Olympic athletes train for years to compete at the highest levels. They discipline their minds and bodies, rearranging their whole schedule to reach that pinnacle of sport. But even those with the greatest talents can develop bad habits. Poor time management, insufficient training, and distractions of life keep an athlete from the goal. Great talent requires great discipline for a person to become their best.
The Bible compares the Christian life to an Olympic athlete, part of the Greek and Roman culture, even then. The apostle Paul writes that we must “run in such a way to get the prize,” developing discipline and self-control (1 Corinthians 9). The metaphor breaks down a bit, since athletes train for a crown which will fade, but Christians seek a heavenly one. In Hebrews 12:1, the writer encourages us to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” so we can run the race before us with perseverance.
While we might agree with these ideas, some habits sneak in on us. Hebrews points out a difference between things that hinder and outright sin. With believers, the Devil often tempts us with neutral things, distractions, instead of outright sin. We then develop habits that might seem innocuous, yet they keep us from fulfilling our calling in Christ.
Here are eight sneaky habits that stunt our spiritual growth.
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1. Neglecting Consistent Prayer
Prayer sits at the core of our walk with God, a constant connection and humbling conversation with our Father through the Spirit. And yet, for most people, when life gets busy or legitimate crises emerge, we quickly neglect times of prayer, prioritizing worldly things like work or events over our time with God. However, when we neglect prayer, our spiritual life suffers. We begin relying upon our own abilities and understanding. We get comfortable in this new prayerless routine and suffer more fear, pride, and confusion without the Father’s constant presence. Days without prayer become weeks, and we become more blind to the enemy's attacks. Intimacy with God fades.
Jesus, the perfect Son of God, needed prayer. Our need for prayer is part of our perfection, not an insult. Jesus regularly withdrew to lonely places to pray to his Father (Luke 5:16). And if he needed this continual communion, how much more do we? Losing our prayer life leads us to miss the voice of God and lose the comfort and insight the Spirit brings us. We become slaves to circumstance rather than free in faith by the Spirit.
I Thessalonians 5:17 simply says, “Pray without ceasing.” Prayer becomes a needed time we set aside for intercession and an open, continual conversation with God. Both require intentionality. When we stop praying, we stop growing. And we don’t just stay in one place. Without growth, we regress. Prioritize prayer to live the abundant life Christ calls us to.
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2. Resisting Praise and Gratitude
Just as we are told to pray without ceasing, the same passage tells us to “rejoice always.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16) Praise includes both corporate times, private moments, and a continual attitude of the heart. And when our problems overwhelm us, our humanity tempts us to react, often questioning God’s goodness, like when the disciples wonder if Jesus cared since he slept through a life-threatening storm (Mark 4:38). This turns our heart from praise. And yet, just as Jesus had the power to calm the storm, God alone is always worthy of praise. And thanksgiving aligns our hearts to reality and truth, humbles us before his power. And he gives grace to those who recognize his worth, especially in difficult times.
We approach God with praise and thanks: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and bless his name.” (Psalm 100:4) Engaging with God rightly begins with acknowledging and even celebrating his great character, value, and worth. To resist this means rejecting God, separating ourselves from his presence. To withdraw from praise might seem harmless at first, but it develops a new habit, distance from God, and regression.
Praise lifts our eyes above our current situation to God’s character, his love, his care for us, his promises, and power. Thankfulness reminds us how he’s provided grace in the past and will once again. Worship creates the margin in our hearts for the Spirit to move and work, transforming us into his image more and more.
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3. Relying on Feelings, Not Faith
Along with situations, our feelings often overwhelm us. Strong emotions rise, and we don’t think we can get away from them or deny them. God affirms our griefs and feelings on one level, not dismissing or avoiding them, but emotions can’t be the basis for decisions. Feelings change based on a circumstance, a mood, or other influences, making emotions a shifting and insecure foundation for choices and life. Unfortunately, we live in a culture that constantly appeals to our emotions to sell us stuff and get us to spend money.
While not denying our feelings, God invites us to address our natural and legitimate feelings with faith. Faith is eternal, anchored in heavenly revelation and the Word of God. We can take our thoughts captive by the Spirit and submit all things to God’s truth, which will lead to our current and eternal good. Walking “by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7) brings us peace and joy, even in hard times.
When we live by emotions, we start chasing highs (even religious ones) instead of the consistent walking in obedience, which is often uncomfortable. Jesus defined the path of salvation as narrow due to its difficulty. The wide road feels easy, but it leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Walking in our emotions has us reject the difficult choices, which will lead to our spiritual growth. Relying upon faith, we stand firm. In our feelings, we are unstable.
