Transforming Faith Through Habitual Spiritual Practice

 

Summary

Today, we explore the profound connection between spiritual formation and habit formation. The essence of spiritual growth lies not just in acquiring information but in transforming our will through experience. This transformation is akin to the process of learning to trust the safety of a ropes course. Just as one must repeatedly experience the ropes course to truly believe in its safety, we must engage in spiritual practices to embody our faith fully. Joshua 1:9 reminds us to be strong and courageous, a command that requires more than intellectual assent; it demands embodied belief.

The journey of spiritual formation involves moving beyond mere head knowledge to heart knowledge, or embodied knowledge. This is illustrated through the story of David and Goliath, where David's confidence stemmed from his past experiences of God's deliverance. His courage was not just a mental exercise but a deeply ingrained trust in God's presence and power. Similarly, our spiritual habits must be cultivated through repeated experiences that reinforce our trust in God.

Transformation occurs when we step out of our comfort zones and engage in small, tangible actions that invite God's presence into our lives. Whether it's addressing a fear, tackling a daunting task, or initiating a difficult conversation, these small steps are the ropes course of our spiritual journey. By consistently practicing these habits, we gradually reshape our embodied responses, aligning them with our faith.

The invitation today is to take one small step towards embodying your faith. Identify an area where fear or avoidance has taken hold and take a tiny action to confront it. This could be as simple as sending an email, scheduling a conversation, or addressing a financial concern. By doing so, you invite God into your experience, allowing His presence to transform your fear into courage.

Key Takeaways:

- Spiritual formation is deeply connected to habit formation. It's not enough to know about God intellectually; we must experience His presence in our daily lives to truly embody our faith. This transformation requires stepping out of our comfort zones and engaging in practices that reinforce our trust in God. [01:36]

- The story of David and Goliath illustrates the power of embodied knowledge. David's courage was rooted in his past experiences of God's deliverance, demonstrating that true faith is built through repeated encounters with God's faithfulness. [07:03]

- Transformation occurs when we move beyond head knowledge to heart knowledge. This shift requires engaging in spiritual practices that align our embodied responses with our faith, allowing us to live courageously and confidently in God's presence. [04:40]

- Taking small, tangible steps is essential for spiritual growth. By confronting fears and challenges with God's help, we gradually reshape our habits and responses, aligning them with our faith and trust in God. [09:38]

- The journey of spiritual formation is a lifelong process of cultivating habits that embody our faith. By consistently practicing these habits, we invite God's presence into our lives, allowing His transformative power to shape us into courageous and faithful followers of Jesus. [11:07]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:40] - The Gift of Habits
[00:52] - Joshua's Command: Be Courageous
[01:23] - Living with Confidence and Trust
[01:36] - Transformation Through Experience
[02:19] - The Ropes Course Analogy
[03:24] - Embodied Knowledge vs. Information
[04:15] - Head Knowledge vs. Heart Knowledge
[05:33] - The Shepherd and the Wolf
[06:39] - David's Embodied Faith
[08:11] - The Power of Habits
[09:38] - Taking Small Steps
[10:51] - Designing Your Ropes Course
[11:23] - Love as Habit Formation
[11:45] - Closing Remarks and Invitation

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
2. 1 Samuel 17:34-37 - The story of David's confidence in God's deliverance from the lion and the bear, leading to his courage against Goliath.

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Observation Questions:

1. What command does God give to Joshua in Joshua 1:9, and what promise accompanies this command?
2. How does the sermon illustrate the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge using the ropes course analogy? [02:19]
3. In the story of David and Goliath, what past experiences does David cite to demonstrate his trust in God? [07:15]
4. According to the sermon, what role do small, tangible actions play in spiritual formation? [09:38]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the command in Joshua 1:9 to "be strong and courageous" relate to the concept of embodied belief as discussed in the sermon? [00:52]
2. What does the story of David and Goliath teach about the relationship between past experiences and present faith? [07:43]
3. How might the analogy of the ropes course help someone understand the process of spiritual transformation? [03:24]
4. In what ways does the sermon suggest that spiritual habits can reshape our responses to fear and challenges? [09:38]

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Application Questions:

1. Identify an area in your life where fear or avoidance has taken hold. What is one small step you can take this week to confront it, inviting God into the process? [09:53]
2. Reflect on a past experience where you felt God's presence or deliverance. How can this memory encourage you to trust God in a current challenge? [07:43]
3. Consider a spiritual habit you would like to cultivate. What is a practical way you can begin to incorporate this habit into your daily routine? [11:07]
4. Think about a time when you relied solely on information rather than experience to guide your faith. How can you seek out experiences that reinforce your trust in God? [01:36]
5. What is one fear or challenge you have been avoiding? How can you take a small, tangible step to address it this week, and who can you ask to support you in this journey? [10:04]
6. How can you design your own "ropes course" of spiritual practices to help you experience God's presence more fully in your life? [11:07]
7. Reflect on the story of David and Goliath. How can you apply David's confidence in God's past deliverance to a situation you are currently facing? [07:28]

Devotional

Day 1: Embodying Faith Through Experience
Spiritual formation is not merely about acquiring knowledge but about transforming our will through experience. Just as one must repeatedly engage with a ropes course to trust its safety, we must immerse ourselves in spiritual practices to fully embody our faith. This transformation requires stepping out of our comfort zones and engaging in practices that reinforce our trust in God. By doing so, we move from intellectual assent to embodied belief, as highlighted in Joshua 1:9, which calls us to be strong and courageous. This courage is not just a mental exercise but a lived experience of faith. [01:36]

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a spiritual practice you can engage in this week to deepen your trust in God. How can you step out of your comfort zone to embody your faith more fully?


