Immensely successful would be one way to describe the book called “Atomic Habits” written by James Clear. He talks about why our habits matter so much. Our brains are always trying to create habits, which are sort of like short-cuts which allow our body to work while our mind focuses on something else. Have you ever driven to your house or work when you actually meant to drive somewhere else? Kind of scary, right? Do you procrastinate? Do you focus too much on the goals and forget about the importance of the process? Yes! We all do. Caveat: I haven’t read this book, and am not promoting it.

One of the ideas that he talks about is the “identity-based approach”. James Clear points out that you will never read a news article that says |Man eats chicken and salad for lunch| it will only be news-worthy when he loses 100 lbs. You will never see a story stating |Man writes 500 words per day| But when his book becomes a best-seller, you will see him in the news. This biases us to focus more on the goal than on the processes necessary to attain the goal. The process is usually invisible, boring, and not news-worthy. We often think habits are important because of the results they attain, but the real reason that habits are important is because they are like a vote for the type of person that you wish to become. Habits are how you embody a particular identity. Every day that you make your bed you embody a clean and organized person. If you study for your classes regularly you embody a good student. Your habits are a vote for being a certain type of person.

Shooting basketball for 5 minutes doesn’t make you a basketball player, but if you practice every day for a year or two you would be a baller. It becomes part of your identity.

So ask yourself: who is the type of person that i want to become? What are the habits that type of person performs regularly? Once you begin to take pride or joy in that identity, it is much easier to continue the habit. A man who takes pride in the size of his biceps doesn’t have a hard time getting to the gym. A woman who takes pride in her beautiful hair easily takes time for a long hair care routine. Once something becomes part of your story, it is not hard to convince yourself about the habits. If your identity is “I am a runner” it is not nearly as hard to motivate yourself to run (especially compared to some of us). Doing one push up is not going to change your body. But it is a vote towards being the kind of person who doesn’t skip work-outs.

What if your spiritual life was very much the same? Reading your Bible for 5 minutes today may not radically transform your life, but it would be a vote towards the identity of a Scripturally-minded person. Memorizing one verse this week may not look like a big deal outwardly, but it would start to orient you as a person who hides God’s Word in his heart.

The truth is, if you are a Christian, you already have an identity. This is far more important than being a successful person, or a fit person, or a popular person. The Scripture says (among many other things) you are:

1. Chosen by God – John 15:16
2. A Child of God – John 1:12
3. Called of God – Romanos 8:28
4. Crucified with Christ – Romans 6:6
5. A Royal Priest – 1 Peter 2:9
6. A Friend of Jesus – John 15:15
7. Crucified with Christ – Galatians 2:20
8. A Citizen of heaven – Philippians 3:20
9. A Disciple of Jesus – John 8:31
10. A New Creation – 2 Corinthians 5:17

According to Ephesians 4:17-32 you are a Saint, no longer a gentile (unsaved person). You are called to walk worthy of your calling. What are the habits of a saint? If you have the identity of a person who has heard of Christ and learned of Christ how do you live? Now you:

1. Don’t lie any more, but speak the truth v25
2. You don’t angrily sin v26
3. You don’t steal, but work and give v28
4. You don’t talk dirty, but speak words of grace v29
5. You don’t live in bitterness, wrath, and slander v31
6. You instead are kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving v32

If you are a believer, this is your identity. Are you taking small steps to create habits that align with your goals? Are you becoming this kind of person as you make small changes in your life? How can you take one step forward to being more like Jesus and giving God more glory today?