Habits for Our Holiness: How the Spiritual Disciplines Grow Us Up, Draw Us Together, and Send Us Out

by Philip Nation

Not your typical spiritual disciplines book Most books on the spiritual disciplines follow the same introduce the discipline, prove it from Scripture, and give tips for how to do it. Habits for our Holiness does more than It connects the disciplines to all of life. By showing how the disciplines have their greatest power when practiced in community and on mission, Philip Nation gives Christians a bigger reason—and greater desire—to pursue spiritual disciplines. He also warns us of what happens when we neglect them. With plenty of examples, stories, and illustrations, Habits for our Holiness will inspire you to nourish your life with discipline, enjoy the fruit of godliness, and have a hand in building the church.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction

212 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2016

About the author

Philip Nation works as the Director of Content Development at LifeWay Christian Resources and serves as the teaching pastor for The Fellowship, a multi-site church in Nashville, Tennessee. He earned a Doctor of Ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also serves as the Assistant Professor of Leadership and Biblical Studies at Houston Baptist University.
He is the happy husband to Angie and father to Andrew and Chris.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Philip Nation's Habits for Our Holiness to be a thought-provoking, remarkable read. I knew it was a book about the spiritual disciplines. So I thought I knew the kind of book it would be: read your Bible daily, pray daily, praise God daily, go to church, give your money and time to the church, if you've got kids, raise them well, be kind to your neighbors and coworkers, be active in your community, etc.

I did not expect it to be both inspiring--encouraging--and challenging--penetrating.
For example, here's a question from the introduction:

What are we doing to participate in God's process of teaching others how to love Him?

And here are a few other 'wow' sentences that grabbed my attention:

The king of the universe has a deeper desire to redeem people than we can begin to imagine. Amazingly, He invites us into the work. When we love Him deeply, He will form us to mirror his heart; and He has a missionary heart.

When the truth lays hold of our souls, we should feel the compulsion to share it....The world should benefit from our spiritual growth.

God is not calling you to promise greater allegiance through a disciplined life or living out a fake spirituality. He is asking you to love him for who He is. We are not to love him to find some nebulous meaning for life or to obtain personal comfort or physical well-being. God's sole intent is that our lives will reflect His LOVE.

Our worship is setting the stage for the next generation of worshipers.

You've never accidentally met anyone. Instead, God--being God--organizes your life so that you can have an effect on every person you meet.

The approach to this 'spiritual disciplines' book is different and refreshing. It ties all the spiritual disciplines together. This is evident from the start by how he defines the term 'spiritual discipline':

A spiritual discipline is a mental and physical act and a habit that expresses our love for God and fosters a greater display of His glory in our lives and a deeper understanding of His character and agenda.

Love is the central discipline of the Christian life. Everything else will flow from that as the centerpiece of spiritual formation....Love is to be the theme of our life in Him.

The go-go-go and do-do-do attitude by Christians is often born from the idea that God has secured our eternal destiny but I need to work hard to make Him love me. In that we are completely wrong.

As you might expect, however, it does talk a lot about the Bible, about worship, about prayer, about service, about HOW to live life in a way that pursues holiness, our sanctification. He ties each chapter, each discipline, back to the world: how does that discipline impact our mission--the great commission. Every chapter it seems is about evangelism, about sharing the gospel with a world that desperately needs to hear the good news--the GREAT NEWS--that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.

For example,

Each discipline can be used for God to form you into the likeness of Christ. Through the spiritual disciplines we are seeking to serve as He served, pray as He prayed, and submit as He submitted. The disciplines can increase our intimacy with God so that we can work to extend His reign in the lives of those around us.

The worship of the church should spill into our everyday language. If God is the most important Person in the universe--and He is--then we should speak about Him. Worship is an opportunity for an unbelieving world to look over our shoulders and see the celebration of the gospel.

The Scriptures, God's revealed Word, are for everyone. We must dig into it so we can grow up in it. Then as we grow up in it, we can reach out because of it.

Prayer is not a separate discipline from God's mission. Prayer informs us of our role in His mission.

Drive-by ministry devalues the lost and is insulting to the Christ who died for the sake of redeeming broken people.

The mission of God included your salvation but it did not end with it. You have the hope of Christ in you and you're growing in it. Now it is time to share it with the world.

