Do These Three Things Daily and Watch Your Faith Explode
The three foundational habits you need right now
Last week, a friend of mine invited me to speak at a Cru conference. I shared some of my testimony. Part of my message was describing the three daily habits that will help bring you closer to God and help you understand His will for your life.
What are these three habits?
Praise
Prayer and listening
Reading the Word
Literally, there is never a bad time to do any of these three things. You can do at least one of them when you’re taking a shower, when you’re eating breakfast, when you’re in your car, when you’re on a video call, while you’re fiddling with your mobile phone, and on and on. First Thessalonians 5:17 says “Never stop praying” (NLT).
But, while you can do them at any time, I think you should also be deliberate about doing all of them at least once a day.
I’ll be honest. It took me a long time to establish a quiet time. Every Godly Christian I knew kept saying it over and over: make sure you have a daily quiet time. Yea, yea. But life is challenging and I was busy. I’d start. Two weeks would pass. I’d stop.
Now, in my 50s, I finally decided that there would never be time unless I made time. Looking back, I should have done it much sooner. I finally learned that if you don’t have a quiet time, you’re just not prioritizing God.
And if you aren’t prioritizing Him, you aren’t loving Him completely.
Let’s talk about each of the three habits for a moment.
Praise
While most of us think of praise as something we do at church, it’s really something you can do any time. You don’t need a large group of people. You don’t need to sing a song. You can praise God right where you are, without even opening your lips.
God has been showing me over the past couple years that the essence of praise is aligning my spirit with His. It’s showing God that you understand both exactly who He is and that you understand who you are, and that those to things agree with each other.
In short, praise is about saying that God is God and you and I are not. It’s about celebrating God’s holiness, His character, His faithfulness, and His promises to us.
Yes, you can do that using a song. But you can also do that with a prayer.
This idea first became clear to me when I was reading Revelation 4.
In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. 7 The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. 8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
and they exist because you created what you pleased.”Revelation 4:6b-11 (NLT)
In Revelation 4, the Apostle John is taken to the throne room of God himself. He sees the four living beings that attend the throne of God, each with a different form. Truly a fantastic sight.
The four living beings keep repeating the same phrase, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
The twenty-four elders then repeat, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”
Notice in both cases that the beings and the elders say the phrases. They don’t sing it. They are praising God, but there’s no Sunday-morning worship band involved. They’re just speaking truths about God back to him.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve found that this is the fastest way to quiet your soul and calm your fears. Just tell God what you know to be true about him and repeat it over and over.
If you’re afraid of that contentious meeting you’re walking into? Say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
Nervous about something? Repeat the praise.
Anxious late and night and your mind is racing and won’t calm down? Repeat the praise.
You’ll be amazed how quickly you’ll start to feel peace.
If you feel uncomfortable doing this, perhaps because you’re not sure what to say, then copy the living beings or the elders and use their praise. Remember, they are saying this to God over and and over and over and it never gets tiring, either for God hearing it or them saying it.
Prayer and Listening
As I described above, First Thessalonians 5:17 says “Never stop praying” (NLT). I like the NLT wording here. It’s very direct.
But what does that mean, really? If we never stop praying, should our days be just be peppered with “God, please make the traffic be nonexistent so that I get to my meeting on time,” or “God, find me a parking space in the parking lot,” or “God, can you help me with that promotion I’ve been waiting for?”
Well, yes and no. There’s nothing wrong with praying for our daily needs, big or small. But many times, it feels like we don’t pray for more than 15 seconds at a time. “God, I want X, and Y, and Z. Please make it happen.” And then we throw in an “In Jesus name,” for good measure.
Let’s be honest, prayer should be more than that. Remember that it’s a conversation. A conversation with the Almighty God who created the universe. Sometimes we have to stop talking and listen.
How would your prayer life change if you prayed for 15 minutes straight and didn’t talk more than five of those minutes? What if you let God speak to you for 10 whole minutes, uninterrupted? Would you, perhaps, have a better understanding of God’s view on your life? Do you think you’d have a better relationship with him?
Reading the Word
Finally, read the Word. Do it everyday. Figure out a way to make it happen. My morning habit is to wake up, let the dog outside to do his business, make my self a cup of coffee, and then sit down with my iPad and the Bible app (YouVersion) and do my morning reading. After that, I shower and get ready for the work day.
If you need inspiration for what to read, the Bible app has a number of different studies and reading plans. There are daily devotionals in book form and online. Or just start at Genesis 1:1 and mark your place with a bookmark. Find something that suits you.
A couple of years ago, I thought I would be super aggressive and started the “Read the Bible in 90 days” plan. Ha! I was behind not more than a week later. It took me two years to finish that 90 day plan, partially because every time I went to read some more, it was so painful for my ego to see how far behind I was.
So, last summer, I started a “Read the Bible in Two Years” plan. Yes, I know that’s what I should have done by begin with. But you know what? I’ve been as much as a month ahead on that plan and I feel a lot better about it. And if I happen to miss a day, I don’t sweat it, because I’m not behind. I’ll probably finish faster than two years, but this way I’ve got some structure without feeling crushed by the clock.
The takeaway here is that it’s better to read a little bit every day at a pace you can sustain than to get discouraged because you’re behind and quit. Knock it out bit by bit. Verse by verse. Chapter by chapter. Book by book. All the way through.
If you’re struggling with any type of issue, you can find a study plan for it. Sometimes I do one short (one month or less) targeted plan along with my two-year, whole Bible reading plan.
Just do it.
Put Them All Together
Here’s where things really get powerful. Put all of these three habits together and do them everyday.
When you start your quiet time, praise God for five to ten minutes: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
Next, pray for 10 minutes. Talk for less than half the time; let God talk for more than half. Ask him to reveal his will through his Word and to convict you of the issues in your life that you need to change.
Finally, open your Bible and read for 10 to 15 minutes. Pick a daily plan that you can work your way through without feeling beaten down by the pace. If you skip a day, catch up. On the weekend, maybe read a day ahead to create some slack for the following week.
If you do that every day, you’ll be amazed how God starts showing up in your life.
During the day, give him some praise when you feel stressed. Pray for those around you and for all the little things, too.
Pretty soon, your interactions with the Almighty will be like breathing — automatic.
Try it for a week and let me know how it goes. Post a comment with your results. Did it make a difference? Did your relationship with the Almighty grow?
Who in your circle of influence needs to hear this message? Forward it to them and ask them to subscribe.
Thanks, you really got me started doing this! Thanks to Celia Farber for linking to this article. Sharing with my husband.