I’m underpaid, It doesn’t matter. God’s Word tells me to do more than just the minimum required. God calls me to give my best. This is what integrity looks like.

There are those who only work hard when their boss is watching, or take extra long breaks every day, or consistently come in late and leave early. Interestingly enough God compares this kind of work ethic to vandalism? Proverbs 18:9 says, “Slack habits and sloppy work are as bad as vandalism” (The Message). The Living Bible translates the verse this way: “A lazy person is as bad as someone who destroys things”.

God considers it a serious sin when if I don’t give a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. Even if no one else around me gives their all, as a follower of Jesus I should.

When I work as if I’m working for God, he will bless my integrity. My employer will likely notice my commitment to the success of the company or organization, and that may lead to financial blessings. But more importantly, I will grow spiritually as I work in obedience to God.

In summary, I should never just do what I have to get by, but work heartily, doing what God wants me to do. No matter who I work for or who works for me, the one I need to aim to please is my Father in heaven. He doesn't want me to waste the time and resources of my employer. God's Word tells me to do more than just the minimum required. I'm called to give my best. This is what integrity looks like. God considers slack work habits and work as bad as vandalism. God considers it a serious sin when I don't give a full day's work for a full day's pay. Even if no one else is doing it, as a follower of Christ I need to. When I work as if I'm working for God, he will bless my integrity and I will grow spiritually as I work in obedience to God.

Today’s verse and study is a great reminder and encouragement for me to continue to have integrity in my work. Father I pray this morning that you help me maintain this perspective. I also pray that you help me work into my busy routines, spending more time with my direct reports so that I can also help infuse this work pattern to those who only just get by. As this weekend, and the new ones starts, I ask for clarity and the ability to explain organizational changes that coming up so that I can prepare the team. I also ask for your wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. These things I pray through your Son Jesus name, Amen.

Removing and Replacing My Old Habits

In review of 1 Timothy 4:15 it says, “Practice these things. Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress (GW).

Today’s verse comes from 1 Timothy 4:6-16 where Paul is teaching Timothy how to be a good servant in Christ. In particular verse 15 says to remember these things and think about them, so everyone can see how well you are doing.

I’m reminded that highly skilled and talented athletes lose their abilities if their muscles aren't toned by constant use. Likewise, I'll lose my spiritual gifts if I don't put them into practice. My gifts and talents are improved by use or exercise, but failing to use them will cause them to just waste away from lack of practice and nourishment. I need to consider the gifts and abilities has God given me and whether I using them regularly to serve God and others.

While I was given a brand-new nature at the moment of my conversion (devoting myself to following Christ), I still have old habits, patterns, and practices that need to be removed and replaced.

Let go of the fears that keep me from growing. While the truth will set me free, it will often make me miserable first. The fear of what I might discover if I honestly face my character defects can keep us living in the prison of denial. Only as God is allowed to shine the light of his truth on my faults, failures, and hang-ups can I begin to work on them. This is why I cannot grow without a humble, teachable attitude.

I should not base my identity around any of my “defects.” Don’t say, “It’s just like me to be . . .” or “It’s just the way I am.” The unconscious worry is that if I let go of my habit, my hurt, or my hang-up, who will I be? This fear can definitely slow down my growth.

Good habits take time to develop. My character is the sum total of my habits. I can’t claim to have integrity unless it is my habit to always be honest. A spouse who is faithful most of the time is not faithful at all! My habits define my character.

Remember: I need to practice every day the habits that will make me more like Christ.

“Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15 GW).

Bottom Line:

Be diligent; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your example and progress.

What this means to me:

Diligently gives these things my attention and put them into practice, so that I can be an example that others will notice.

In summary, If I don't put my skills or gifts into practice I'll lose them. No matter what, I still have old habits, patterns, and practices that need to be removed and replaced. Good habits take time to develop. My character will be the sum total of all of my habits. And those define my character. I need to practice every day the habits that will make me more like Christ.

Today’s verse is a reminder of the high values I want to live my life by; Integrity, humility, generosity and purpose. I need to be humble enough to recognize my shortcomings and willingness to adjust my habits. My habits speak greatly to my integrity, as the sum total of my habits make up my character. Thank you Father for these words from you today and how they speak into my life.

I pray this morning that Father, you will help me be conscience of old bad habits and to repent (turn-around) from them, adopting the character of Jesus and allowing my life to be used by you. I also ask you today for continued wisdom and guidance to handle the work in front of my. Help me to be a leader that makes a difference and others want to follow. Help me fill my interactions with grace and love. These things I pray in your Son Jesus name, Amen!