When you establish the 7 habits of strong Christians in your life, it will keep you strong, protect you from the enemy, and catapult you to VICTORY.
The secret to your future is hidden. It’s not hidden from you, though—it’s hidden for you. You see, your future is up to you. Whatever you have and whatever happens in your life isn’t an accident, or necessarily always God’s will—it is in your hands more than you may know.
Where can you find this hidden secret? In your daily routine.
What you do on a daily basis will determine what you have in this life. If you’re sowing to your flesh, the results will never be what you want. But if you sow to the spirit, you will become stronger and stronger (Galatians 6:8). You will get to a place where you confidently stand your ground, resist the enemy, and receive more from God—no matter what comes your way.
You have a decision to make. Is victory important to you?
Proverbs 8:34-35 says, “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching DAILY at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favour from the Lord” (NKJV, emphasis added).
In other words, an anointed daily routine produces glorious results. If you want to put an end to being defeated or discouraged, or going around the same mountain over and over—it’s time to take your faith to a higher level. When you establish the 7 habits of strong Christians in your life, it will keep you strong, protect you from the enemy, and catapult you to VICTORY.
Habit No. 1: Strong Christians Feed Their Spirit
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” –Matthew 4:4, NKJV.
This verse says we cannot live on just food for our body—we need food for our spirit, too. A strong Christian knows the reality and severity of the works of the devil and understands the importance of developing a strong spirit to resist him.
How do you feed your spirit?
By reading God’s Word. Every. Day.
Strong Christians know one snack each week (church on Sunday) isn’t enough to sustain us through the trials Jesus told us would come our way (John 16:33). We need daily hot meals to stand on top of every trial in a victory stance.
Gloria Copeland has always emphasised the importance of spending time in the Word on a daily basis. She says, you must “arrange your schedule around the Word instead of trying to make the Word fit into your busy life.” That means the Word of God has to become a priority in your life—not something you do in your spare time.
Another way to look at it is the way Rick Renner does, which is, “No Word, no breakfast.” Pastor Rick doesn’t eat breakfast until he feeds his spirit with the Word of God every morning.
Habit No. 2: Strong Christians Build Their Faith
“David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” –1 Samuel 30:6, AMPC
Faith is your responsibility. It isn’t God’s, it isn’t your pastor’s, and it isn’t your spouse’s. The only one who can guarantee that you enjoy a strong faith is YOU. God has given you the tools you need to develop a strong faith—the kind of faith that moves mountains, shuts the mouths of lions, quenches the flames of fire, turns weakness to strength, and puts whole armies to flight (Hebrews 11:33-34).
How do you build that kind of faith? By hearing the Word of God again and again (Romans 10:17). Feeding your faith is the seed; hearing it again and again is how you water the seed and build faith. Just as with natural muscles, repetition is the key to building strong faith. To build your faith, try implementing some of these ideas into your daily routine:
- As you drive to and from work, stream a BVOV broadcast or other faith teaching in your car.
- Keep your MP3 player loaded with Bible-based podcasts. Then, when you work out, go on a walk, or take your lunch break, put in earbuds and feed your spirit.
- Turn on the VICTORY™ network [formerly Believers’ Voice of Victory Network (BVOVN)] in your home as you go about your daily chores. Click here for ways to access VICTORY.
As you feed your spirit, remember that faith comes by hearing, but so does doubt. So, what are you listening to? What is the news telling you? What are your friends telling you? Guard the precious Word you’ve sown into your heart by refusing to consume anything contrary.
When you build your faith by hearing the Word on a daily basis, truth will come, faith will come and then—VICTORY will come.
Habit No. 3: Strong Christians Speak the Word
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” –Proverbs 18:21, NKJV
You’ve heard the saying, You are what you eat. But the Bible says, in essence, You are what you speak (Mark 11:23).
Strong Christians speak the Word and only the Word over their lives and the lives of those around them. They know it is often a matter of life and death. And, they don’t intend to waste the power and authority Jesus provided for them.
To get to a place where you speak the Word over every situation, work on mastering the first two habits. By putting God’s Word in your heart on a daily basis, speaking His Word will become your knee-jerk reaction to any situation, which means you will react with an automatic, predictable response—FAITH.
