QT 9 Feb 15, 2 Sam 5:22-25, Build habits of spiritual discipline

2 Sam 5:22-25 (ESV) And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 23  And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, "You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. 24 And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines." 25 And David did as the Lord commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.

NOTE: This is one of those positive moments in the life of David. It was not free of conflict or stress or pain, but it was a time of victory and blessings. It is also a time of reliance, as David goes to God for direction. Prayer is often the missing element when we compare times of victory and times of stagnation and defeat--which is why it is so important to develop a habit of prayer. Hard times force us to our knees, but good times tempt us to forget God. Yet good times are the best times to develop good habits of prayer. Prayer needs to be a habit and is seldom successful without being a habit. A habit is "an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary (dictionary.com)." To be regular, you need a regular time and a regular place and a regular environment. The more things that are regular (the same), the easier it will be to develop a habit. It is not possible to develop a regular habit of prayer at irregular time and places during the day, unless you find the defining regularity. For example, standing in line, which is not regular in place or time, can be used as a device to initiate prayer. But better ideas will have additional regularity to it. My time is my half-hour drive to work in the morning. I do it 5 of 7 days for 35 minutes each day at the same time. It has become a habit to start praying as I drive out of my neighborhood.