Spiritual Habits for the Christian Life

Establishing good habits. Easier said than done, right? It almost makes it worse when we see other people excelling in their habits and living their best lives. But take heart. No one is perfect and we all fail; and that’s okay. It’s striving to better ourselves that is most important, and to better ourselves begins with good spiritual habits.

When we think of habits, we tend to think of lifestyle habits. Things like starting an exercise routine, making sure we’re drinking enough water or flossing every night. But today I want to focus on spiritual habits for Christians that will benefit us greatly; bringing us closer to God and helping goodness spread in every area of our lives. When I practice these things, I’ve noticed how much of a difference it makes in my mood, my thinking, and overall how I handle things in my life. Today, I’d like to share my top 5 spiritual habits for the Christian life with you and I pray you are inspired to look at the habits you are forming.

1) Get alone with God, eliminate all distractions

If you find it tricky to build new spiritual habits, I encourage you with every fibre of my being to focus solely on this one. I cannot recommend it enough. When I look back to when I’ve heard most clearly from God, it’s those days when I’ve given Him the time and room to work in my life. Not only do I get an understanding of the things I am going through, but I get an unexplainable peace from God that steadies and calms me when I’m in the storms of life. Make this a priority, for it says in the Bible;

“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” - Matthew 6:6 NLT.

I really learned the value of solitude time with God when I took a two week leadership course in 2019. Part of the course was that we all went to a Christian camp location for the weekend and for 24 hours, needed to enter into a time of solitude. This meant no talking to others, no social media, refraining from even looking at each other when passing. Basically anything that distracted you from being solely with God needed to be put away.

And I absolutely loved it!

I spent time walking and praying. Sitting to read scripture and journalling my thoughts, as well as listening to worship music. It was so freeing to just be in nature with my Creator and to be in His presence without distraction was so refreshing. I encourage you to do the same! I realise not everyone can do 24 hours, but starting with 10-15 minutes can make all the difference. God can easily work in an instant but do not limit Him if He’s asking you for more time.

2) Watch encouraging sermons or messages

There is just something so uplifting about a well preached message. Those ones that speak to you so deeply, it’s like the preacher knows exactly what is going on in your life. This is never a coincidence, but these moments are purposely set up by God. They give you the assurance you need at exactly the right time. Remember that sermons aren’t just for Sundays. At this point in history, we are so blessed to be able to access a sermon anywhere, anytime. These resources are available to help you in your walk with God 24/7.

Why not try subbing out an episode of your favourite show for a sermon and see how that makes a difference to your mind and mood. When you make a choice to replace worldly input with Godly input, you honour God and in return are blessed, encouraged, prepared and armed to battle whatever it is you have going on in your life. There are many incredible Christian preachers and influencers out there. Three of my top picks are Priscilla Shirer, Steven Furtick and Jennie Allen (who you can read about here). Other inspirational preachers I follow are Sadie Robertson Huff, Annie F Downs, T.D. Jakes, Lisa Bevere and Tony Evans.

3) Have no-rush prayer times

When I was younger, my Dad asked me to pray one night before dinner. Because I hadn’t eaten for hours, I rushed a quick 5 second prayer. But when I closed with an Amen and looked up, my Dad said, “did you mean any of that?” That was the moment, I felt so bad but I learned a big lesson that day in not rushing my prayers. Not only that but I really learned to be genuine when praying. This lesson was huge in my transition in becoming a Christian for myself, and not a Christian just because my parents were.

This connects to my first point about getting alone with God and eliminating all distractions. To be honest, when I think about it, it’s shocking how much time I actually waste on pointless things that don’t enrich my life. I used to think watching movies and tv shows was one of those things, however, it’s clear now how God is using that addiction. But that doesn’t excuse me from actually putting time aside to spend with God. If God is to be my first priority in my life, I must treat Him as such by giving Him my attention, and talking to Him. I shouldn’t give Him rushed attention in a ‘let’s get this over with’ way, but in a genuine ‘I love you God, show me more of who you are’ way.

4) Spend time with family

How does this one fit in our list of spiritual habits, you may ask? Because God loves community! Family is everything. In whichever way you have family, either related by blood or not, spend as much time with them as you can. I acknowledge it’s easier said than done. When people grow up, leave home and start their own lives, intentionality needs to be a priority in order to maintain that connection. I am blessed to live only a tiny 10 minutes drive from my parents and my brother and his family, yet we still have to be intentional in coming together for a family dinner every fortnight. Though we may see each other here and there, solid family time does wonders for the heart!

I know every family is different, and everyone is raised with different backgrounds. Some are incredibly blessed in their relationships and some have struggled to establish a loving bond with each other. But wherever you come from, be sure to pray for your family, stand with them when you can and forgive each other. The Bible says in Colossians 3:13, “Bear with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgive each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” God forgives us instantly for every single thing we’ve done wrong, so we too must have the same heart for forgiving those in our lives.

5) Get into some worship/Christian music

Do you ever get into some solid worship time? Whether it be alone in your room, or perhaps in the car, where you need to be careful to stay focused on the road! There’s something amazing about divinely Holy worship and Christian music that can bring such a peace or a passionate fire, bringing you into an intimate presence with God. I wanted to share with you some of my favourite songs and artists. I pray they are as powerful and encouraging to you as they have been to me.

Some incredible worship bands I love are:

• Elevation Worship (Their song ‘See a Victory’ is my fight song)

• Upperroom (Their recording of ‘Surrounded’ is covered in God’s presence)

• SEU Worship (‘Sanctuary’ reminds us we are safe in God’s hands)

• Hillsong Worship (‘Who you say I am’ is an amazing reminder of your identity)

• The Belonging Co (‘Peace be still’ will make any fear and worry flee from you)

Christian artists I love are:

• Tori Kelly (Her Gospel album ‘Hiding Place’ is incredibly beautiful)

• Anthony Evans (My favourite song he sings is ‘Fighting for Us’)

• Jonathan McReynolds (In love with his song ‘Not lucky, I’m loved’)

• Tasha Cobbs Leonard (Her song ‘This is a move’ is so powerful!)

• Koryn Hawthorne (Believe the words of her song ‘Unstoppable’ feat Lecrae)

• Tauren Wells (His song ‘Hills and Valleys’ is beautifully vulnerable)

• Jeremy Camp (‘I still believe’ is a hugely inspiring song and movie)

• Mandisa (“Bleed the Same’ is the anthem the worlds needs right now)

• Steven Curtis Chapman (‘Live out Loud’ is my pick-me-up song)

What about you?

Do you have spiritual habits established that help you in your walk with God? Who are your favourite Christian artists? Share them below so that others are able to be inspired and encouraged.