The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step- Chinese Proverb.

Where no plan is laid, where the disposal of time is surrendered merely to the chance of incident, chaos will soon reign. – Victor Hugo

Where there is no vision, the people perish (Berkely Translation – run wild); but he who keeps the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18

By age 18, my life was at a standstill. I had no vision or direction. The thought that “I can’t do anything right” bombarded my every attempt to succeed. Three weeks before I turned 18, I came back to Jesus and received the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. Just a week or so afterwards, I was engaged in conversation with friends after a church service, and in the context of the conversation I said, “Well, I just can’t do that.” One of my friends turned to me and abruptly said, “Don’t ever say that again, because you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!” I was shocked at his in-your-face comment, but what he said challenged that long-standing thought process in me that kept me from pursuing life with a passion. And it set me on a journey to challenge and change wrong thoughts that hindered God’s plans for my life.

Over the next few weeks and months, I found myself drawn to certain scriptures that encouraged hard work and personal thriftiness. Here are a few of them:

Ecclesiastes 9:10 - Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

Proverbs 10:4 - He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Proverbs 12:24 - The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor.

Proverbs 13:4 - The soul of the lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

Proverbs 21:25 - The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.

Proverbs 22:29 -Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.

Romans 12:11- Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

Colossians 3:23-24 - And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, (24) knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

These scriptures had a great impact on me, and I began to see the need to develop habits that would glorify God and allow Him access into my life. I began to see that whatever I want to be tomorrow, I must include in my behavior and practice today. My tomorrows are a true reflection of my combined daily habits. What I want to be in the future must be translated into a daily practice, or it will never be realized. If I want to be closer to the Lord, if I want closeness with my family, if I want health, if I want close friendships and good relationships, then I must be willing to develop daily habits that will translate these desires into concise action.

By definition, a habit is a characteristic condition of mind or body; a disposition; a thing done often and hence easily; a practiced custom; a usual way of doing. When God created us, he gave us the capacity to form habits so that life would be easier for us, and so that we could accomplish His purposes in our lives. He has led me to carefully guard my daily habits, and to develop habits that help Him fulfill His plans for my life.

During these formative years of my life in my early twenties, the Lord led me to begin a regimen of physical exercise that would keep my temple fit for my benefit and God’s glory. I bought all the necessary jogging paraphernalia, and off I went to a jogging track to jog a mile. One eighth of a mile into my jog, I was stopped by a stitch in my side and legs that felt like rubber. I walked the rest of the way with the determination to eventually jog one mile. Several months later, I was jogging five miles in forty minutes, and feeling much better. I found that if I just kept at it, going a little further each time, I would reach my goal. And I did. I knew that three to four weeks of doing something repetitiously begins the formation of a new habit. Now, twenty-three years later, I still have an engrained habit of physical exercise.

Some time later, the Lord reminded me of what it took to change my exercise habits, and He began to deal with me about my personal time with Him. I had developed a habit of meditating on scripture when I wasn’t actively using my mind on my job. One day I was meditating on Matthew 6:33; “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” The Lord impressed me strongly with the question, “What’s first in your life?” I replied to Him that of course He was, to which I heard these words within me, “Then what’s first in your life make first in your day.”

The Lord also reminded me of how I developed a habit of exercise the year before, and that I should pursue time with Him by slowly forming a habit of personal, daily fellowship. I started slowly, knowing that a habit would be developed if I kept at it for three to four weeks. Each morning, I started rising ten minutes earlier than normal. Here I am now twenty-two years later, and I still have the habit of early rising for fellowship with the Lord to begin my day. The ten minutes has turned into spending a couple of hours each morning with the Lord before starting my day. And this has revolutionized my life!

Anything God has for your future must be translated into a daily pattern if God’s plans are to become a reality in your future. God has given us the capacity to form habits that will bring Him glory, and that will aid Him in transforming our lives and working through us.

Let me encourage you today to find God’s plan for an area of life, and then make daily, specific habits to get there. Remember, what you are tomorrow is determined by what you do today.