Day 2: The Power of Embodied Knowledge
The story of David and Goliath illustrates the power of embodied knowledge. David's courage was rooted in his past experiences of God's deliverance, demonstrating that true faith is built through repeated encounters with God's faithfulness. This kind of faith goes beyond head knowledge; it is a deeply ingrained trust in God's presence and power. By cultivating spiritual habits through repeated experiences, we reinforce our trust in God and develop a faith that is lived out in our daily actions. [07:03]

"And David said, 'The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.' And Saul said to David, 'Go, and the Lord be with you!'" (1 Samuel 17:37, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a past experience where you witnessed God's faithfulness. How can this memory encourage you to trust God in a current challenge you are facing?


Day 3: From Head Knowledge to Heart Knowledge
Transformation occurs when we move beyond head knowledge to heart knowledge. This shift requires engaging in spiritual practices that align our embodied responses with our faith, allowing us to live courageously and confidently in God's presence. By consistently practicing these habits, we invite God's transformative power into our lives, shaping us into courageous and faithful followers of Jesus. This journey is a lifelong process of cultivating habits that embody our faith. [04:40]

"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." (Proverbs 4:23, ESV)

Reflection: What spiritual practice can you incorporate into your daily routine to help align your heart with your faith? How can this practice help you live more courageously in God's presence?


Day 4: Taking Small Steps Towards Spiritual Growth
Taking small, tangible steps is essential for spiritual growth. By confronting fears and challenges with God's help, we gradually reshape our habits and responses, aligning them with our faith and trust in God. These small steps are like the ropes course of our spiritual journey, inviting God's presence into our lives and allowing His transformative power to shape us. By consistently practicing these habits, we become more courageous and faithful followers of Jesus. [09:38]

"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand." (Zechariah 4:10, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a small step you can take today to confront a fear or challenge in your life. How can you invite God into this experience to help transform your fear into courage?


Day 5: Cultivating Habits That Embody Faith
The journey of spiritual formation is a lifelong process of cultivating habits that embody our faith. By consistently practicing these habits, we invite God's presence into our lives, allowing His transformative power to shape us into courageous and faithful followers of Jesus. This process involves moving beyond mere head knowledge to heart knowledge, engaging in spiritual practices that align our embodied responses with our faith. [11:07]

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9, ESV)

Reflection: What is one habit you can cultivate this week to embody your faith more fully? How can this habit help you invite God's presence into your daily life?

Quotes


The will is transformed by experience not information. The will and because we're embodied that actually means our bodies are immediate responses to things the thoughts that just habitually run through us is transformed not by information one of the great problems we have is we think that information alone will bring about transformation. [00:01:40]

One of the ways to understand spiritual formation is it is to come to believe with my whole body what I think I believe right now in my mind, and one of the great problems in the church is that we will in certain Traditions thank you if you just explain to people over and over and over enough here's the gospel then they will live in Grace or then they will live in Courage. [00:03:55]

Embodied knowledge is the knowledge that those workers had up on those ropes course because they had done the ropes course they were ropes disciples you don't have to be a good disciple. There was a probably 12 year old girl when we were going through that and the ropes course normally would take maybe 10 or 15 minutes to go through it there was the plank part in the tightrope Park and a leap of courage and zipline. [00:04:43]

When a Shepherd sees a wolf he might be conquered by fear and run away or he might follow his reason, which tells him that protecting sheep is good and choose to fight the wolf. In the long run the shepherd's emotional judgments embodied responses will come to be shaped by his choices after a series of Victories over wolves he will gradually experience less and less fear in future confrontations. [00:05:35]

When we make choices and we go through experiences see they are marked they are carried in our bodies in our synapses, which get wired one way or another God that's part of the gift of our little kingdoms our little bodies I was struck by that particular analogy as they thought about a story now be strong be courageous do not be afraid do not be discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. [00:06:14]

The Lord who delivered me from the Paw of The Lion and the Paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this philistine remarkable story and thinking about habits you might remember that Saul said okay go ahead and put his armor on Saul and David walked around it in the armor and uh he tried walking around the because he and his comment was I cannot go in these because I am not used to them. [00:07:54]

So he took a little slingshot in five Stones because he had the habit of using them he understood about his habits and he reflected on how God was with him and he came to believe with his whole body see be strong be very courageous do not be afraid do not be discouraged but now we need the ropes course the ropes course is a way of life where we can experience God's presence together with us. [00:08:22]

It remains true that we only change at the deepest level when our embodied knowledge gets changed and that happens through experience not just information information is critical I gotta know the carabiners are safe and the ropes will hold me I gotta know that the Lord my God is with me somebody must tell me that information is is critical but it's not sufficient transformation comes by experience. [00:09:05]

Today I want to invite you to take one step just one little thing make it tiny because habits are built in tiny ways where you step outside your comfort zone you get up on the ropes course you do something that scares you a little bit and you are able to invite God into it with you and you are able to actually do it so now again make this small. [00:09:28]

Maybe there is a conversation that you have been avoiding having and so you're going to have it today or if that's too overwhelming you're going to schedule it today or if that's too overwhelming you're going to tell another person about that today and get their wisdom on it maybe you've been afraid to look at your finances and so you're going to open up the computer and take a look at maybe you have been afraid about something going on with your body. [00:10:07]

We want to come to believe with our whole bodies and that actually is possible and that's what it means to be a follower of Jesus now I begin to step into my actual life to take tiny little habits one at a time where if I want to become courageous or I want to become generous or I want to become patients I look at I ask God to help me to design the ropes course through which I can experience his presence and come to believe with my whole body. [00:10:51]

Because love is habit for me. [00:11:23]

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Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?