When a trial comes your way, don’t become the proverbial bump on a log and let the devil have the final word—talk back! When the devil tempted Jesus, He answered back (Matthew 4:1-11). How did He answer? With the Word and the Word only. When He came across a fig tree that didn’t produce, He didn’t just accept it—He talked to it (Mark 11:12-14). God uses words to “call those things which be not as though they were” (Romans 4:17, NKJV), and we need to do the same.
No matter what you’re faced with, speak healing, speak blessing, speak abundance, speak forgiveness, speak peace. Speak the Word again and again and again and again. Fire off Scripture like a machine gun. Confess God’s Word in faith—it will change your life.
Habit No. 4: Strong Christians Control Their Thought Life
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” –Joshua 1:8, NKJV
Is your thought life healthy or toxic? The mind, spirit and body are interconnected— your thoughts affect your words, which affect your health, prosperity, joy, peace and every other area of your life. So, it’s worth taking the time to perfect!
To bring every thought into captivity (2 Corinthians 10:5), begin focusing on what you’re thinking about. When your thoughts wander off to things like, you’re not going to get healed; you’re going to die; you’ll never get promoted; how do you capture thoughts like these and cast them down? You resist them. You answer them. Never let your thoughts go unanswered. Instead, say, “I’m not taking that thought.”
You can become a master at thought domination by meditating on the Word of God. To meditate means you don’t just hear it—you focus on it, contemplate it and give it serious attention. That’s how you enlarge your capacity for faith, and that’s why the most spiritual people you will ever meet are those who spend time meditating on the Word of God.
Habit No. 5: Strong Christians Anchor Their Heart Through Praise
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” –Psalm 34:1, NKJV
Did you know praise is a language? It’s a language of faith and a language of receiving. A strong Christian is fluent in praise. That’s why we’re called to bless the Lord at all times (Psalm 34:1) because no matter what is happening in our lives, we have countless reasons to thank Him for what He has done, what He is doing, and what we know He will do.
If praise is continually in your mouth, does that mean only when it’s good? No. That’s easy. Praise is an act of faith. If you believe you receive what you’ve asked—you’ll thank God for it—even if it hasn’t manifested. Praise says, “I know it’s coming.”
Strong Christians know there is a connection between praise and strength. They know a spirit of praise puts you in position and produces spiritual strength.
Habit No. 6: Strong Christians Pray in the Spirit
“[Build] yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”—Jude 20, NKJV
A strong Christian knows the importance of keeping his spiritual battery charged. That’s where praying in other tongues comes in. When you pray in the spirit, you edify yourself, which means to improve or uplift. It strengthens your spirit and builds you up in your faith.
The powerful part of praying in other tongues is that it allows you to pray above what you know in the natural. It takes you into the spiritual realm and opens the door to revelation, wisdom, instruction and encouragement.
Learn more about speaking in tongues here.
Habit No. 7: Strong Christians Get Rid of Baggage
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.” –Hebrews 12:1
Streamlining. It’s a pretty important concept in aerodynamics. To streamline is to reduce resistance, creating a faster and smoother journey. It is studied by NASA engineers, airline pilots, shipbuilders and even athletes. The idea is to remove anything that would slow a craft, or person, down. The ultimate goal in streamlining is optimum performance and a victorious outcome.
That’s what we are called to do in our spiritual lives, too. When God told us to “strip off every weight that slows us down,” He was telling us to streamline our lives so we can enjoy optimum victory.
Imagine watching an Olympic runner trying to round the track and run a race wearing a suit of armour. You’d likely coach him through the TV, saying, “Throw off the armour! It’s slowing you down!”
That’s what God is saying to us.
What kind of baggage are you carrying today? Worry, anxiety, stress or fear? Maybe it’s a habit of sin you haven’t removed or unforgiveness that’s been festering for years. Whatever it is, make the decision to get rid of it today! It’s slowing you down. Take off anything that is hindering you, and run your race to victory!
When you put these 7 habits of strong Christians into practice on a daily basis, you will develop the kind of spirit that will cripple the enemy and ensure the kind of victory you’ve always dreamed of. This is the life Jesus died to give you. This is the life you were meant to live.
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