Quotes about 'the big three' the foundational spiritual disciplines.

Worship:

Worship is the intimate encounter that morals have with our immortal God.

The gospel fundamentally changes who we are so that we can move from an existence of constant rebellion to one of pure worship.

Worship transpires when we show the willingness for God to penetrate every arena of our life; thoughts, desires, hopes, ambitions, relationships, possessions--everything....Every thought is taken captive for Him. Each possession and relationship placed under His sovereign rule.

Prayer is a moment of worship when God's people declare that He is true and trustworthy.

The Bible

And that's why many Christians suffer from immaturity their whole lives. Having come to know Jesus, they never really study to grow in their faith. The Scripture that could grow them up, draw them close to the church, and propel them out to God's mission simply sits as an idle companion to their boring religious life. They have decided that Bible study is too tedious. By ignoring it, they ignore their own growth.

When we do not allow God to speak His powerful truth through His Word, spiritual apathy and sin becomes the habit.

As we encounter God in the pages of the Bible, it should drive us to introduce the rest of the world to Him. Two groups in our culture need special attention: the Nones and the Dones. The Nones are those who claim no religious affiliation. It is a growing group that includes atheists, agnostics, and those who just don't think about it. The Dones are those who once attended church and then something happened. Whether through pain, abuse, or plain disenchantment, they decided to be done with religion. So they left. The Bible is for both of these groups, but we must engage them in healthy conversations.

Prayer

Poetically prayer is our response to the echoes of Eden where we long to walk with God in the cool of the day. To state it as simply as possible, prayer is two-way communication that is initiated by His love.

Worship is when we talk to God about God. Intercession is when we talk to God about others. Petition is when we talk to God about ourselves.

Worship gives us the right attitude to ask for the right things. By recognizing God as our source, we can then gladly receive any answer He offers.

Prayer is the tool that He uses to give us space to mature.

Other disciplines discussed in the book:
fasting
fellowship
rest
simplicity (contentment)
servanthood (service, stewardship)
submission
leadership
disciple-making

I would recommend this book to EVERYONE. It is thorough and thought-provoking. It is challenging and encouraging. It is about LOVE and GRACE and sharing that love and grace with the world. It is the first spiritual disciplines book that I've read that focuses OUTWARD, not merely inward.

[Trevor Atwood]

This is a book on spiritual disciplines.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Show me a man who stops dating his wife, and I'll show you a marriage on the rocks. We intuit this in our earthly relationships but somehow miss it with our heavenly one. Philip Nation serves a nice reminder on how to put ourselves in the path of grace. My favorite insight came from his chapter on going to church. Christians are a "partying" people. I'd never thought about it like that, but I like it. Puts me in a different mindset as I go to worship on Sunday morning.


Notes:

Desire the king rather than the treasures in the kingdom (10)

Chapter 1: Travels Through the Garden

the greatest discipline is love. All the other disciplines flow from that (22)

Chapter 2: Our Soul's Desire and Design: The practice of Worship

In its crudest form, worship is obsessing over something (24)

Dallas Willard wrote, "In worship we engage ourselves with, dwell upon, and express the greatness, beauty, and goodness of God through the use of words, rituals, and symbols" (24)

The Bible's grand story is that God is glorified through our redemption

5. In what ways do I rebel against the truth in the passage? (43)

move biblical truth from your brain to the rest of your life (49)

When we choose to be silent, patient, and wait, we are expressing our faith in God, not in prayer (60)

Fasting is a spiritual discipline that completely or partially eliminates food adn/or drink in order to spend mealtimes in prayer for biblical purposes (63)

Did you really fast for Me? Personal note: this is a cutting question. (66)

Chapter 6: A Partying People: The Practice of Fellowship (75)

Passion to see restoration (78)

Chapter 7: Driving in the slow Lane: The Pratice of Rest (86)

Hurry sickness (87)

Refusing to rest in the work of Christ, we try our level best to add to our own reputation before God (88)

If resting takes effort, you're doing it wrong (90)

The believer should trust Christ deeply enough to know that work will be there in the morning or whenever one returns (94)

Chapter 8: Possessing Possessions: The Practice of Simple Living (98)

We love Him rather than an abundance of things (102)

iF You Put ALL of YOUR HOPE In WHAT You CAN AMASS, THEN You must CONSTANTLY GUARD IT. (102)

