The secret to success is hidden in our daily routines. Our victory is in the day to day activities. It is not one-off. That is why habits matter. They push you into a habitat where things become easy for you to succeed. When you became born again, you were given a new nature. Your old nature is gone but it left its old habit with you. These habits have been wired into your brain over the many years you were not born again and needs to be rewired to who you are now in Christ.
We all have habits. There are four types of habits. There are Destructive bad habits. There are Limiting habits which may not be bad but stops you from being extraordinary. There are Good habits and lastly, there are Godly habits that put you on the path of God’s plan towards destiny.
Bad habits need to be removed. Limiting habits need to be replaced or reduced while godly habits need to be reinforced. You know what godly habits are. You want to pray more, fast more, read the word more and you have put things in place to do so but it always falls apart within a few days. The reason is that behaviour modification does not work. If you want to create lasting godly habits it is rooted in identity. This identity is reinforced by the word of God.
The word of God keeps telling us who we are so we can be it. One common habit that all high flying believers have is spending time with God. It is non-negotiable. It is in spending time with God that we know who we are. When you know more of who you are, you will act accordingly thereby building godly habits.
It is easier to form godly habits when you see yourself as a child of the most high God. Son’s do not run away from their father’s, they run to them for help to obtain mercy and grace (Hebrews 4:16). The state you are in does not matter when you come to God as long as you are his son. The prodigal son came in a very bad state to his father but with one embrace, his life changed for the better.
Every small issue that happens in your life and you want to postpone talking with God. Build a spiritual backbone. Look at Daniel who prayed 3 times a day (Daniel 6:10) Even when a law was passed to prevent him from praying, he still prayed. He knew his life was at risked yet he prayed. It was these alone times of prayer that made him more conscious of who he is. They threw Daniel in the lion’s den and even the lions knew they could not touch him.
Give God Your Strength, not Your Spare Time.
The spare tyre in a car is needed for emergencies but if you are always using your spare tyre when it gets flat you will be grounded. Giving God your spare time will ground you. Things would not move for you. Build your life with spending alone time with God at the centre. Let him be the pillar that holds your life. That means that you are giving him all your strength.
Spare also means extra. The extra is not for you, it is for others. You need time alone with God to meet the needs of others. Jesus feeding 5000 people with five loaves and two fishes is not possible by doing sharing ratio. It was possible by giving your most useful time to God alone and with him alone.
Be Exclusive, not Inclusive
Intimacy happens not in crowds or groups but in privacy and alone time. This is where many things concerning our lives are settled. God says “..seek ye first the kingdom of God ” (Matthew 6:33) meaning focus exclusively on me and all other things people are searching for shall be included. The hunger of alone time will determine whether you have a satisfying life or not. Spend time with God and the reward will far outweigh the cost.
Insightful and Practical.