For the past few months, spiritual disciplines have been heavy in my thoughts. There are several reasons for this, I think, and examining this has led me to make some stronger choices in this area of my life.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused me to pause and think. After all, I have had a little more time since so much of our culture has shut down or been restricted in some way because of this virus.

On top of that, I have been preaching a sermon series for the last several weeks called Spiritual Makeover: Becoming Who God Created You To Be. In this series, I have been looking at several disciplines and characteristics that God wants to develop in our lives to more fully become who he has designed us to be. The characteristics are quality he instill in us, but the disciplines are more of the part we play in the process.

And when you add to this equation the time I spent in Colorado last month with several other ministers, digging into this very idea, and these very disciplines, you can begin to see why this has been dominating my thoughts so much.

And because it has been so much on my mind, there have been some changes in the way I approach many of these areas. I have improved myself in many ways, and have seen some significant growth in some areas. Other areas are already stronger, and these have received more of an encouragement booster in my life to continue on as I am. Either way, I have been seeing some encouraging growth in my life for several weeks now, and I hope that it is evident to those who are watching.

In the past, I have written a series of posts called Establishing Spiritual Disciplines. In may ways, this idea is a continuation of that series, and after the start of the new year, I plan on revisiting some of those topics and adding a few more aspects to that list, disciplines that can help us grow in our relationship with Christ.

But for now, I want to look at six areas briefly over the next few weeks. These are six areas, or habits, that can help us grow into a deeper, richer, and sweeter relationship with Jesus. Those areas are:

H – Hanging out with God
A – Accountability relationships with other believers
B – Bible memorization
I – Involvement in the church
T – Tithing
S – Speaking to God

This acronym — HABITS — is one that I have been familiar with for a long time, although I have tweaked it a bit over the years to more accurately fit my life. As I have shared these habits with my church, I want to share them here, and I hope that they are as helpful to you as they have been to me.

Question: What habits do you have in place that help you grow spiritually? What habits do you need to develop? You can leave a comment by clicking here.