How Did You Do?

Wow! It’s March already! How did you do with our February goals? If you were able to establish some new habits, take a minute to thank God for the strength and determination He gave you. Thank Him for the results you are already seeing in your life, like answered prayers, an increased ability to understand what you are reading in the New Testament or a greater sense of God’s presence with you throughout the day.

If you had difficulty sticking with our new habits, take a few minutes to analyze why and brainstorm ways to overcome your particular difficulties. Did you have a tendency to fall asleep when praying at the beginning or end of the day? Would it help to sit up? If you couldn’t think of anything to pray about maybe a short list on a Post-It note on the bedside table would help. How about reading the New Testament? If you couldn’t find time, maybe it would help to list virtually everything you do in a usual day, cross the least important thing out and replace it with reading. Maybe you can substitute some of your newspaper or web browsing time. If you got discouraged because you couldn’t understand what you were reading, switch to a more modern translation or a Bible with notes (like the Life Application Bible). Or perhaps you could plan to read the same chapter over and over again for several days in a row until the words become more familiar. Is it that you just hate reading? Maybe you need to listen to the Bible on CD while you drive or download an MP3 audio Bible for free at www.allaboutgod.com/mp3-bible.htm. You get the idea: Take a serious look at what held you back from establishing prayer and Bible reading habits, pinpoint your weaknesses and plan a work-around.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about an additional habit for March. Don’t worry, it’s not hard. Just another small step. (By the way, if you like the ideas we are talking about on this blog but think we are moving way too slowly, consider reading Ordering Your Private World, by Gordon MacDonald. MacDonald talks about issues like motivation, use of time, and developing spiritual strengths. While the book is serious, it is very readable and practical.)