Powerful Springs

Surely every man walks about as a phantom;
surely they make an uproar for nothing;
he amasses riches and does not know who will gather them. (Ps 39:6)

As I went through college, graduated and started working, I developed bad habits of skipping Bible reading, Sunday school and church services. My level of faith began sinking, the power of temptation seemed to grow, and I began to make wrong decisions. My spirit, thinking and goals became diseased with wrong values and unbelief. When God eventually stirred up new life in my inner being, one of the first changes he brought in my life was a new habit.

Most of us know, from personal experience, how easy it is to fall into bad habits and out of good habits. A bad habit is as easy as laying in your bed, but a good habit requires energy and effort to overcome the natural tendency toward the path of ease. So, in one direction we have short term ease and comfort while in the other direction there is the continuing demand for effort and energy. But, in the long term, a good habit can bring knowledge, advancement, faith and health. Compare this with the potential long term results of a bad habit: ignorance, spoiled character, unbelief and disease. Notice that last word, “dis-ease”? Bad habits based on ease in the short term can lead to disease in the long run.

The foundation of life for anyone is their faith. All the great heroes that we read about in the Bible are called “heroes of faith”. Hebrews 11 gives many examples of such heroes who are known to us only because of how their lives were shaped by their faith. Hebrews 11 also proclaims this truth, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, …”

Without faith it is absolutely impossible to please God. But, what good habits do we have in place to build up our faith? Do we daily seek to know Christ through God’s Word? Do you go to Bible Class or Sunday School? Church leaders have intended and designed these classes to build relationships, knowledge and faith. If they do not do that for you then you should let your church leaders know that you need something different. Sermons and worship services are supposed to encourage right thinking and build faith. There are retreats, small groups, service projects and conferences that are designed to build faith.

Faith building opportunities are all around us but we may have developed bad habits of ease that turn us away from growth in spirit. If our faith shrinks and becomes weak, we will forget that life is a phantom and waste our time making an uproar over nothing. We desperately need habits that build faith. How many faith building habits do you already have? What new habits are you feeling called to develop? Once good activities are habits, they become a tremendous, almost automatic, positive force in our lives. By God’s grace, good habits can be developed that become powerful springs of healing, wisdom and faith.

Projects:

• Consider what habits you feel God is calling you to develop
• Pray for His blessing as you begin to exert yourself to develop a new, good habit
• What faith building habit do you feel you should develop? Choose a new one.

Examples

• Daily prayer
• Daily Bible reading
• Daily Scripture memorization and meditation
• Fasting
• Giving
• Serving
• Bible class participation
• Evangelism
• Join or Lead a small group