Forging New Patterns with Spiritual Habits

“Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.”—Romans 6:13 

In my last post, I talked about Ruth Chou Simons’ book, Beholding and Becoming: The Art of Everyday Worship. In chapter 14, she says “Practice makes a posture become a pattern.”

I will confess—if you couldn’t already tell by my previous posts, I am a creature of habit—and for the most part, I appreciate the help those habits bring. These habits, developed in a rule of life, practiced faithfully, becomes a pattern. They help change my disposition and character that leads (I hope) to wiser choices that glorify and honor the Lord in the ordinary.

So let’s take a look at these three components of posture, practice and pattern.

Posture

Our habits begin in our hearts, our inner control center, the posture we start with. At birth, this heart is focused on self and satisfying our own desires our own way.

But when we confess Christ as our Lord, an amazing thing happens: God completely changes our hearts. He gives us new desires, new purposes: living out God’s Story, not our own. Our worldview changes and we desire Christlikeness. We value the eternal over the temporal. We seek to love and worship Christ our Bridegroom.

This posture of love is what motivates our practice. As Joseph Swain says in his hymn, “Love will make your obedience sweet.”

What is your posture today?

Practice

We have lived so long ruling ourselves that we are reluctant to give up control. But it can be done. Habits faithfully practiced provides a new track to follow.

At first, it feels rote or even fake. Some refuse to practice the new habit, preferring to wait until they “feel like it.” Otherwise it feels like legalism—and we all know that isn’t good, right?

Maybe.

But what if the habit is the way we get that feeling? If we wait for a feeling that will not come unless we practice that habit, then we may never get started—and never experience the change we long for.

Here’s what I do: I admit it to God. Tell Him I don’t want to __________. Nothing hypocritical with prayer like that!

But then after that, ask Him to help you obey: to get up early to read the Bible, to hold your tongue, to sacrifice your time or resources. The Gospel not only frees us from slavery to sin, it enables us do what honors God most. The Spirit dwelling in us empowers us to obey—it doesn’t come from ourselves.

This is how spiritual character is developed. Every time we practice that which is unnatural, do what we don’t feel like doing because we love God more than our own ways, He transforms us.

• He grows wisdom as we spend time in His Word.

• He develops faith as we lean on Him in prayer.

• He nurtures love and community as we gather with God’s people.

• He cultivates generosity as we give.

What area of your life needs growth? What spiritual habit can you commit to practicing, even if you don’t feel like it, so that He might develop that nature in you?

Pattern

Out of a posture of love, we turn to God for help to practice. And as we do, He does the work of transforming us, one degree at a time (2 Cor. 3:18). With each practice session, we forge new patterns and deepen godly character in our hearts.

Even popular research on habits tells us that we cannot get rid of old habits through self-will. The only way to get rid of a bad habit is to replace it with a new one. And that takes time to practice. But as we do, it becomes the new pattern of our lives.

We may find that old temptations no longer are appealing. Even if they never completely go away, you may find that you go down those tracks far less frequently. And when you do, you catch yourself sooner—and get out quicker. That’s change too!

Our practice becomes a new pattern. Our character, our inner disposition, who we truly are, begins to reflect the image of Christ more truly.

In Romans 6:13 Paul tells us to present our members to God to do right. Later in 12:1, 2, he repeats that idea as he exhorts us to worship God through laying our lives before Him.

How can you present yourself to the Lord through developing godly habits? Pick one to start with. Be honest with Him if you struggle. Then in faith, obey, trusting He will use your practice to lay down a new pattern.