As Christians, we should each be building daily habits in our walks with God to know Him better, hear from Him, and grow in the purposes He has for each of our lives. For the past few years, there has been something specific that God has been working with me specifically about to grow in Him. However, there are some key things that all of us should be doing as believers (whether we’re new to the faith or have been in this for a minute now)!
Here are six habits that will help us grow in our journeys with God this year and beyond!
Key Takeaways:
- Have a regular devotion time with God.
- Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
- Find and cultivate Christian friendships.
- Go to church IN PERSON!
- Journal what God is sharing with you.
- Memorize Scripture to help you in your daily life.
Regular Devotion
Personal devotion time with God is VITAL for a believer. Yes, going to church is important also, but once a week (if that, sometimes, right?) is not enough to get to know God and talk with Him. I’ve started a personal challenge with my walk with God at the beginning of 2024. I’ll write more about it when the challenge is up, but one of the main things is having morning devotion in the first hour of the day.
Admittedly, some days I fail, but it’s always my goal to start the day by talking to God and reading His Word. Once I started doing that, I found that I had more clarity, focus, and PEACE, especially right before the busyness of the day ahead. On the days I fail to spend time with God, my mind is all over the place and I also feel bad about how I didn’t have devotion.
For some people, your time with God may be in the mid-day or at night. Whatever time you can find with Him, try to stick to it as much as you can.
Prayer Without Ceasing
In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, the apostle Paul tells the church community of Thessalonica to “pray without ceasing.” When I was younger, I didn’t truly understand this, but it essentially means to pray often and not cast aside the importance (and really GIFT) of prayer. With the death and resurrection of Jesus, believers have a clear line to be able to talk to God whenever they please. We should be taking advantage of that.
But your prayer life with God is about more than just laying out the desires of your heart. It’s also about thanking and praising Him, asking Him for direction, and, most importantly, taking time to HEAR FROM HIM. There are times that the Holy Spirit has told me to just sit and be still for the day, rather than flooding heaven with questions and problems. And I often hear clearly what the next steps or solution to an issue should be.
Find (and CULTIVATE) Christian Friendships
I’m not knocking having friends from different backgrounds. I actually think it’s important to hear different perspectives in your life. However, your goal should also be to find and cultivate Christian friendships along the way. Other believers can help pray for you, uplift you, and even call you out when needed (and vice versa). If you step outside of your comfort zone, you can find Christian friends and associates at church, at Christian events, and even in online Christian groups. AND THAT TAKES SHOWING UP AND PUTTING EFFORT INTO BEING A REAL FRIEND.
This here is something that I am working on myself. Finding and cultivating friendships with other Christians around my age that I can learn from and grow with. I know now that it’s important in my walk with God to have prayer, accountability, and encouragement in my daily life. And some good laughter with others is very healthy too!
Go to Church In Person
At the beginning of the shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, many of us began watching pastors preach online… because that’s all we could do. Pastors would preach from pulpits or their offices to empty rooms because we all needed to stay safe and healthy. But we have always been called by God as believers to meet together IN CHURCH.
The Bible talks about this in Hebrews 10: 24-25:
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
The Bible tells us flat out that, as Christians, WE NEED TO MEET. Not just watch church online all the time. Not even just on Zoom. In. the. flesh.
Now I know some introverts will disagree with me, and there are some occasions that call for watching service from home. Sickness and other ailments, lack of transportation, etc. I get it. But some of us simply don’t go because we don’t want to. And others of us who were used to going to church (myself at a certain point) got lazy. Let’s be real: many of us have been going outside since 2020 still. There are not many real reasons to not be back in service!
This also goes back to my Christian community point. You need people to do life with. You need people who truly know you, lay eyes on you, pray for you, HUG YOU (when needed and desired — body autonomy is important), and support you through different moments in your life. And there’s just something about being in the house of God among other believers!
Journaling What God Is Telling You
I’ve started to journal the various things that God has been telling me in a little notebook. Though I do pray to God out loud, being a writer, I find that I like to also communicate prayers and thoughts through written word. It’s relaxing to me to put pen to paper, but you can always type out what God has laid on your heart.
For me, journaling allows me to remember what I’ve been called to work on internally as a child of God. Personally, I’m also curious to see the ultimate growth or reasons that come from Him telling me to move (or not move!) on a certain thing. So I’ve been writing down things, or typing them in my phone to write down later if I’m out.
Memorizing Scripture
Memorizing Bible verses and keeping them close to your heart is a GAME CHANGER, especially in times of trouble or confusion. Trust me! For example, when I am nervous about something, I remember my life verse, Psalm 27:1:
The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?
There are several other verses that I keep in the back of my mind (even if I get the reference wrong haha!). Life can be ROUGH but keeping God’s Word in your heart and applying it to your circumstance can be a reminder of Who God is and how He will show up for you.
What are some other things that you would encourage someone to do to grow spiritually this year?
Imperfectly B 