How fit is your faith? Are you growing more spiritual muscle each day in your faith? A good way to see how you are doing is to check your daily "HABITS". Here are some important vital signs that can help you stay on track and keep God first in your life.
Healthy Habits that will grow faith - - - - -
H = Hanging out with God We all know that having and being a best friend takes time. Be sure and talk to God each day because He is the best friend you will ever have. Start out your day thanking Him for being with you and loving you all day long. Take Him with you as you leave for the day, remembering He is with you every step along the way. Talk to Him and ask Him to guide your words and actions. Ask Him to remind you of how special you are to Him. Ask Him how He can become more special to you. He longs to have you near Him. He never leaves us! Hang close to Him!
A = Accountability and Associating with other BelieversMake sure you are spending time with other people that share your Christian faith. Our minds, attitudes and actions will be more like how God wants when we are surrounded by loving, Christian friends. Don't put yourself into temptation's pathway by hanging around with acquaintances that do things that aren't right.
B = Bible Reading and Application Make time to read your Bible daily. Start a journal where you can write down things you learn, questions and prayer requests. When you struggle with any challenge, ask God to give you a verse or principle that applies. Ask God to reveal His personality and truths to you in His word. He will! See and prove how His wisdom is true. Join or form a teen Bible study. You, as well as your friends will grow stronger in Christ!
I = Involvement in Church or Youth GroupIf you don't already have a church or youth group, ask around to see where other friends go. Attend on a regular basis and you won't be in want of a social life. Enjoy developing new friendships as you participate in fun outings and thought provoking Bible studies.
T = Thankfulness and Tithing Back to God, God has given you so much. A good way to measure your thankfulness to Him is to give back to Him joyfully. You can do this by tithing 10% of the money you get from an allowance and any jobs.
S = Serving Others A good way to measure your spiritual fitness is to examine how much you help others. Are you different than the world by thinking more of others, while less of self? Even Jesus was an example of serving others when He washed His disciple's feet in John 13. You can serve both your family and neighbors by doing simple chores. Serving others takes dedication and isn't always fun. However, serving demonstrates Christ-like character and is another way we can show the Lord and others love.
Continue to work on developing the HABITS that will bring you closer to God. The Lord created you for a special purpose. He wants you to live each day for Him.
Know that He has a plan for you. A plan for a future and a hope!! (Jeremiah 31:17)