We are not happy with what we have because we are sure there is something better (103)

We become content because we enjoy God's provisions (104)

Chapter 9: The Ministry of the Mundane: The Practice of Servanthood

We use people as service animals

Nobody thought the Golden State Warriors could win?! (132)

Chapter 11: Traveling Together: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership (133)

The world defines success in terms of power, money, and achievements (133)

Missional leadership is living according to and speaking comprehensibly about the mission of God as first revealed in the Scriptures and the life of Jesus Christ so as to guide others to surrender to and participate in the mission of God on a personal and community level (135)

We want Saul to be the king (137)

Covenant of love, not legalism (140)

Ministry leaders get into the middle of the mess of everyone's lives and lead them like close, personal friends. (143)

Chapter 12: City Missionaries: The Practice of Disciple-Making (144)

Aiding a friend mature in Christ makes clear to us God's love, and it reminds us of His pure love for us. As the love of God drive our lives, then we are growing in holiness -- the goad of each spiritual discipline (145)

Teaching them who Christ is, watching them place their faith in Him, and then walking with them toward maturity is how a disciple maker lives (149)

We must not let the tool God uses to become the object of our worship (153)

[Johnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never forget how one of my favorite books on spiritual disciplines, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life written by Donald Whitney, begins with the story of a young boy who is transported by an angel to Carnegie Hall where he is allowed to observe a future view of himself. In this future view, he effortlessly plays the guitar with great precision only to be told that that could be him if only he would practice. In the words of Donald Whitney, “Discipline without direction is drudgery.”
Philip Nation, author of Habits for our Holiness: How the Spiritual Disciplines Grow Us Up, Draw Us Together, and Send us Out, published by Moody Press, goes even a step further in his book on these disciplines in that he concludes that they are not just to make us holy, but also to make us ready for His mission. Spiritual disciplines, according to Nation, don’t just allow us to have greater intimacy with God, but they have a missional purpose in them where they make an impact in the lives of the people we encounter. I love how he makes that next step in this book showing us how to make it missional. I don’t recall seeing that in other books on discipline that I have encountered. The author is also very intentional to show in his book that love is the key. His first chapter is all about this. He wants us to love Him for Who He is and for our lives to reflect that love. That theme of love is strung all throughout his book. This is definitely more than a book of a list of things that we must do as Christians.
One of the characteristics that I believe makes this book on disciplines unique is the fact that it first gives you instruction concerning tackling a specific discipline alone; then it gives you instruction on how to do it with others. He shows how togetherness brings a whole new dimension to the discipline.
Another characteristic of this book that I appreciated is how the author takes each discipline and shows how bringing this into your life would cause you to rely on God. He shows you where your idols are. He shows you how these disciplines cause you to trust God, trust His goodness, trust His sufficiency, and trust His love.
I believe that the chapter on fasting may just be worth the whole book. Nations does a tremendous job of helping you understand the discipline and the true motivation behind it. I found his words very convicting and convincing that this is something that I need in my life now. I will be pulling this book back off of the shelf just to reread this section of the book.
I appreciated how he ends the book talking about the discipline of leadership and disciple making. As his subtitle suggests, these disciplines are not just meant to grow us up but send us out. At the end of the book he said, “It is time for you to live out the spiritual disciplines with love as the centerpiece and mission as the result.” Love and mission. That is one of the reasons I recommend this book.
This book is not your typical book on spiritual discipline. If you have read the classics like Foster and Whitney, you will appreciate Nation’s fresh take. I truly do recommend it for your consideration.
I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

[Michele Morin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beginners All Our Life


The rhubarb has made its wrinkled and deep green appearance, and it’s time for me to plant the peas, the annual spring gamble for this risk-averse gardener. I’ve driven stakes into the warming soil, because when I opened the package, I realized (too late!) that I had purchased seeds for a variety that requires a supporting structure for its vines. Since this is what the seeds promise, this is what will –most certainly — grow. After twenty-six years of spring plantings and fall harvests, this is no surprise to me, and yet it’s strange that there are days when I plant discontentment, impatience, and faithless talk, dark seeds into the soil of my heart, and then watch in hope for the “peaceable fruit of righteousness” to appear like spring violets.

