The following blog is the seventh and final installment in a 7-part Series on “Habits” from Darren Bosch at DeliberateU.
Throughout this series on Habits, many have asked, “Could you recommend top habits for busy Christian leaders?” I get it, we’re attracted to lists and “recipes for success”.
Better tools and insights to implement spiritual habits change lives – especially for those who want to integrate their faith more holistically into all areas of their work, home, and community. Busy business leaders deal with high-pressure, demanding roles, and are often pulled in so many directions. After adequate research and my own learning experiences, I am ready to share some ideas today - primarily focusing on one life-changing habit…
HABIT #1: MEDITATE ON THE WORD
God gives us His love letter – the Word – to guide us into a ‘wide open, spacious life of victory’. Psalm 1 lays out the blueprint: ‘habitually meditate on the Word day and night, taking great delight in it!’
The incredible thing is, He not only invites us to know and enjoy Him… His Word gives us a strategy on how to live and grow… And get this… he gives us the Word: Jesus! Jesus, the way the truth, and the life. His Gospel is power for all those who believe!
Since we probably all know this, it’s a given, right? Really? I did a little experiment: I surveyed seasoned Pastors and Christian counselors about the #1 struggle the Christians they serve have. You guessed it: regular meditation in the Word. Not only that, the common denominator of those stuck in strongholds or other sin is that they didn’t have an abiding, personal relationship with their Saviour - and they rarely “sat at the feet of Jesus”.
Charles Spurgeon said, “Some people like to read so many chapters every day. I would not dissuade them from the practice, but I would rather lay my soul asoak in half a dozen verses all day than rinse my hand in several chapters. Oh, to be bathed in a text of Scripture, and to let it be sucked up into your very soul, till it saturates your heart! Set your heart upon God’s Word! Let your whole nature be plunged into it as cloth into a dye!”
The point of all of this? Head knowledge or rote routines alone don’t necessarily produce fruit. This is not about a check-mark beside my “Spiritual Disciplines”. Jerry Bridges cautioned, “The foundation should be the Gospel, not the spiritual disciplines. Only a person who is firmly established in the Gospel can handle the important disciplines of the Christian life without falling into legalism.”
A HABIT THAT BEARS FRUIT
God designed a way for us to thrive. As we uncovered previously, habits shape our character and in turn shape our lives. When we choose to act on the right habits - through the Spirit - they help us experience God more fully. As a result, we start to bear fruit!
A beautiful friend of mine shared some astounding facts he recently found. The short video below describes it in detail… but in a nut-shell: Christ-followers who sit in the Word 4x/week bear dramatic fruit! When doing so…
- Discipling others increases by 230%
- Sharing the Gospel increases by 200%
- Loneliness drops 30%
- Anger & bitterness drops 32% & 40% respectfully
- Alcoholism & pornography drops 57% & 61% respectfully
Used with permission. www.justthinkingbook.com
I’m guessing there are more influencing factors at play here... and this is probably not referring to "rote mealtime reading". I'm sure it's a sum of many parts. But as my brother, Pastor Winston said to me, “Still, the Spirit works mightily through the Word… so we should expect something to happen when we’re steeped in it!”
OK, so maybe you’re thinking, “How?” How can I better learn to implement a new habit like soaking in the Word? Well, first of all, check out a previous blog on some simple steps in starting a new habit. Additionally, let’s look at a couple of practical things that have made a huge difference for myself and others we mentor:
TIP #1: BOOK IT IN YOUR SCHEDULE:
If time is not carved out, it will only be a good intention. When it’s booked in your calendar, you have a “date with God”.
For me, I book it two ways. I have a couple of favourite spots in nature that I regularly visit as a stop in my commute and I plan it into my travel time. There I find solitude by a river to sit in Scripture, pray and “meditate on his precepts” (Psalm 1). The added benefit of enjoying His creation is immeasurable! The other is regular quiet time I plan before anyone is up in the morning…in my “Prayer Chair.”
TIP #2: SCRIPTURE BEFORE PHONE:
If your time to sit in the Word – however that looks – is early morning or last thing before bed, get rid of distractions.
We find a busy leader’s biggest distraction is the red alerts on their phone—hundreds of magnets jockeying for their attention, trying to pull them in. Urgent, and sometimes not so urgent, messages from texts, voicemails, WhatsApp, Slack, email, Evernote, LinkedIn never mind all other social media avenues. We live in a world that seems driven by urgency: work deadlines, sports schedules, kids’ lessons, church leadership… our phones beep or flag what is “urgent”, which, if not reigned in, can crowd out what’s most important. We need healthy boundaries with our phones.
Refusing to check my phone until after my quality time with God is a way of replacing the question “What do I need to do today?” with a better one, “Who am I and who am I becoming?” We have no stable identity outside of Jesus. Daily saturation in the Word not only helps me bear fruit and experience God more – it resists the stress my phone causes and reminds me of my true identity as a child of the King… dearly loved.
So, here are some helpful tips:
- Don't use your phone as an alarm clock: Get it out of your bedroom or prayer chair.
- Phone off during "date with God": Have it off or far away (and on silent-mode) when you are spending time in worship. This includes personal prayer, being in the Word, meditating, talking to God while walking in nature, etc.
- Phone off at least 2 hours before bed: Reduce the distractions that pull you away from your loved ones and what’s most important. (More on “shut-down routines” coming soon.)
Habits for hearing God’s voice in his Word, help get our eyes off ourselves so that we can daily taste “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). It’s not about our technique or tactics, but about knowing Jesus! The fruit of all our habits is knowing a person. So, day-in and day-out, we say, “Let us press on to know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3).
MY RECOMMENDED HABITS:
Finally, as promised, here’s a quick list of some key habits I believe a Christ-following leader should consider. It is by no means conclusive or prescriptive. It simply includes a few of the best habits I’ve learned over the years that help me align with the two greatest commandments: Love God and love your neighbour (as yourself). More on these soon...
Deliberate Application:
- Steeped in the Word: Am I daily sitting in and surrendering to Jesus’ saving work – His Word that offers me peace, hope, and joy? What does that look like for me?
- Steered in the Word: What actions will I take to develop the habit of being directed by God’s Word – and then acting on what Jesus has for me today?
- Sharing in the Word: Who will I share this with to help me in my commitment to a new habit? When will they be checking in to come alongside me?
TIPS AND TRANSFORMATION STORIES
How the being in the Word improves your life!
