God calls us to be doers of the Word, not hearers only. But sometimes, it is not easy to apply what we learn from our Bibles or even theology books. So I am always excited to read practical books on spiritual growth. My latest find is 8 Habits for Growth: A Simple Guide to Becoming More Like Christ by Darryl Dash.
8 Habits for Growth is a guide to help believers begin and continue life-changing spiritual habits. Becoming like Christ doesn’t happen instantly; it is a lifelong process that requires daily discipline and faithfulness. Therefore, Dash wrote this book to provide Christians with a roadmap to practicing eight habits that will grow them spiritually. He says, “The aim of this book is simple: to help you develop eight habits that are easy and yet will make a big difference for the rest of your life.”
The book has eight chapters for each of the eight habits. They are: Make Time, Rest and Refresh, Engage the Bible, Speak with God, Worship and Belong, Care for Your Body, Simplify and Prioritize, and Go the Distance. Each habit features six lessons with a detailed explanation of the practices, biblical basis, and actionable steps/assignments.
Unlike some other books on spiritual growth, this book is immensely practical. Dash gives detailed steps and tons of resources to help readers start and maintain these habits. And he includes a multitude of sample practices for each of these habits for guidance. Dash also explains the theology behind the habits and their significance in Scripture. For instance, in the habit of praying, Dash explains what prayer is, how to pray, praying like a child, and more. The book is also easy to read and not overwhelming.
I particularly love that Dash includes habits to help us maintain all these habits for the rest of our lives and return to them when needed. As someone who often struggles to keep practicing the many habits I begin, this section was pretty helpful.
I didn’t profit much from this book because a lot of the material was familiar, and I was already practicing most habits in some shape or form. I think this book would mainly benefit new Christians or older Christians who have never disciplined themselves to practice spiritual habits. And I would not hesitate to recommend it!
Practicing spiritual disciplines daily truly helps us grow in the faith, and as Dash says, “The best way to continue to grow is to keep building small, consistent habits. We don’t grow by making massive changes in our lives. We grow by repeatedly practicing small actions that, over time, add up to big changes in our lives.”
PS: I also highly recommend Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney
*Moody publishers graciously gave me a copy, and this is my honest review. *
