Four Simple Spiritual Discipline Habits for Deepening Your Faith

As I was writing my Determined study, one of the questions I asked of God as I considered the choices that Jesus made on His way to the cross was this: Is there a sustainable template for daily living that would produce the maximum impact for His kingdom?

In the initial chapters of Luke, a clear pattern emerged through the actions and choices of Jesus. It leads us to an important realization: To live a life reflective of Jesus, engaging in worship, staying rooted in God’s Word, maintaining a constant dialogue with Him through prayer, and following His directives are essential daily practices.

These habits – Worship, Word, Pray, and Obey – emerge as not just spiritual disciplines, but as the cornerstone of a life fully aligned with God’s kingdom. These are the practices that can guide us toward a life of impactful, daily living, mirroring the life of Jesus.

Today, I want to give you some tangible tips and practical ideas for incorporating the habits of worshiping God, being in His Word, spending time in prayer with Him, and then being obedient to what He is calling us to do. 

Before we get into those tips, I want to make you aware of a resource we created to help you with just that. We’ve created a journal that focuses on each of those habits everyday – it has space for each of those four habits – Worship, Word, Pray, and then Obey.

Okay let’s dive into the tips:

Our first habit is worship. The concept of worship is simply about telling God who He is, praising Him for what He has done, and shifting our perspective to exalt His nature above all other things. Worship is fundamentally about expressing love, reverence, and adoration for God. It is both a personal and communal act where we acknowledge God’s sovereignty and goodness. The cool thing about worship is that it isn’t confined to a specific time or place—it should extend beyond church services into every aspect of our life. Worship can be expressed in various forms, including singing, praying, reading Scripture, serving others, and simply living in a way that honors God.

Here are some tangible tips for incorporating worship into everyday life:

1. Start Your Day with God: Begin each morning by dedicating your day to God. This can be as simple as a short prayer or a time of reading the Bible. It sets a tone of worship and dependence on God for the day ahead.
2. Integrate Worship Music: Listening to worship music can turn ordinary moments into opportunities for worship. Whether you’re commuting, exercising, or doing household chores, worship music can help you focus on God and express your adoration for Him.
3. Create a Worshipful Environment: Surround yourself with reminders of God’s presence. This could be through artwork, Scripture verses displayed around your home, or even creating a small space dedicated to prayer and reflection.
4. Express Gratitude: Cultivating a heart of gratitude is a form of worship. Regularly acknowledge and thank God for the blessings in your life, no matter how small. This can shift your focus from what you lack to the abundance you have in Christ, fostering a heart of contentment and worship.
5. And finally, in the Worship, Word, Pray, & Obey Journal, you might jot down a few sentences about what you know or are learning about the character of God. God you are mighty…loving…forgiving…merciful…good…gracious…just… One of my favorite ways to think about the character of God is to go through the alphabet and think of words that describe the nature of God for each letter. Here are some examples: A – God is ABLE to meet all my needs. B – God’s mercies for me are BOUNTIFUL. C – God send His son Jesus CHRIST to die for my sins because He loves me so very much. And so on..

By integrating these practices into your daily routine, worship can become a natural and fulfilling part of your life, transforming even the mundane moments into opportunities to connect with and honor God.

Our next habit is the habit of staying in God’s Word – that’s why we do what we do here at the No Dusty Bibles podcast! Our goal around here is to help you hit the easy button for staying in God’s Word. Reading God’s Word is an essential practice for believers, as the Bible is considered the foundational way that communicates God’s character, His will, and His plan for humanity. It offers wisdom, guidance, comfort, and correction, helping us grow in their faith and live in a way that is pleasing to God. Engaging with Scripture is not just about reading words on a page; it’s about connecting with God, understanding His truths, and allowing those truths to transform our lives.

Here are some tangible tips for incorporating Scripture into everyday life:

1. Set a Regular Time for Bible Reading: Establish a specific time each day for reading the Bible, whether it’s in the morning to start your day, during your lunch break, or in the evening as part of your wind-down routine. Consistency helps to build a habit and makes Scripture reading a natural part of your daily rhythm.
2. Use a Bible Reading Plan: There are many plans available that can guide you through reading the Bible in a year, focusing on specific topics, or exploring the books of the Bible in-depth. A reading plan can provide structure and help you cover a wide range of Scriptures over time. And that’s what we’re walking through together here at the No Dusty Bibles podcast – it’s our reading plan we create every year.
3. Reflect and Journal: After reading a passage, take some time to reflect on what you’ve read. Consider how it applies to your life, and jot down any insights or questions you have. Journaling helps deepen your understanding and helps you remember what you’ve learned – which is why we created the Worship, Word, Pray, & Obey journal – so if you’re using that,you can jot down those notes down in the Word section.
4. Memorize Scripture: Choose key verses to memorize. This practice can strengthen your faith and provide you with spiritual encouragement and wisdom that you can call upon at any time, especially in moments of need or decision-making.
5. Listen to the Bible: If finding time to sit down and read is challenging or if you are like me and you enjoy the auditory accountability and reinforcement to what you are reading, consider listening to the Bible. That’s why we spend much of our time here simply reading through the Bible. 
6. Incorporate Scripture into Prayer: Use the verses you read as part of your prayer time. This can involve praying the promises of God over your life, confessing your sins in light of His Word, or simply praying through a passage, asking God to work its truth into your heart.