Philip Nation makes this wise statement in the introduction to Habits for Our Holiness:

“The things we plant in our lives are the things that grow in our lives.”
Spiritual disciplines, then, are part of our planting, a means to the desired end of a mature faith. Not an end in themselves, they are (to veer abruptly into another metaphor) tools in God’s hands for molding the believer. What prevents the practice of spiritual disciplines from becoming stuffy and legalistic is love, for “as the central discipline of the Christian life, love is what propels habitual holiness . . . Internal transformation manifests itself in external action. It doesn’t work the other way around.” Habits for Our Holiness is an invitation to begin again in this life of obedience to — and love for — Christ’s commands. Thomas Merton said:

“We do not want to be beginners, but let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything else but beginners all our life.”
With that in mind, Philip Nation presents the disciplines of worship, Bible study, and prayer as the foundation by which we declare that God owns our hearts, that we will resist temptation, cynicism, and passiveness through immersion in Scripture, and that we will take delight in the “Great Conversation,” the my-life-for-yours of intercessory prayer, the mystery of approaching the throne of God.

The spiritual practice of fasting provides an interruption to our lives that reveals a deeper hunger for something that is eternal. For establishing God-centered living, for a revelation of what truly controls us, and for confirmation of our dependence on God, fasting forces us to acknowledge what we love the most.

Fellowship is not typically included in a list of spiritual disciplines, but its interlocking mechanism of face-to-face togetherness (like Legos!) is simple but effective. By allowing one another deeply into our lives, we experience a sort of growth that will not occur in the safety of solitude.

The practice of rest (or Sabbath) is a physical expression of a spiritual reality: the work for our salvation has been accomplished by Jesus. Furthermore, the book of Hebrews offers insight into the deeper significance of an eternal reality — the ultimate satisfaction and heavenly rest of which our single day is merely a shadow.

Simple living is actually a lived-out choice of contentment over craving. Philip zeroes in on stewardship, a well-known biblical attitude toward possessions, and introduces “shunning” as a path to simplicity: “avoiding those objects, thoughts, and even places that remove us from God.”

Philip Nation helps his readers to understand servanthood, the ministry of the mundane, via the juxtaposition of two New Testament bowls of water: (1) Jesus’ attitude toward service as holy privilege when He washed the disciples’ feet in the upper room; (2) Pilate’s hand-washing refusal to enter into the messiness of Jesus’ situation. Of course, the only acceptable motive for entering into another’s mess is the love of Jesus.

From Jesus’ example, we learn true submission, and we understand that it occurs in the context of relationship (practiced even within the Trinity). From the agony of Jesus’ garden prayer, we learn the lesson that comes as no surprise: submission is hard.

The introduction of spiritual leadership and disciple-making as habits for our holiness sets Philip Nation’s book apart from other books on spiritual disciplines* that I have read this year, for it is not only for the purpose of growing up that God has given us the means of grace to come into relationship with Him. It is also because He intends for us to be drawn together — and then sent out into bold, others-centered obedience that results in a public faith and a Great Commission life style. Not only are the disciplines not a solitary all-about-me affair, they are also best viewed in relationship to one another. I counted at least six instances in which Philip Nation prefaced a description of one of the habits for holiness with the phrase, “As with all the spiritual disciplines . . . ” From this insight, we see that “all of the disciplines”:

are intended “to express our love to God and experience His love for us.”
involve “truth, the gospel, and God’s character at work within us.”
are “intended to keep us from a mediocre expression of faith.”
find fullest expression when practiced in community.
“require intentionality.”
“reflect an ethic that the lost will thoroughly question,” which brings us full circle, back to my seed planting, for not only do the spiritual disciplines encourage plantings of righteousness in our own lives. Their presence in the life of a believer is salty and bright and leads to the all-important “why” — which opens the door to spiritual conversations, deeper relationships, and a public faith that is lived with love as the centerpiece.
//

This book was provided Moody Publishers in exchange for my review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Patrick Mcmichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guide on spiritual disciplines that roots each discipline in being loved by God

Excellent guide on spiritual disciplines that roots each discipline in being loved by God, and in loving Him. Some books on spiritual disciplines can come across as a set of things to do, and heart gets overshadowed by head. With Nation’s book, this is the furthest thing from what is so simply yet powerfully conveyed. This book is great for new believers and the lifelong follow of Christ alike.

[Kailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an amazing read. I had to take my time to really digest everything. It was so convicting and encouraging. It challenged me to look at my life through a new lens. To look at the intention behind the choices I make and learn what fuels my motivation. It restoked my passion to love God simply because He deserves it and to worship and follow Him because of who He is.

[Sarah Gautam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. An unusually good companion to your spirituality as an elder. Inspired by this book, I have also written a blog on Spiritual Habits. You must also read my blog, it is very interesting Visit Here

[Rodney Tripp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for those interested in how you can conduct yourself in this world. The book tends to drag in spot; repetitive moment. A one time read with you making notes. It does not lead me to read any other books by this author. I do plan to read this book also called Habits for Holiness
By: Mark-Mary Ames (ISBN-9781950784608)

[RosieDarling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciate this book. It is clearly written, easy to read and effectively communicates the love of Jesus and the power of the gospel. The information about the Christian disciplines is presented in a clear and real life applicable way. Will recommend this book to everyone I know!

[Bethan Edge · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine book on spiritual disciplines. Some good stuff I’ll take away but on the whole I didn’t find it super engaging.

[Kaytlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

a challenging, non-condescending exploration of the disciplines (with some 'not-so-traditional' inclusions, such as leadership and discipleship). The disciplines are taught as beneficial and needed tools for the outworking of love and the gospel in our lives on both a personal and community level ...rather than a toxic 'works' mentality. All in all this was a surprisingly refreshing read, and my only criticism would be that while it explored the disciplines it did not necessarily provide many specific advice or tips on HOW to practically implement them, leaving us the question of what to do after. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and will be referring back to it :)

[Craig Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Generations of Christians have rightly championed the practice of spiritual disciplines. Whether it be prayer, Bible reading, singing, worship or fasting, Scripture calls us to practice these things and to grow in our practice of them. They are the building blocks of the Christian life and means through which we grow in our walk with the Lord in Christ-likeness.

There are several classic works on the spiritual disciplines which have served Christians for decades and will continue to do so. Building on these works, pastor, teacher, and author Philip Nation has written Habits for Our Holiness: How the Spiritual Disciplines Grow Us Up, Draw Us Together, and Send Us Out (Moody, 2016).

Habits for Our Holiness is written in a way so as to show us what the spiritual disciplines are, how they are to be practiced individually and in community, and how they send us out into the world. While Nation does not necessarily break new ground in explaining the disciplines, he does provide the reader with a fresh look at them and seeks to broaden our view of what constitutes as a discipline and the contexts in which we are to practice them.

Nation roots all of the disciplines in love. “Love is the central discipline of the Christian life (13),” and as such “love is what propels habitual holiness and the desire to follow God into the world for His redeeming mission. Internal transformation (founded in our love for Christ) manifests itself in external action (Bible reading, fellowship, prayer, serving, giving, etc.) (25).” If the whole law can be summed up in the commands to love God and others, and Jesus’ life is perfectly marked by that same love (whom we are to follow), then it is only fitting to see the practice of the spiritual disciplines as expressions of love; love for God and love for others.

But Nation goes further than encouraging Christians to plant these spiritual disciplines in their lives. He weaves in the challenge to practice these disciplines with the body of Christ. As the subtitle states, what grows us up ought to draw us together. So when we pray, read the Bible, worship, evangelize, serve, and lead we don’t just practice these things for their own sake or our own selves. We do them in the context of the community of the faith – the body of Christ. We love others when we practice these disciplines with others. We study the Bible ourselves but we also do it with other believers. We pray by ourselves but we also pray with other believers. On fasting in community Nation says

As believers, fasting is a practice that can greatly strengthen our relationships with one another. Rather than allowing ourselves to remain at the proverbial surface level, we must be committed to another person’s spiritual well-being to enter a fast with them. It becomes a powerful testimony to friendship and ministry to each other when you skip meals as friends, a small group, or an entire church for the purpose of crying out to God for help and comfort. (97)

Finally, the disciplines that grow us up and draw us together also send us out. We don’t just practice them for our own selves or the body of Christ but we also practice them as a way of sending us out (missional) into the world to share the love of God in Christ so that they too might share in the blessings of these disciplines once they are brought into Christ’s salvation. For example, prayer can turn missional “when you seek for God’s kingdom to reign in the hearts of those living in your community.” (79)

Seeing the practice of the spiritual disciplines, not just in the personal arena but in the communal and missional as well, roots them within the context of discipleship which contains all three spheres. If we stop at personal application then we cut our own discipleship short. We cannot grow in the fullness of Christ-likeness if we merely relegate the practice of the spiritual disciplines to the personal realm. We must practice them in personal, communal, and missional contexts.

