4 Habits to Build a God-Seeking Heart

When we raise our children, one of the first things we teach them is good habits of daily living, such as rising on time, brushing their teeth, having a bath, going to school, and doing chores. These habits help them develop a consistent lifestyle needed to live healthy and whole.

Habits are essential for converting goals into reality, being more efficient, managing stress, and reflecting on and reinforcing values. They allow us to free up our brain capacity to make better decisions, do our best work, and stay on track amidst difficulties. Good habits lie behind positive changes since repeated actions help build changes.

These hold for our Christian faith and life, too. A heart overwhelmed by the teachings of Christ must be followed by the wise and disciplined conduct (habits) of life. Otherwise, we cannot be the epistles of Christ showcasing His glory, seen and read by the world around us.

Let’s see four basic habits that will help us maintain a consistent pursuit after God.

1. Spend Quality Time With God

I have intentionally written “spend time with God” rather than praying because often, we use prayer as a panacea and antidote for all things in life. Prayer shouldn’t be only a means to an end, but a time spent in the presence of God, soaking up and being transformed by the atmosphere of heaven.

This shouldn’t be one-sided but a two-way interaction, where we listen to Him besides voicing out our concerns and needs to Him. The habit of waiting on Him and for Him, hearing and listening to His voice, will tone down all other voices that clamor for our attention.

Mark out a time with God, assign a place where you can be mentally free, and use it wisely. Begin with thanksgiving, where you remember His mercies towards you so that your heart resonates with Him. Sing songs of adoration, and worship God in Spirit and truth. This will enable us to sense heaven, setting our minds and spirits free to communicate with God, especially when we are bogged down with anxieties.

Once we concentrate on Him, after talking to Him, give God time to speak. Rest in Him, and allow Him to soothe you with words of affirmation, correct your mistakes with His counsel, and strengthen your inner man with His grace.

Guard and protect this time with Him, making it an integral and non-negotiable part of your life!

2. Delve Deep Into His Word

I am not talking about Bible reading merely as an important chore of our Christian walk but saturating ourselves with the Word of God. Our minds need to be renewed and calibrated to His precepts so that our thoughts and actions will flow from the framework of His Word and not from the world.

Stick to a reading pattern so that you read the Scriptures concretely and consistently. Reading from both Testaments will help us get the complete picture and a true overview of the truth. I generally read a portion of the New Testament in the morning and a portion from the Old Testament in the evening, thus covering the Bible fully and systematically.

Keep a notebook near you or even a notepad app on your phone, and jot down thoughts from Scripture. Note-taking will inscribe the Word in your mind and enable you to meditate on it throughout the day in captured moments.

Seek to tithe your time. I generally manage this by splitting it into one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. Doing this will ensure you stay energized and energized.

If you’re unable to give time due to some duties, commitments, or events, just catch up on it on the next available free day. Spend extra time making up for the lost days or hours.

On days when you cannot concentrate on reading the Scriptures, don’t fret or stress. Soothe your frazzled mind by listening to the audio Bible available on the YouVersion Bible app. I do this while chopping vegetables or doing certain chores, catching moments and using them wisely!

Read a good book to learn from Christian authors who pen spiritual truths under the revelation of the Spirit. Such reading will capture your mind and lift your spirit as you hear God’s Word through others who are part of the cloud of witnesses!

3. Walk In His Ways

Once you’ve spent time with God, heard His voice, and gathered treasure from His Word, practice what you have learned. This is what leads to the blessedness of life, written by Apostle James.

Practicing the principles of His Kingdom and demonstrating His precepts through our lives is mandatory if we are to reach the world for Christ with the gospel. Apostle Paul urges and implores us to walk worthy of our calling. Apostle Peter commands us to live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. We need to be transformed into the image of Christ so we can have an abundant entrance into His Kingdom.

Walking in the Spirit and living by His Word is essential to being filled with His Spirit. Daily practice of cultivating and exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit fills one with energy to fulfill daily responsibilities and calling. Not putting into practice what we know makes spending time with God and meditating on His Word redundant and wasteful!

4. Be Joyful and Thankful

Finally, practice the art of thankfulness and develop a heart to rejoice always. Being thankful will help us be sensitive to God’s actions in our lives, even small things such as a cab coming on time, being able to finish a regular home chore, or even having a good night’s rest! Such an outlook helps me to quickly spot what I call God’s sightings, which in turn makes me filled with thanksgiving, triggering a positive feedback cycle.

Proverbs say a merry heart acts as medicine, and Nehemiah 8:10 says that the joy of the Lord is our strength, so it is important to learn to rejoice. The root of such an attitude lies in the fact that God holds our lives in His Hands, and nothing can touch us without His permission. The foundation of joy is found in Romans 8:28, which promises us that God will work all things together for our good.

Both thankfulness and rejoicing are not natural to human beings, but we can develop these supernatural traits by the grace of God.

Research states that it takes 66 days to develop a habit. Each of these habits flows one into the other. Practice the above four habits daily for two months and experience the change in your life.

If you falter, don’t give up. Rise again and continue practicing until they are woven into the very fabric of your daily life!