Many Christians with great intentions set goals for starting new spiritual habits, such as reading through the Bible, having a regular prayer time, or developing faith conversation skills. But real life often waylays our plans, dumping a bag load of discouragement on our backs that makes it hard to stand up and try again.

Set up ahead of time materials needed for spiritual habits

I’ve been scribbling to-do lists since junior high, and while I’ve regularly studied the Bible and prayed for years, in other areas I haven’t fared as well (for instance, memorizing Scripture and doing sit-ups—yeah, the last one’s not spiritual, but still…). So I was intrigued when a friend gave me the bestselling book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard,by brothers Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Chip teaches business at Stanford and Dan is a senior fellow at Duke.

The book is packed with insights on making and reaching goals, many of which are helpful for spiritual habits. The first chapter, “Three Surprises About Change,” surprises indeed. College students who nibbled radishes while resisting freshly baked chocolate chip cookies later mustered only eight minutes of trying to solve an unsolvable puzzle, while others who downed cookies and chocolate candies while resisting radishes strove nineteen minutes on the puzzle. This, they say, shows self-control is an exhaustible resource (p. 10).

Right there I thought, how many times have I tried to add four new habits at the same time, thereby letting overreaching defeat me? It’s like trying to set four plates spinning at once.

The authors say that when we’re creating change, we need to address three areas: intellect, emotions, and environment. They portray the intellect as a rider on top of an elephant (the emotions) which is walking down a path (the environment). With engaging stories, they explain how to direct the rider, motivate the elephant, and shape the path for successful change.

Yes, it’s a secular project management/business book, but I found most of the principles in Scripture. I’ll show here how to apply the book’s methods to forming spiritual habits and I’ll tack on supporting verses.

Direct the Rider

The rider (the intellect) makes great plans, but is prone to over-analyzing and wheel-spinning, especially when there are too many options. Directing the rider involves playing to its strengths while avoiding its weaknesses.

“Switch” offers tips that apply to forming spiritual habits

Find the Bright Spots. Find people who are succeeding in what you want to do and imitate them. If you’re just starting out in regular devotions, ask around until you find a few people you like who’ve got this down and ask them how they do it. Hint: They’ll probably all say they set aside a specific time of day when they’re at their best.

 “… keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us” Philippians 3:17

 Script the Critical Moves. Figure out the essentials and make a specific but simple plan, such as “I will purchase the Bible version my pastor recommends and I will read through the New Testament five days a week.”

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty” Proverb 21:5

Point to the Destination. Know where you’re going and why you want to get there. Perhaps your goal is to read through the New Testament so you’ll know God better.

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” Philippians 3:14

Motivate the Elephant

The elephant (the emotions) is bigger than the rider and eventually gets its way when the two disagree. So it’s important to motivate the elephant.

Find the Feeling. What might spark your emotions? When I read a new Bible version, I mark the individual books I’ve finished in the table of contents with a symbol. In one Bible I used daisies because they symbolize celebration and something grown to completion. Just looking at the contents page makes me smile.

“So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot…” Ecclesiastes 3:22

Shrink the Change. Plan manageable steps to prevent demoralization. For instance, if you’re reading your Bible for the first time, plan ten minutes per day for five days per week, not an hour a day for seven days per week. Read the short Bible books first so the marks on your contents page fill up quickly while you’re getting started.

“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” Luke 14:28

Grow. Cultivate an identity of who you are: “I’m a child of God getting to know God’s words.” Realize there will be ups and downs, and that’s okay.

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13

Shape the Path

Shape the path (the environment) to help the rider and elephant keep traveling down it. Just as a dieter could toss all the junk food and fill the refrigerator with carrots and broccoli so that when her stomach growled, her eyes would see only healthy choices, so we can shape the path towards devotionals. Many churches start new Bible studies in January, May, and September. Check now to see what your church may be offering!

Tweak the Environment. Choose a comfortable chair near good lighting that will be your regular spot. Place your Bible and a pen nearby. Turn off your cell phone.

“Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure” Proverb 4:26

Build Habits. Action triggers triple your chances of success. An action trigger can be as simple as planning what time you’ll do what and where. Attaching a new habit to an established habit is even better. For instance, when I decided to make my main prayer time separate from my Bible reading time, I set it to follow an established habit: lunch!

“On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper …” 1 Corinthians 16:2

Rally the Herd. Get family members or a friend to do this with you. Join a Bible study group—the accountability there is a great motivator.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

I hope these nine tips for forming spiritual habits inspire you on your spiritual journey.

Which of these have you found helpful for forming spiritual habits?

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