The psychology of healthy habits

If you were to describe your relationship with Jesus, what words come to mind? Is it close or distant? Intimate or aloof? Consistent or inconsistent?

How would you like your relationship with Jesus to be?

Have you ever noticed that throughout life, certain relationships can drift apart? Maybe it’s a friendship from school or an old family friend – if enough time and distance pass without spending time together, the closeness can be lost and the connection can fade. Relationships need active investment in order to maintain intimacy. The same is true when it comes to your relationship with Jesus. If you want to feel close to Him, you need to be intentional about spending time in His presence and talking with Him.

Jeremiah 29:13

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

So how do you build intimacy with Jesus?

The key is setting healthy habits. A habit is simply something you consistently do on a regular basis to the point where it becomes an automatic response. Spiritual practices like praying, reading your bible, worshipping, and sharing the gospel can become healthy habits in your life that break spiritual apathy. The more time you spend with Jesus, the more intimately you will know Him. When you know Him more intimately you’ll naturally grow in your passion for Him. He will become your greatest companion and you’ll find yourself wanting to tell the world about Him!

To build (and keep) a healthy habit, first you must know your why.

Knowing the why is the driving force behind motivation. Starting a new habit can be challenging, but if you have a conviction about why you’re doing it, it will help you to stay on track when distractions try to pull you away.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What kind of person do you want to be?
• Why is it important that you consistently spend time with Jesus?
• How will spiritual habits take you towards the person that you want to be?
• What would be the consequences if you don’t spend time with Jesus?

5 healthy habits you can build in your life:

1. Read your bible daily – download the YouVersion Bible App and start a daily reading plan.
2. Worship - create a playlist of your favourite worship songs and spend time each day enjoying God’s presence.
3. Invest in community - start a group chat with two close friends and arrange a weekly catch up to intentionally encourage one another in your relationship with Jesus.
4. Pray - create a note in your phone to help focus your prayer time. Write the names of people who don’t know Jesus, how you want to grow and list things you’re thankful for.
5. Share Jesus - start praying daily for a friend who doesn’t know Jesus and respond to any prompting that the Holy Spirit gives to talk about your faith.

There is always opportunity to grow in our relationship with Jesus. Which new habit will you implement today to bring you closer to Him?