By Jade Whitehurst
Using your habits and routines to honor God is a wonderful way to integrate your faith into your daily life and experience Christ more fully. After all, it’s the mundane tasks and habits of our lives that open up the possibility of achieving our health and fitness goals. It’s in our habits where we form the disciplines we need to be good stewards of our time and energy so we can use them in ways that serve and honor God.
Here are seven suggestions on how you can become more mindful in crafting your own holy habits:
- Seek God’s guidance. Begin each day by seeking God’s guidance and asking for His wisdom in choosing the right habits. Pray for His help in developing habits that align with His will and bring glory to Him.
- Study and meditate on scripture. Make it a habit to regularly study and meditate on God’s Word. Set aside specific times each day to read the Bible, reflect on its teachings, and apply them to your life. Allow the truths and principles found in scripture to shape your habits.
- Practice gratitude. Cultivate a habit of gratitude by acknowledging and giving thanks to God for His blessings. Develop a daily practice of expressing gratitude for the big and small things — even the things that might feel icky, like doing laundry. Recognize that all good things come from God, and offer praise and thanksgiving to Him.
- Pray without ceasing. Develop a habit of constant communication with God through prayer. Make prayer a regular part of your day, not just during designated times but also in the midst of your activities. “Thank you Lord for the laundry, for it is a blessing to have clothes to wash.”
- Serve others. Develop habits of service and selflessness by actively seeking opportunities to serve others. Look for ways to meet the needs of those around you, whether through acts of kindness, volunteering, or supporting charitable causes. Use your time, talents and resources to bless others and reflect God’s love.
- Practice self-discipline. Develop habits of self-discipline in areas that honor God. This can include areas such as managing your time wisely, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, controlling your words and thoughts, being a good steward of your finances, and being mindful of your social media scrolling. Seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance to help you develop self-control and resist temptations.
- Worship and fellowship. Make it a habit to regularly participate in corporate worship and fellowship with other believers. Attend church services, join small groups or Bible studies, and engage in meaningful conversations with fellow Christians. These habits help strengthen your relationship with God and provide opportunities for spiritual growth and encouragement.
Remember, developing habits that honor God is a lifelong journey. It requires intentionality, perseverance, and reliance on the Holy Spirit’s guidance. As you seek to align your habits with God’s will, trust in His grace and allow His transforming power to work in you. Change has to happen in your heart before it can happen in your habits.
As you gear up to develop holy habits, I want to leave you with this nugget of truth from Matthew 5:37 —
“Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. Anything else comes from the evil one.”
Therefore, I want to encourage and challenge you to be a person of integrity who honors and stays true to their word (and actions) — even when it’s just to yourself! You are more precious than rubies, my friend, so live a life that radiates goodness by crafting holy habits, because this will help you tee up and achieve the goals you said you would.
Jade Whitehurst is a wife, mom, fitness coach and eighth-grade science teacher. You can follow her on Instagram @jadewhitehurst_thefaithfitmom.
