3 Habits that Will Re-energize Your Spiritual Life
Instinctively I reached for my contact solution, withdrawing my hand quickly after realizing I had no need for it. It had been months since I wore contact lens, but the habit had become so ingrained I struggled to shake it. Habits are like that.
They hold on tight, making us work to shake them off. Sometimes that’s annoying, but if we’re intentional, we can use the tenacity of habits to grow in many areas, including spiritually.
If we're intentional, we can use the tenacity of habits to grow in many areas, including spiritually. Share on X
Some say spiritual practices are not very meaningful if they’re just done out of habit, and to an extent I agree. To do something over and over without a specific purpose will do little to further your personal growth.
But a habit with a purpose is a formidable fertilizer.
A habit with a purpose is a formidable fertilizer. And any habit formed in an attempt to strengthen and focus our faith holds the highest purpose. Share on X
And any habit formed in an attempt to strengthen and focus our faith holds the highest purpose. The way I see it, who couldn’t use a spiritual “shot in the arm”?
Spiritual Habits
So here’s 3 habits that will re-energize your spiritual walk:
- Get in the Bible daily
- Memorize Scripture
- Pray spontaneously
Which of these 3 habits to re-energize your spiritual walk do you most struggle with: get in the Bible daily; memorize Scripture; pray spontaneously? Be encouraged: Share on X
These three practices may seem like simple ideas, but they take perseverance and planning to implement. Outside encouragement doesn’t hurt either.
Get in the Bible Daily
Getting in the Bible daily can take on different forms. Some like listening to an audio Bible; others read an online Bible, still others (like me) prefer to read their Bible from their favorite print edition.
In addition to the many different ways Scripture can be consumed, how the content is consumed varies as well. Bible reading plans abound, from chronological to topical to historical to straight through.
Find one that interests you and begin reading … today.
Memorize Scripture
Just as being in the Word daily can take on many different forms, so can memorizing Scripture. Verses can be chosen in any number of ways, including being based on topic, ease of learning, best-known, most impactful, or randomly. Memorization can be done via hard copy, mobile apps, and Web-based tools.
The important thing with Scripture memorization is not to bite off too much at once. Take smaller nibbles and gain some success early on.
Pray Spontaneously
Praying spontaneously may seem intuitive at first glance, but many of us have grown up more comfortable with memorized prayers. We never cultivated the art of conversing with God though out our day.
Learning this single practice has revolutionized my relationship with the Lord. It has taken my faith to a deeper, richer level.
Grow Deeper
Habits play an important role in growing spiritually, often being a catalyst to walking more intimately with the Lord.
Now is a good time to form a new one.
Habits play an important role in growing spiritually, often being a catalyst to walking more intimately with the Lord. Now is a good time to form a new one. Share on X
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)
Reflections: Which of the 3 spiritual habits I listed have you formed? What new habit would you like to develop? (According to an article in the Huffington Post, it takes more than 2 months to form a new habit, so don’t give up too soon!)
This is a post in my Growth series. For the next 3 Mondays, we’ll explore in more depth how to develop each of these 3 habits, tackling one habit each week. Don’t miss out on learning about even one of these transforming habits: Sign up to receive my emails automatically in your inbox.
And I’m excited to begin another year recording blessings. Since beginning over 3 years ago, I’ve counted more than 3,500 gifts in Ann Voskamp’s Joy Dare! What a blessing! So here we go in 2015: #3555–3575, read my entire list by clicking here.
- My Internet connection limping through my web conference; New accountability on several levels–it’s amazingly freeing; Finding new space to work uninterrupted (relatively speaking)
- Pleasantly startled by a rabbit in the early morning; Cats playing under my feet cheered me during an unwanted task; Crock pot meals!
- Gorgeous snow scene that met me in the morning; Rach’s hilarious attempt at mimicking my “You-should-have-listened” throat clearing; Received a free commentary on John
- Eagle blending in with the snowy pines; Sister shopping with my sweet sister-in-law; A night and partial day to spend with my dear mother-in-law to help her understand her new laptop
- Welcomed home with love after an overnight absence; Crescent moon winking at me; New jammies!
- Sweet photos and memories to hold onto when loved ones go Home to Jesus; Hugs to dry the tears; Snowman-building time!
- Skyping with both college boys; Having supper preparation be a team effort; Office desk and chair cleaned off…again (Now I can actually see my desk top AND sit down to work!)
By His Grace,
Julie
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Hello, I'm Julie, an imperfect wife and mother of four. Life in this broken world is not always easy. Yet, joy can be found in each day through the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I find it's easy for our day's blessings to get lost in its happenings. But God's "mercies never end" (Lamentations 3:22) and His "grace is sufficient" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
May the posts and pages on this site offer you a measure of peace and encouragement.
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Good post Julie, I think out of fear of legalism the church has forgotten the power of and need for the disciplines. Sometimes I need to pick up my Bible and read just because I know that is the right thing to do. In away, that becomes a step of faith because I believe that God will meet me there despite what I might be feeling.
Great thoughts, Jon. I too believe the fear of legalism hinders the churches discipleship sometimes. We lean so far on the side of grace, we miss out on the fact that grace is only meaningful in light of our sin, so we must talk about sin. We lean so far on the side of faith, we forget God the Apostle Paul said “faith without works is dead.” We are a broken people who need to open ourselves up to the gifts from the Lord. Doesn’t that require some action on our part? God does it, but we need to be open to it.
Don’t get me wrong, but for the GRACE of God, I’d be dead in my sins. But some people speak as if I’m just a ragdoll in the hands of God, with no part to play but lifelessly being pulled here and there. That could be the way it is, but God didn’t want it that way. He wants us to come to Him out of love, not because we have no choice. To love Him, we must know Him. To know Him takes some action (opening a Bible, attending church, praying).
All that to say, disciplines are important. 🙂
I do pretty well with #1 and #3. Number 2 seems to be my hard spot. I have learned that we have to be serious before we can begin to practice these disciplines. We have to realize that there will come a time when we will be held accountable for what we did or did not do.
Scripture memorization is the most difficult for me too, Cecelia. But God will help us hide His Word in our heart–it doesn’t happen in our power but when we surrender to His and obediently step toward Him.
[…] you need to determine how quickly you want to go through the Bible. As I said in my overview post last Monday, Bible reading plans abound. […]
[…] In a previous post, I wrote about habits being sticky and using them to re-energize our spiritual lives. Along the same line, let’s make a new sticky default of focusing on the positive things in our day, instead of fixating on the negative. […]