H.A.B.I.T.S. - Accountable Relationships

James 4:16a niv
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.


Accountable Relationships.
Jame's writes, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other. Do you do that?

Many years ago it was suggested to me that I find a couple of guys who would serve as accountability partners. Someone who would speak truth into my life, encourage men, challenge me,  call me out, and pray for me. Those relationships changed my life.

Accountable relationships start when we ask someone to share in our spiritual development. Also known as an accountability partner, this person helps you to live the life that God has called us to live. They literally become someone to hold us accountable for thoughts, out actions, and our habits. They encourage you, pray for you, pray with you, celebrate with you, cry with you, walking through hard times with you, and help you navigate through temptation and the fiery darts of the evil one.

The person in your accountable relationship is someone ready to do spiritual battle with you, and vise-versa.  They care enough about you and your developing maturity that they can, and will, get up in your face if and when the need should arise.

I think accountable relationships are something we see throughout the New Testament. Jesus set out the 12 in groups of two, then the 70 again in groups of 2. They were to go together, to share in ministry, and need. Beyond that, as the church spreads and grows, we see the leadership going to groups of 2 or more.

I don't believe that we were ever meant to walk the believers life alone. It's why when we are brought into the family of God, we are added to the body of faith,  the church. It's together that we press on and thrive as the people of God.

Do you have accountable relationships? Why not?

These relationships will bless you in so many ways.

Seek out someone mature in their faith. Someone ready, able and willing to walk with you. and begin a journey together that leads both of you into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

- jay

H - HAVING GOD TIME.

Mark 1:35 niv
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35 niv)

Jesus is a great example of what it means to have some God time. He made it a practice to go off and spend time, alone, with God. As we see here in Mark 1:35, 'that very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place where He prayed.'

And it's not just here in Mark where we see Jesus doing this. It appears multiple times throughout the gospels. It was Jesus' habit to set aside time to go and be with the Father. This is the idea behind the first letter of the word, H.A.B.I.T.S. H, Having God Time.

What is Having God Time?

Having God time is simply that, making time to be with God. Crazy, right?

For years I have taught students that spending time with God is something that should be part of their every day lives. As believers, we need and must set aside dedicated time to be with God. After all, this is exactly what Jesus does.

What does Your Time with God Look Like?
 
Once you have decided to begin spending time with God try the following...

1. Set a time every day to have your time.
- Spending time with God is something that you must determine to do. So set a time in your daily schedule to do so. Just like you would if you were scheduling lunch or coffee with a friend, mark on your daily planner your time with God. Then show up. Now I have heard arguments as to the when; when should you have your time with God?  There are those who would say morning is the best time to meet God, after all, this is when Jesus did so. But there are also those who would say, set aside a time that works for you; breakfast, lunch dinner. Personally, I have my time set for the morning hours, shortly after waking up. While I might choose the morning hours, you need to set a time that works best for you.

2. Bible. Think. Pray.
- Your time with God can be flexible. The point is that you spend time with God. I suggest you read something from the Bible. A couple verses at a time. You could even choose to read a short, daily devotional. After reading, think about what you just read. What is being communicated? Who is doing what? What is the application? What will you be thinking about for the rest of the day? If you can, write these thoughts in a journal so you can review them later. Then finish your time with God in prayer. Prayer is the point of your time with God. Take this time to talk to God. Again, if you have a journal, write down your prayers; your praises, your thanksgivings, your requests, and your joys. 

3. Keep It Simple.
- As you commit to making time with God a habit in your life, it's best to begin your journey with one little reminder, Keep It Simple. It's so easy to say you want to begin something new and then jump into without really thinking about what you want to accomplish. Too often I have watched as both students and adults commit to spending time with God only to become frustrated by expectations set too high. So keep it simple. Start small. Begin by setting aside 5 minutes. When you have successfully mastered a daily time with God, expand your time to 10 minutes, then 15 minutes, then 30. Your goal is to develop a habit so that your time with God is regular and part of your live. Do what works for you and let God work within you to make this time something special.

What Tools Are There for Having God Time?

When it comes to 'tools', I can only offer what I currently use. For years I have used only a simple journal and my Bible. I use a daily Bible reading plan and a journal in which I write my thoughts and prayers. That's it.

As you think about your own tools, let God lead you to those resources. Remember, this is your new habit. So begin it and let God grow you close to Him.

- jay

Hebrews 6:1a reads, "Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity,…" 

This weekend at Harvest Church, we began the discussion about Spiritual Disciplines. Spiritual Disciplines are the regular or full-time performance of actions and activities undertaken for the purpose of cultivating spiritual development. The full-time, regular performance of actions and activities that cultivate spiritual development. Simply put, spiritual disciplines are what help to shape us to be more and more like Jesus.

So let me ask, are you practicing spiritual disciplines in your life?

As a pastor, I want to see people growing in faith. So this past Sunday, I introduced H.A.B.I.T.S. a tool to help us develop the practices of spiritual disciplines. On Sunday, we talked about six tools, habits, that we at Harvest, will promote as our process of individual growth.

This week here on the blog, I want to spend a little more time discussing each of the H.A.B.I.T.S. discipline. But first, 3 things I didn't say on Sunday.

1. Don't Freak Out!
When you hear that as a believer, you should be practicing spiritual disciplines, it can make you feel a little uneasy. Then to hear that there are 6 disciplines, well, that can be overwhelming. But here's the deal, don't freak out, because we're going to take these  disciplines one at a time.

The purpose of the disciplines is to help you grow, not be a challenge that causes frustration. So let's go slow, mastering each one along the way.

2. Be Realistic.
One of the things I think that too often frustrates us when we begin something new are goals and expectations that are set too high. We place before us a standard that when we don't reach it right away, we feel as though we fail and give up. So here is what I suggest, BE REALISTIC. More than anything you want these disciplines to become habits, so let's establish realistic goals and expectations. You'll see that when we get into each of the 6 disciplines our goals will be reasonable and achievable.

3. Get Excited!
You are about to begin a new and exciting leg in your faith journey! You are committing to moving forward from a place of just sitting around to a place where God is going to do great things! It's time to get started! So get excited! Tell your spouse! Tell your friends! Tell the Starbucks barista! Tell who ever you want. Just get excited!

Let's do this. Let's leave the nursery and move up into 'big' church!

So much more to come!

- jay 

So simple, yet so powerful. Watch this video. I guarantee you will be singing it all day!

- jay

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