Habits Make the Difference
Randy Raysbrook
From The Adventure of Discipling Others. Order from NavPress
Issues: Don't get frustrated the next time your disciple fails to be as disciplined as you would like him or her to be. Instead, use the suggestions here to develop godly habits in both yourself and others.What separates great men and women of God from those believers who fade into history, leaving scarcely a mark on anyone's life?
At least part of the difference is in their habits. People who influence others have become proficient in the "basics." They have determined what habit patterns are necessary to maintain their intimacy with Christ and they make them a priority in their lives. God has designed us so that, when we are not up to full strength, the habit patterns we build into our lives can begin to take over. "Since habits become power," wrote E. Stanley Jones, "make them work with you, not against you." So, the right habits can be predictors of spiritual victory.
Habits in the "basics" are important because
- They serve God. God is worthy of our continual attention. Habits keep us focused on Him.
- They help us. It is for our own good as well as God's. Only
through regular time with the Lord, with his Word, and with His people
can we experience the fullness of life Jesus promised in John 10:10.
- They help others. We can't be involved in meeting other's needs unless we are growing in our intimacy with the Lord. It is through our intimacy with God that we find the grace, strength, and insights necessary to love others. Our love for others demands that we discipline ourselves.
- Make a decision. Our Christian life is a tapestry woven with the threads of daily decisions. J. Oswald Sanders used to remind us that we are self-classifying in the Christian life: The choice is ours. We are what we choose. So the starting place for a life of godly consistency is always the decisions we make. A morning quiet time, for example, is a choice: mind over mattress. Our feelings are not the issue. A person driving to San Francisco fills his car with gasoline when it needs it, not when he feels like doing it. Likewise, our spiritual lives have certain needs that should be met regularly whether or not we feel like meeting them. Emotions are servants of the mind, and the mind is the servant of the will. We must often choose against self in order to choose God.
- Be accountable to others. Being accountable to others protects us from our natural weaknesses, and allows us to minister to others, as they become a part of our growth. Accountability means inviting another to ask you questions about your walk with God and your life. Your life becomes an open book for joint discussion. Discipleship is about pilgrims on the same journey encouraging, strengthening, and loving one another. This needs to be done creatively, however. The exact method of accountability used should be customized to the personality and needs of the individual. Everyone is different-one size does not fit all.
- Start with a system. Whatever spiritual discipline you are working on, try to find a regular system that others have used successfully. In Scripture memory, for example, The Navigators' Topical Memory System promotes consistent progress in scripture memorization and review. There are also a number of excellent discipleship Bible Study tools and materials available. Starting a new disciple with a system gives that person predictability and structure that are helpful for developing lifetime habits. Eventually you may choose to develop your own systems. If so, keep them simple, and evaluate them regularly to make sure they are building your consistency and moving you toward the goal of Christlikeness.
- Remember Grandma's Law. Do you remember when you were younger and your grandmother promised you some apple pie if you ate all your spinach? That's Grandma's Law, and there are many ways we can use it to motivate ourselves and others. Many have adopted the motto, "No Bible, no breakfast." A friend of mine would allow himself to watch television for only as much time as he had spent in reading and studying the Bible.
- Improvise. If you missed your scheduled prayer time this morning, don't think you've blown the day and can't recover. Improvise and break your prayer time into several short segments that you can include throughout the day's schedule. There are always creative ways a person can discipline himself for purposes of godliness (1 Tim. 4:7).
- Use association. I have a friend who committed himself to pray for me daily. He does so as he takes his daily thyroid pill. By linking his prayer with his pill he will always remember to pray for me. I know of students who pray on campus each time they hear the class buzzers ring. You can also use landmarks that you pass on your way to work each day as a cue for praying or for reviewing memorized verses.
- Start small and build. Your goal is consistency, not quantity. Start with a small, manageable goal, and build up from there. A goal too low is better than one too high. You can always increase your goal later, but if you set it too high and fail, your discouragement may hinder further growth. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Proverbs 13:12).
- If you fail, press on. When we fail, Satan will draw our attention to our inadequacy, but Christ always draws our attention to His adequacy. If you become undisciplined, acknowledge it in prayer, ask in faith for the Lord's help to change, and press on. Prov. 24:16 says, "For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again. . . ."
- Start with one area at a time. I suggest that the first spiritual discipline you begin should be a regular quiet time or a Scripture memory program. As you develop consistency in this and begin to experience greater intimacy with the Lord, expand into other areas. Don't try to work on everything at once. God can guide you through prayer and His Word as you grow in other spiritual disciplines.
- Be willing to pay the price. No pain, no gain. Godliness will cost us, but if it costs nothing it would be worth nothing. "One of the mysteries of living," said Ted Engstrom, "is that that which is easily achieved brings little inner satisfaction."
Discipleship Journal
