Form-Able Habits Series

Form-able Habits

Eph 4:15, Heb 6:1, 1 Pet 2:2, Rom 12:12, James 1:25, 1 Cor 16:2, Deu 14:23, Heb 10:25,

I. Today’s sermon is nothing fancy, and it is all about some things that you have heard me say before.

A. But, it is something that I can’t say too many times. The question that I have is, did you pay any attention the last time I said it, and has it changed anything in your life?

B. There’s a story about a little boy who fell out of bed. When his Mom asked him what happened, he answered, "I don t know. I guess I stayed too close to where I got in.

C. It is easy to do the same with our relationship with God

1. It s tempting just to stay where we got in and never move further and look deeper.

2. Pick a time not too long ago. A year or two ago. Or a month or two ago. Now ask yourself a few questions.

3. How does your prayer life today compare with then?

4. How about your giving? Have both the amount and the joy increased?

5. What about your church loyalty? Can you tell you ve grown?

6. And Bible study, are you learning to learn? Do you know more about the bible than you did a year ago. Are you making progress?

(Eph 4:15 NIV) Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

(Heb 6:1 NIV) Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,

(1 Pet 2:2 NIV) Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

(2 Pet 3:18 NIV) But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

D. The goal of the Christian life is GROWTH.

1. In life the goal is maturity isn’t it?.

2. If a child stops developing, their parents would be concerned, right?

3. Doctors would be called. Tests would be run. When a child stops growing, something is wrong.

4. When a Christian doesn’t grow and mature in their relationship with God something is wrong too.

E. When a Christian doesn’t grow, help is needed

1. If we are the same Christian we were a few months ago, We might need to get a checkup.

2. Not on our body, but on our heart. Not a physical, but a spiritual.

F. Let me make a suggestion?

1. Why don t you check your habits?

2. Our habits are a measure of who we are.

3. There are a lot of bad habits, but there are a lot of good ones too.

4. There are four good ones in the Bible that I want to talk about today.

5. Try making these four habits regular activities in your life and see what happens.

II. First is the habit of PRAYER: (Rom 12:12 NIV) Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

A. We need to base our happiness on our hope in Jesus.

B. Do you want to know how to improve your prayer life? Pray.

C. Don t plan to pray, don’t say your are going to pray when you’re in the right place. Just pray.

1. Don t just read about prayer. Just pray.

2. Don t attend a lecture on prayer or talk about prayer. Talk to God. Just pray. "Just Do It" is phrase made popular by Nike, and it applies to prayer more than Shoes.

3. Your posture, your tone, or the place are personal matters. Just pick the way that works for you, and "Just Do It".

4. But don t think about it too much. Don t be so concerned about wrapping the gift that you never give it.

5. It’s better to pray awkwardly than not at all.

6. And if you feel you should only pray when inspired, that s okay. Just make sure you are inspired every day.

7. Because Communication with God is essential to a relationship with God.

D. Second, is the habit of STUDY: (James 1:25 NIV) But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.

1. Let’s imagine that instead to going to eat Pizza after church we went to a cafeteria.

2. You’re picking out your food. You pick your salad, you choose your entre, but when you get to the vegetables, you see a pan of something that turns your stomach.