Habits for Our Holiness is a great book on the spiritual disciplines that should be read by Christians for generations to come. It is rooted in the history of its content and accomplishes the task of broadening the scope of the subject into communal and missional applications. If you want a fresh take on the spiritual disciplines to help you grow more then this is the book to read. Nation rightly applies the practice of the spiritual disciplines within the whole context of Christian discipleship.

I received this book for free from Moody Publishers for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Daniel Im · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The spiritual disciplines can help you, but they cannot save you."

I love books written on the spiritual disciplines because I understand that my relationship with God is the plumb line to everything in my life. If I'm not regularly spending time with God in prayer, reading Scripture, and engaging in the other disciplines, my compass gets skewed and there's fall out everywhere else.

Here's the problem though: most books on spiritual disciplines lack one thing.

That one thing isn't great stories, solid theology, innovative ways to practice the disciplines, or motivation. That one thing is how the disciplines connect to mission.

In Habits for Our Holiness, my friend and co-teaching pastor, Philip Nation, addresses what's been lacking in most books on spiritual disciplines in a readable, yet comprehensive way. It's precisely this,

Discipline leads to mission.

He believes that the central discipline of the Christian life is love, and that "love is what propels habitual holiness and the desire to follow God into the world for His redeeming mission" (25). If you practice the disciplines, while disregarding others and the mission of God, you miss the entire point. The fact is, discipline leads to mission.

While most books on spiritual disciplines relegate mission to just one of the spiritual disciplines--namely, evangelism--Philip finds a way to masterfully weave mission throughout each and every one of the disciplines, as outlined in the table that I created below. You can download the pdf here - http://www.danielim.com/2016/04/21/bo...

This is how Philip categorizes the disciplines:
- Worship, Bible study, and prayer: These three disciplines form the foundation for our habits for holiness.
- Fasting, fellowship, rest, simplicity, and servanthood: These disciplines cause us to love God more thoroughly and cause him to shape our hearts more missionally.
- Submission, leadership, and disciple-making: These disciplines help us understand where our loyalties lie in relation to God's sovereignty.

All in all, this is a much needed book and one that I advise all churches to adopt and use as a part of their discipleship process. I give it a 5/5.

Here is a list of my favorite quotes from this book:
-Love is the central discipline of the Christian life.
-The world should benefit from our spiritual growth.
-The more often we hold up love, the more habitual our holiness will become.
-At the end of the day, we must ask ourselves who we want to become.
-When we worship God, we say to everything else, "You are not God."
-Our prayers take on different forms at times than my prayers.
-Applying the Bible in community will also help with your spiritual blind spots.
-When we learn together, we grow together, and then we can better serve the world together.
-Grow up so I can reach out. Reach out so I can grow up.
-Prayer, however, is much more than merely rattling off whatever is on the top of our minds or repeating phrases with great passion.
-Prayer should drive us to a sense of God's work in both us and the world around us.
-Fasting is a beautiful test of what or Who rules our lives.
-The call of God is not to separate from the world but to know how to live in it.
-When you use what you own to bless the city where you live, your passions become tools rather than idols.
-As you serve, you build up the body of Christ because you reflect the heart of Christ.
-We submit because we love Him. He accepts our surrender because He loves us.
-The deeper your love for God, the more effective your leadership for others.
-Leadership without character is tyranny.
-The spiritual disciplines can help you, but they cannot save you.
-Spiritual disciplines are paths on which we walk, not treasures to which we cling.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Habits for Our Holiness by Philip Nation reveals its central thesis and the value of the spiritual disciplines addressed in it right on the cover, that is the disciples are to be habits that contribute to our holiness. The book's overall structure in organizing and addressing the disciplines is also found on the book's cover in that the first section addresses disciplines which deal with individual spiritual growth, the second corporate disciples, and the last section missionally oriented disciplines.

