One of the biggest questions for many Christians is whether or not we are doing the right thing in the eyes of God. Or whether or not we are doing enough of the right things.
Two of the very core activities we are called to practice consistently are Prayer and reading & studying the Bible. These are two simple concepts on the surface but we often make it complicated by asking questions like “how should I pray?”…..“how should I study the Bible?”…..”where do I start?”….and, often, because we don’t have the exact answers to those questions we just don’t do anything. So, what’s the answer to this dilemma?
I like to think of it like training for a marathon because running 26.2 miles is an easy concept but you can’t just go out and do that unless you’ve been working on it. Little by little, every day you make progress. Nobody who starts training for a marathon is mad if they can’t run 26.2 miles on the first day, so why don’t we look at prayer and Bible study the same way – just get started and do a little every day. Make it a habit.
Making a habit of anything is a matter of blocking time for a particular activity, ideally the same time & place every day, and then protecting that block of time and avoiding distractions. In term of establishing the habit of Bible study & prayer, don’t worry if you can’t finish the “marathon” on the first day. Just get started. If you get frustrated, read an article on effective prayer or Bible study and put some of these ideas into practice the next day. If it works, great! Keep doing it. If not, try something else but just keep going, keep searching for the answers.
So why is the title of this post “Habit and Intent” and not just about habits? It’s because the devil is really sneaky. Like an experienced wrestler who uses your own momentum against you, if you really get these habits going, the devil will plant thoughts to get you off track. Instead of focusing on God and His plan for your life, you might start focusing instead on your fantastic streak of 50 days in a row, which then makes it more about the streak than about God. Or you might get prideful about it and boast to others about your what a great Christian you are which, again, takes the focus away from God. So, as you continue to develop strong habits, be aware of your intent and bring it back to God if you get off track.
Blessings to you as you start (or continue) your marathon training!
Questions:
For any particular activity, why is it important to establish a habit vs. trying to fit it in when you have the time?
Do you agree that the habits of prayer and Bible study are difficult to establish because we want to have it all figured out before we start?
Do you believe it is important to consistently pray and study the Bible in order to be a “good Christian”? Why or why not?
Do you agree that maintaining purity of intent helps ensure that your prayers and Bible study are as effective as possible?
What is one thing you can do tomorrow to start your “marathon training”?
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