Are you excited to cultivate daily habits that will strengthen your relationship with God? I know I am eager to share with you 10 habits that I believe will help you build a healthy connection with God and others. They are: Reading the Bible daily, prayer, evangelism, memorizing Scripture, communion with believers, counseling others, serving the community, confessing sin, stewarding your resources, and loving others unconditionally.
1. Read the Bible daily
King David poetically declares in Psalm 119:103, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” The Word of God is our daily bread. When we fail to feed on its wisdom and truth, our spiritual life becomes easily fatigued. However, when Scripture is a significant source of our diet, spiritual power is unlimited.
Therefore, it is vital to read the Bible daily. In my opinion, reading in the early morning reaps the most benefit because your mind is already set on the Lord. This will help enable you to be cognizant of spiritual matters when interacting with family, friends, and co-workers.
2. Pray through Scripture
In another blog I wrote, I discussed how we can use the Psalms and other portions of Scripture as a template to organize and conform our personal prayers. For instance, Psalm 1:1 states: “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers…”
Here is how I would pray through this section of the Psalm.
Dear Father, I know I am blessed when I do not walk in step with the wicked. Lord, help me to avoid people that would scorn your Holy name. Give me wisdom when coworkers of mine say inappropriate things during our lunch break. Help me avoid these conversations altogether or speak the truth in love by calling them out for it.
Praying through Scripture is a great habit to cultivate a healthy relationship with God because it will strengthen you both spiritually and theologically.
3. Evangelize to the lost
In Mark 16:15, Jesus heralds the Great Commission before he ascends to the Father. He commands his disciples to, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
This is clearly an important component of being a believer. Yet, it is oftentimes the most neglected. I think modern Christianity has complicated the matter by focusing so much on the “Romans Road” that they have overlooked the importance of a natural conversation concerning God and the afterlife.
While I think it’s great to tell people they need to repent of their sins and trust Jesus for salvation, there is a great story to be told, from Genesis to Revelation. The 4 Major Themes of the Bible include creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. I think this storytelling gives a more in-depth picture of people hearing the gospel for the first time than any other type of evangelism tool in modern Christendom.
4. Memorize Scripture
Joshua the prophet was right when he said to “meditate on the word day and night (Joshua 1:8).”
Several years ago, our Senior pastor challenged the congregation to memorize Romans 8. I believe this was one of the most fruitful exercises the church did during the time we were there. I can remember having dreams about this passage since I had to rehearse it so often to retain all 39 verses.
If you can find a friend or family member to challenge you on memorizing Scripture verses, you won’t regret it. This daily habit will significantly increase a healthy relationship with God. The Navigators website is an invaluable resource to use with several strategies to master this difficult art.
5. Commune with believers
Shortly after Jesus ascended to the Father, Acts 2 informs us that “all believers were together and had everything in common. They were selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need. With one another they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising and enjoying the favor of all the people.”
What a beautiful passage describing how the early church communed with one another. They broke bread together. They prayed for one another. If someone was in need, they shared possessions. They were in one accord. They were in harmony.
Communing with believers is a vital daily habit to cultivate. When you build a relationship with other believers, you are creating accountability. This accountability will help foster spiritual growth. Also, it will give you an opportunity to use your gifts and talents to further enrich and expand the kingdom of God.
6. Counsel others with biblical insight
Counseling believers in Christ is a daily habit that will enrich your relationship with God. When we counsel others, we become imitators of God. For example, the Psalmist declares: “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy (Ps. 94:19).”
This skill does not always require a professional degree. It requires a caring person who is a good listener. The Holy Spirit can give you the power to help others who are experiencing difficulty in their lives. You can pray and share God’s Word with them.
However, if someone is suffering from severe depression, then it is wise to find a healthcare professional that can bring the most benefit to the individual. Either way, it’s important that we counsel others with biblical insight and be a crying shoulder for the needy and hurting person.
7. Serve your community
James 1:27 beautifully states: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
I love this verse! It perfectly encapsulates the greatest commandment, which is to love God and love neighbor. First, you love your neighbor by protecting the vulnerable and outcasts of society: orphans and widows. Simultaneously, you remain unpolluted from the world by living a holy and righteous life. This is faith put into action.
As James later says, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but not works? Can that faith save him (James 2:14)?” Of course, true faith always leads to action, and that action entails serving your community for the glory of God.
Serving others is an absolutely crucial habit to cultivate in order to build a healthy relationship with God.
8. Confess sin and repent
When we confess our sin and repent to God, our relationship is healthy and transparent. 1 John 1:9 promises that “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
I think all of us know what it’s like to have broken relationships with others. If confession doesn’t happen, or one doesn’t express how they feel, the relationship starts to suffer. The same is true with God. If we do not share our struggles and sins, then we can’t fully cultivate a healthy relationship with God.
Confession and repentance is a good habit to incorporate into your daily prayer.
9. Steward your resources
“And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master (Matt. 25:20-21).”
This is a great parable to demonstrate the importance of being a good steward of your resources. The Lord has given all of us a responsibility to take care of our finances, family, and even our health.
If you struggle with finances, it may be wise to write a budget. You can google a budget outline and print it out to help you organize where the money is being spent. This will reveal what areas you need to be a better steward in.
If it’s your health, you don’t necessarily need a gym membership. Start with doing push-ups and sit-ups on a daily basis. You can also get great cardio by jogging around your neighborhood. No need for fancy equipment!
10. Love others unconditionally
The Bible teaches in 1 John 4:7 that “anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
What a powerful declaration! Since God is love, and anyone who does not love does not know God, this must be a spiritual discipline you must cultivate daily. Without love, you can not have a relationship with God.
The apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Out of all the daily habits we mentioned above, love tops the list. It is the most crucial element for building a relationship with God. It is the foundation of our Christian worldview.
Conclusion
It is my hope and prayer that these 10 daily habits will equip you to cultivate a healthy relationship with the king of the universe. Remember to read the bible daily, pray through scripture, evangelize to the lost, memorize scripture, commune with believers, counsel others with biblical insight, serve your community, confess sin and repent, steward your resources, and love others conditionally. When you cultivate these habits, surely your relationship with God will grow. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Please help us to conform to your image. Let us be a beacon of light to a dark and broken world. Give us wisdom, love, and a passion to serve the world for you. We pray this all in Jesus’ name. Amen.
An encouraging song by Matthew West – The God Who Stays. No matter what happens, God will never leave us or forsake us. Praise be to God!
Conform to Jesus 
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