The first chapter makes clear that true pursuit of spiritual disciplines can only occur within a covenant relationship with God and not as an effort to earn God's approval. Chapters two through five address the disciples that grow us up those being worship, Bible study, prayer, and fasting. Chapter six through nine deal with the disciplines that draw us together fellowship, rest, simplicity, and servanthood. Chapters ten through twelve address the disciplines that send us out on mission submission, spiritual leadership, and disciple-making. As you read through the book it will become clear that the order of the disciplines is an important part of the book as each discipline is interconnected with and dependent upon other disciplines.

There is not shortage of books on spiritual disciplines. However many of them would prove to be daunting for a new or immature Christian. I think Philip Nation's book would be readily accessible for a believer of any level of spiritual maturity. I think Nation finds a right balance between being descriptive and prescriptive. I would say one weakness is that if a reader wanted to study the individual disciplines to a greater extent they would have no idea where to start, so a suggested further reading might be helpful in future editions. Right now if someone asked what book I would recommend for a new believer to read in order to understand the disciplines this would be one of the first ones on the list.

Disclosure: I received this book free from from the publisher for providing this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read non-fiction, more often than not, I will only read one chapter a day so that I can ingest and digest the information given. For a book like Habits for Our Holiness, that was a necessary strategy. Learning how others have come before me and walked the walk of faith always aids my own walk. My first tour through the Christian disciplines is Donald Whitney's Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Both of these books offer quite the same information, but both of the books are worth reading more than once.

When I was a student getting my degree in education, one of the things we learned is how we learned--we could be visual learners (I am), auditory learners, or kinetic learners, or any combination of all of the above. In fact, we all have some degree of all three learning styles in us. I could take notes in a class and bring the notes back up in my mind when I was taking a test and read until I got to the answer I needed. Making things stick in our minds is easier when we take our own notes and read them in our own handwriting, or we read them aloud in our own voices, or we act it out with our own bodies. This in and of itself is why it's good to read the same kinds of information with more than one author.

So here's what I brought away from the chapter on Bible Study: We have to question each passage of scripture--it's like asking the teacher to explain something we don't understand.

1. How does this passage reveal God's character?
2. How does this passage reveal God's redemptive plan?
3. How did the passage apply to the original hearers?
4. How does this truth affect my relationship with Christ?
5. In what ways do I rebel against the truth in the passage?
6. What is the impact of the passage on the church?

Philip Nation has brought the disciplines together in an extremely readable way, understandable by any student of the Christian life. This is a five star book worth reading, meditating on, and digesting, simply to understand God and His word better.

My thanks to Moody Publishers for allowing me to read and review this book.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review online at: http://tinyurl.com/z8mu2b2

Author Philip Nation shows us how we can dedicate ourselves to knowing God better by practicing certain spiritual disciplines. Two other authors have addressed spiritual disciplines at length: Richard Foster and Dallas Willard. Both list certain disciplines that bring us closer to God. Nation uses some of these familiar disciplines and adds a couple more. He places a different emphasis on the quest for holiness. Not only should we be holy in our dedication to God in our private life. We are also commissioned by Jesus to be active in the world, providing an example and leadership to others who want to be close to God. The promotional material for the book puts it this way: "By showing how the disciplines have their greatest power when practiced in community and on mission, Philip Nation gives Christians a bigger reason—and greater desire—to pursue spiritual disciplines."

I've read books on spiritual disciplines before, and I expected this book to be similar. However, it is only similar in the fact that it explains spiritual disciplines. Nation's approach is refreshing because he's saying that we should not only use disciplines to become more holy. We should use them to be better witnesses for our faith. I recommend the book to anyone interested in the spiritual disciplines. It will breathe new life into your quest for holiness.

Nation is a teaching pastor and assistant professor who is also associated with LifeWay Christian Resources.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author. I did not request a review copy and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Robert Sutherland · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly standard book on Christian spiritual disciplines with several good points. In addition to the traditional prayer, Bible study, and worship, the author adds submission, fasting, simplicity, and other worthwhile disciplines.

His premise is that love of God must be the central focus of the spiritual disciplines, otherwise we become Pharisees practicing them. Further, action is required, otherwise the religious behavior benefits no one. "Love [is] the centerpiece, and mission [is] the result" (p. 206). The other noteworthy takeaway from this book is that there is certainly an individual component to the disciplines, but as important is how we practice them together in the body of believers.