8. Education
Stay faithful to the Word. Read your Bible everyday if you’re able, but at the very least make it a point to improve upon your habits in this area if needed. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training, in righteousness.” You’ll find that the more often you read it, the deeper you go into truths you’d only previously scratched the surface of, which of course will benefit your spiritual journey endlessly. I also recommend reading it from cover to cover, Genesis to Revelation.
Three chapters a day is a healthy goal for this particular challenge, but if you don’t meet it, that’s OK. Do your best. I’ve only done it once, and the second time around, I’ve been in Genesis for a month or so now. Things keep popping up, but I’ll get there. Our education can go outside the Bible for various other needs, too, and YouTube is a great place to go if you prefer to learn on your own away from the crowds. You can learn to sew, garden, stitch, knit, crochet, cook, make origami, and just about any other craft you can think of, all online. Thrift stores are a great place to go for materials for these tasks if you’re looking to save money. These are skills you’ll eventually be able to pass down to your kids as they age, and they’re quickly becoming pastimes in the fast-paced world we live in. Read books, learn new things, and keep your mind sharp for the next assignment the good Lord brings your way.
9. Elimination
The final tip should be an everyday exercise, like the others, and that is to eliminate the habits and experiences that take us away from the narrow gate, and toward the wide (Matthew 7:13-14). We need to constantly assess what we’re giving our time to, who we are entertaining, what we are consuming, and where our thoughts are landing. This is actually not as exhausting as it sounds spelled out here, and we’re well aware that nothing we can “do” can make us worthy of anything – Christ already took the punishment we could never pay on our own when He died on the cross. But, if the Spirit dwells within you and you earnestly look to emulate Christ and His examples, you won’t be able to ignore the Spirit lightly nudging you, constantly convicting you of certain truths that can’t be ignored, and in all probability, with attention and will power, you’ll eventually purge them from your desires. These things that take you further from the narrow gate will soon become distasteful, at discord with the Spirit that dwells within.
Don’t cater too much to *any* particular vice, stay away from toxicity, flee from the fires that try to warm you into a false sense of comfort and familiarity. Success, especially in the Spirit, can sometimes be a battleground.
