As productivity-minded Christians, we want to do more than get things done. We want to do what really matters.

And this is what Jesus says matters: “…Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind…Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39).

But how exactly do we do this?

It starts with spiritual habits (a.k.a. spiritual disciplines). 

Spiritual habits are repeated actions we take to
connect our hearts and minds with God.

They are essential to loving God and loving others for three reasons. Spiritual habits:

•  draw us to worship, praise, and repentance.
• are often the vehicle God uses to transform us to be more like Jesus.
• open our hearts to hear from God so that we can discern what matters most to him.

Spiritual habits are the foundation of a God-led life. So, We Abide Together wants to help you build habits that deeply connect you with God in this season of your life.

Here are four simple questions to ask to find well-fitting spiritual habits.

If you want a printable tool to dig into these questions and more, get our FREE printable Spiritual Habits Starter Guide here:

Now, to the questions…

QUESTION 1: WHAT ALREADY HELPS ME CONNECT TO GOD?

You have a unique personality, set of passions, and temperament. All of these will influence the activities that make you feel most connect with God.

So, begin by asking yourself, what activities or places already help me feel God’s presence?

These may include things such as:

• being in nature.
• listening to music.
• serving others.
• studying God’s word.
• making time for silence and solitude.
• expressing yourself through the arts.
• participating in traditional church liturgy or rituals.
• taking time to reflect on God our your life.

QUESTION 2: WHAT COMMON SPIRITUAL HABITS AM I DRAWN TO?

There’s no comprehensive list of spiritual habits. Why? Because almost anything can become a spiritual habit if it honors God and draws you to him.

But there are some common spiritual habits. 

Do you ever:

• pray? That’s a spiritual habit.
• read your Bible? That’s one too.
• go to church? Yep, spiritual habit.

Now that we’ve established that spiritual habits aren’t so mysterious, we want to share 12 common spiritual habits. These habits are commonly known and practiced because they’re either talked about in the Bible or American church culture. You can print this list when you download our Spiritual Habits Starter Guide (email sign-up above).

There’s no right habits to adopt. But please be sure you’re choosing at least one way to dig into God’s word regularly. The Bible is a compass that keeps us aligned with who God is and what he desires.

QUESTION 3: WHAT SPIRITUAL HABITS FIT MY SEASON OF LIFE

Each stage of life offers us unique opportunities and challenges. Parents of a newborn have a different lifestyle than empty nesters.  Christians working through major life changes have different days than Christians in a predictable life season.

It’s important to consider your season of life because it could influence which habits fit, how often you can practice them, and for how long.

These questions will help you choose well:

• Which habits seem to fit well with my season of life?
• What’s a realistic number of times I can practice this each week/month/year?
• Can I actually plan the length of my practice? If so, what’s reasonable.

Start small! This is essential to building any new habit.

QUESTION 4: HOW CAN I STICK WITH THE HABITS I PLAN TO IMPLEMENT?

Once you unpack the questions above, you now need a plan to stay consistent. This can take time and a little trial and error.

One of the main goals of We Abide Together is helping Christians live out their plans to stay God-centered and focused. So, visit our shop to find planners, journals, and other tools to support your spiritual growth.

MORE SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT FOR YOUR JOURNEY

If you want to learn more about spiritual habits and how to build them into your often full days, check out these blog posts:

•  How to Make a New Spiritual Habit Stick
• How to Strengthen an Existing Spiritual Habit
• Use Your Planner to Make Scripture Memorization a Habit

And if you want a spiritual life that helps you discern God’s call on your life and priorities, check out these posts:

•  How Can I Set God-Honoring Goals?

FINAL THOUGHTS

I pray that this post gives you the basic tools you need to get intentional with your spiritual growth. But before we close, I want to make sure you hear two important truths.

First, we don’t adopt spiritual practices to earn salvation or be “good Christians.” Jesus has already saved us. Spiritual habits are simply tools that point us to God, so that we can worship him and be changed by him.

Second, transformation takes time. Growing with God will take patience. He isn’t a genie; he doesn’t work on our timelines.

Our job is to be consistent. He’ll do the work he wants to do, as he wants. Be faithful and God may do more than you could ever think or imagine.