What are Spiritual Habits?
At New Salem, we value helping you take your next step in your relationship with Jesus. This guide is a simple tool available every day to help you learn how to read your Bible, write down your thoughts, and spend time praying with Jesus. We firmly believe that if you start meeting with Jesus every day, even if it’s for 15-minutes, Jesus will begin to change your life. It might not be an immediate change, but over the course of a year we guarantee you will not be the same.
Spiritual Habits Challenge
15 minutes with God
READ
the Bible
Using the S.O.A.P method, spend about 5 minutes reading, re-reading, and processing through the daily Bible passage.
JOURNAL
Your Thoughts
Using the S.O.A.P. method, spend about 5 minutes writing down any observations and personal next steps you come up with based on the daily Bible reading.
PRAY
to God
Using the P.R.A.Y. method, finish your time with Jesus by spending at least 5 minutes in prayer—out loud, quietly in your heart, and/or by writing it down in your journal.
S.O.A.P.
A method of Bible reading and journaling. S.O.A.P. can be used with any daily Bible reading plan.
S
Scripture
Get to a place where you can focus and read the daily Scripture passage several times. Take time to read and allow God to speak to you. Write down the one or two verses that stick out. Even consider rewriting the verse(s) in your own words.
O
Observation
Make a basic observation about the scripture you just read. What stood out? Was something repeated? What is the author trying to communicate? What does the Scripture passage teach you about God? What does it teach you about humanity?
A
Application
Ask, “What does this verse(s) mean for my life?†How might this verse affect your heart — how you feel? How does this verse challenge your thinking? How does it affect your will, asking, “What changes do I need to make in my life as a result of this passage of Scripture?â€
P
Prayer
Write out a prayer to God. Scripture is God speaking to you, take this moment to speak back. Take a moment to say, “Thank you,†or confess to Him what needs to change. Use the P.R.A.Y. acrostic to help guide your prayer time if needed.
P.R.A.Y.
Seeking Gos in prayer.
P
Praise
Start by praising God. Praise God by speaking to His character (i.e. His greatness, faithfulness, goodness, etc.) and by sharing with Him the things in your life you are thankful for (i.e. your health, provisions, relationships, etc.). This will get your heart in the right posture as you begin connecting with God in prayer.
R
Repent
Next, move into a short time of repentance. Repentance is the authentic activity of saying, “I’m sorry†to God and allowing Him to forgive you. It is giving the space for God to reveal any sinful thoughts or actions in your life, admitting that you were in the wrong, and then committing to change for the better.
A
Ask
We all have things on our minds and heart that we would like to ask God for. Use this time to share with God any specific prayer requests that you have. Write them down for future reference to see how God answered your prayers.
Y
Yield
The final step is to spend some time yielding to God. This simply means to stop and quiet your heart to hear from God. It is trusting your specific prayer requests to God, allowing Him to answer it in His timing and in His way. This is probably the most difficult step in prayer, but it’s worth the effort to make it a habit.