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4. Allowing Bitterness and Offense
The Bible strongly warns against bitterness and offense. This almost exclusively happens within our hearts, a choice we make to hold onto hurt, anger, or resentment. And as humans, we feel totally justified in seeking some form of punishment against those who have wronged us, whether real or imagined. Unforgiveness is the opposite of God’s mercy and love. Bitterness poisons our hearts against others, seeing them as unredeemable or without hope for reconciliation, which are lies. We become prideful judges, refusing to walk in love, forgiveness, and freedom in our own hearts. In the end, we reject God, too.
Hebrews 12:15 clearly describes this problem. “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” The apostle Paul connects an offense with the work of Satan, telling us we give our spiritual enemy a foothold in unforgiveness (Ephesians 4:26-27). Christ came to destroy the works of the devil, not allow them to destroy us. Bitterness spreads and divides relationships and communities, steals our joy, and blinds us to God’s love.
Walking in God’s forgiveness first sets us free to love like God loved us, trusting him to be the judge, and makes a path for those who did wrong to find grace, repentance, healing, and restoration. Just as God does with us, let us release our bitterness and offense to find God doing miracles of love and reconciliation.
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5. Justifying Small or Large Disobedience
It usually begins small. The little foxes spoil the vineyard, as Song of Solomon 2:15 says. Most of us would recognize Satan’s temptation to commit “big” or obvious sins. Like the Olympic athlete, cheating on the diet a little today leads to a little more tomorrow and develops into a habit. The Devil knows this. He’s been at it a while. So he gets us to compromise on a small thing today. But then we want more the next day, and so on, increasing the sin to more destructive degrees.
These compromises include ignoring the Spirit’s leading, the still small voice that invites us into life and growth, but he won’t force us. When we keep dismissing his voice, we build a habit of compromise, weakening our faith. Hidden sins, however, enslave us, and we will eventually be exposed and face consequences. This isn’t growth but regression away from God’s call.
God calls us to faithfulness in small and large matters. “One who is faithful in little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in little is also dishonest in much.” (Luke 16:10) The smaller areas aren’t insignificant; they reveal our hearts for obedience when no one is looking. Faithfulness in little leads us to more spiritual responsibility and growth. Justifying smaller sins opens the door to bigger rebellion.
Obedience isn’t about legalism but love and trusting the Father. In following the Spirit, we trust him more than ourselves and grow to be more like the Son.
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6. Cares of This Life
The things we see demand our attention. We must work to get food, shelter, and other things we think we need. Further, we desire to grow in our careers, get bigger houses, better cars, degrees from college, and other good things. But my mentor used to say, “The good is the enemy of the best.” These good things can quickly draw our attention away from the Lord. When our focus shifts there, we worry about sustaining our own life, comparing ourselves to others. They steal the proper aim of our life: Christ.
Jesus warned about the “cares of this life” in the popular and central Parable of the Sower. “The one who received the seed among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22) In this iteration, the seed started to grow beyond the surface, but thorns rose up and choked out the plant before it produced fruit, killing it. The concerns and ambitions of this world kill our ability to produce spiritual fruit if it becomes our focus and priority.
We must guard our hearts. Yes, we steward the things of this life, but with an eternal perspective. Jesus calls us to seek him and the Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33), promising to provide all we need when we do, protecting us from worry and sin. Seeking the Kingdom first, Jesus’ priority, we become more like him.
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7. Listening to the Philosophies of the World Instead of the Bible and Spirit
Like our emotions, we can focus on our own intellectual abilities. We like things to make sense to us. The world offers philosophies and “isms” for us to try and guide our thoughts and decisions. Yet the world’s messages promote self and personal ability and attainment. Despite how wise they seem on the outside, they shift our trust to ourselves instead of the Bible and the Spirit. God’s truth comes from another realm, heaven, and it humbles us with its mystery.
We must submit our intellect to faith and the Spirit, or else become slaves. “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8) Worldly philosophies sound intelligent, and the world celebrates them. At the same time, academia often mocks faith and God’s miracles. However, these worldly philosophies are lifeless and empty apart from Christ, leading to pride and logical contradiction, as shifting the foundation to emotion.
God must choose to reveal himself, and when he does, our minds are renewed. Our very thinking changes to the eternal perspective, healing our heart, giving us security, and engaging our intellect in the right way. Submitting our intellect to the Spirit doesn’t dismiss our mind but redeems it. We then grow in the mind of Christ, which aligns with his whole character, and we gain insights, strength, peace, and hope. We grow wholistically in God’s born-again image in us.
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Originally published Thursday, 29 May 2025.