Resources on Habits
We are, in many ways, the product of our habits. It’s crucial, then, that we build habits that help us become the people we would like to be.
This applies in every area of our lives, including our spiritual lives. Godly people develop habits that put them in the path of grace, and that enable them to practice disciplines that help them grow.
How can we learn to build good habits?
Books on Habit
One of the best books on habits I’ve read is The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Duhigg explains how habits work, how we can develop them, and how to break bad habits. If you’re looking for a clear and entertaining book on how habits work, The Power of Habit is a good one.
Gretchen Rubin’s Better Than Before is a great book for those who struggle to build habits. Rubin covers four kinds of people: upholders, questioners, obligers, and rebels. Each type of person needs a different approach in building habits.
If you’re looking for a book on how to apply habits in our walk with God, then you’ll enjoy Habits of Grace by David Mathis. It focuses on three key habits: hearing God’s voice (Word), having his ear (prayer), and belonging to his body (fellowship). It’s a fresh look at an old topic: how to build good spiritual disciplines in our lives.
James K.A. Smith wrote a helpful book called Desiring the Kingdom in 2009, but it’s a bit of a challenging read. He’s written a more recent book, You Are What You Love, that translates his ideas to a more general audience. His insights on how we’re shaped by habits is profound.
Other Resources
B.J. Fogg is a professor who specializes in behavior design. He runs a fascinating project called Tiny Habits. Over 55,000 people have participated in his free training program. He regularly runs new sessions, and you can sign up on his website to participate.
David Mathis has written a great post called How Your Habits Show and Shape Your Heart. It’s a great introduction to habits and why they matter.
Learn Habits
It’s important to learn about habits for your own sake, and for the sake of helping others. Habits are helpful in shaping our hearts, and revealing what we love.
Our program, G4L Discipleship, is designed to help you build habits that help you experience transformation in your life. If you’re interested, sign up for our email list so you can hear of future sessions.
Learning about habits, and building good spiritual habits, is crucial for our lives. We all have habits. Let’s work on building habits that help us become who God wants us to be.