And that brings me to our next habit: the habit of prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God. It’s a way to express our thoughts, needs, gratitude, and worship directly to Him. Prayer is about building a relationship with God, understanding His will, and aligning our hearts with His. God’s Word tells us that God not only hears our prayers, but He WANTS to hear from us. Prayer increases intimacy with Him. So…

Here are some tangible tips for incorporating prayer into everyday life:

1. Pray Throughout the Day: Adopt a mindset of continuous prayer by talking to God throughout your day about whatever is happening or on your mind. This can be as simple as thanking Him for a good moment, asking for help with a challenge, or praying for someone you encounter.
2. Use Prayer Reminders: Set up specific triggers as reminders to pray. This could be an alarm on your phone, a post-it note in visible places, or even using daily activities (like brushing your teeth) as a cue to pray. Little reminders can help integrate prayer into your daily routine.
3. Keep a Prayer Journal: Writing down your prayers can be a powerful way to focus your thoughts and keep track of your prayers over time. This can also be a wonderful way to reflect on how God has answered your prayers and worked in your life. And this is why we included a prayer section in our Worship, Word, Pray & Obey journal. I love looking back at prayers from the past to see how God has answered them. 
4. Pray with Scripture: Using Bible verses in your prayer can enrich your prayer life. Pray through a Psalm, use the Lord’s Prayer as a model, or use specific Scriptures that relate to your needs or situations as the foundation of your prayers.
5. Set Aside a Specific Time for Focused Prayer: While praying throughout the day is beneficial, setting aside dedicated time for focused prayer can deepen your relationship with God. Find a quiet time and place where you can be alone with God without distractions.
6. Pray in Community: Joining with others in prayer, whether with family, friends, or a prayer group, can be incredibly encouraging and powerful. It’s a way to share burdens, celebrate joys, and strengthen your faith together.
7. Pray for Others: Make a list of people to pray for and commit to praying for them regularly. This can include family, friends, colleagues, church leaders, and even those you may have difficulties with.
8. Be Open and Honest: Approach God with openness and honesty in your prayers. Remember, prayer is a conversation with a Father who loves you unconditionally. You can bring everything to Him, knowing He understands and cares.

And finally, our last habit we are considering today is the habit of obedience. What I’m talking about here is turning our faith into action. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that God has prepared work for us to do. And so obedience simply refers to the act of following God’s commands and living in accordance with His will. It’s about demonstrating your trust in God through your choices, behaviors, and lifestyle. Obedience is NOT about earning God’s love or salvation—those are freely given—but it IS about responding to His love, growing in faith, and aligning your life with the purposes for which you were created.

Here are some tangible tips for turning our faith into action in everyday life:

1. Pray for Guidance and Strength: Recognize that living a life of obedience is not something you can do in your own strength. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you, give you wisdom, and empower you to follow God’s ways.
2. Start with Small Steps: Obeying God’s will can feel overwhelming if you think you need to get everything right all at once, which you don’t. Start with small, manageable steps of obedience in your daily life, and gradually, those small steps will lead to bigger changes.
3. Be Accountable: Share your desire to turn your faith into action with a trusted friend, family member, or mentor who can encourage you, pray for you, and hold you accountable.
4. Serve Others: Look for opportunities to serve those around you, whether through acts of kindness, volunteering, or simply being present for someone in need. Jesus modeled a life of service so if we want to live like Him we will need to serve others.
5. Practice Generosity: Being generous with your time, resources, and talents is a practical expression of obedience. It reflects a trust in God’s provision and a willingness to share His blessings with others.
6. Live Out Your Faith in the Workplace: Integrate your faith into your work by being honest, hardworking, and kind. Use opportunities to share your faith when appropriate, and let your actions demonstrate the difference Christ makes in your life.
7. Forgive as You Have Been Forgiven: Obedience involves forgiving others, just as God has forgiven you. This can be one of the hardest commands to follow but is essential for living in freedom and extending God’s grace to others.
8. Make Godly Choices: Everyday decisions—big and small—are opportunities to practice obedience. Choose actions and words that honor God, and avoid those that lead away from Him.
9. Reflect and Repent: When you know you’ve acted in a way that dishonors God, take time to reflect, confess, and repent. The practice of repentance is a wonderful gift! God’s grace is sufficient for everything, and He is faithful to forgive. Use these moments as learning experiences to grow and deepen your commitment to following Him.
10. Stay Connected to a Community of Believers: Being part of a church or a small group provides support, encouragement, and teaching that can help you live a life of obedience. As we’ve learned this week in our reading – God intends for kingdom work to be done in the collective – and that means being a part of a community.

Okay friends that’s all for today. I hope what I’ve shared here helps you think about the habits of Worship, Word, Pray, & Obey in new ways. If you have questions about any of this, leave a comment below. We’d  love to encourage you and answer any questions you may have about incorporating these habits into your everyday life. 

What tips do you have for incorporating these habits into everyday life? Leave a comment below to encourage others as they stop by this post.

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