Welcome to D.I.G. 101, a look at the FOUR HABITS that every believer should be intentionally daily performing. As a church we believe that these habits are foundational to an effective life in Christ Jesus.

Here at Waters Church, we invite every new believer to develop habits that pursue the new life of Christ in us. Having these habits as a daily and weekly routine will support the transformation that the Holy Spirit has begun when we got saved.

NEXT STEPS: Build new habits

Learning the new habits of a believer in Christ will help you build a connection with God like you have never had before. Practicing these habits daily will develop a culture of God-centered living for you.

LET’S GET STARTED!

This group/class is geared to helping you get acquainted and begin the process of starting the habits that will get you becoming the person that Christ has sacrificed for you to be. The teachings outlined in this booklet are not meant to be a comprehensive study on any of the topics discussed; but when applied even in its most basic, it will become the foundation from which everything is built on.

FOUR HABITS

Prayer, Praise, Practice and Participation are the FOUR HABITS of highly effective believers.

The FOUR HABITS are foundational to everything you will learn, do and later teach others to do. These are basic habits that every believer should have. The four habits will transform your life and the life of our church. Continuing in them daily will bring joy, peace, hope, blessings and love to you everyday as well as harmony in the Body of Christ. And it will also help you become an influence to others – family, friends and anyone you may encounter. Before we begin, let us outline some of the expectations for this group/class for you.

Expectations:

This class is incredibly important. As a church these FOUR HABITS are what we believe each productive partner in our church has to have. We believe that if you’re practicing these FOUR HABITS, you are a productive partner in ministry.

After this class you should be familiar and have begun to practice:
1. Praying personal prayers daily.
2. Praising God for everyday blessings and expressing your gratitude through worship.
3. Familiar with the Bible and ways to apply it for your life daily.
4. Know the importance of building community and “doing life” with fellow believers in the Church

All right! Now that we got that established, let’s begin.

HABIT ONE: PRAYER

WHY DO WE PRAY?

Did you know that the Disciples of Jesus did not ask how to preach or how to teach the Gospel? They asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Let’s read Luke 11:1.

HOW AND WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY?

Let’s read Luke 11:1-13; Matthew 6:5-14.

There’s a pattern to pray:
1. Pray to the Father.
2. Pray for the Kingdom of God.
3. Pray for the Will of God. (Trusting God and “walking in faith”.)
4. Pray for daily “bread” – needs.
5. Pray for forgiveness for others and ourselves.
6. Pray for godly living.
7. Pray for deliverance – safety.
8. Praise God for answered prayers.

WHEN AND WHERE SHOULD WE PRAY?

Let’s read Psalm 5:3; Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10; Luke 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Though prayer is not a spectacle for us to show around people, we are encouraged by the Scriptures to pray at anytime and anywhere.

HABIT TWO: PRAISE & WORSHIP

WHY DO WE PRAISE AND WORSHIP?

Let’s read Psalm 8:3-9; 34: 1-3; 47:1-9; 1 Peter 2:9

We praise and worship God because we are made in His image, He has saved us and He is “WORTHY”. We “bless”, “magnify”, and “exalt” God.

WHAT DOES PRAISE DO? WHAT DOES WORSHIP DO?

Let’s read Psalm 8:3-4

Praise let your gratitude out and worship expresses your awe of God.

HOW CAN WE PRAISE GOD? HOW SHOULD WE WORSHIP GOD?

Let’s read Psalm 47:1, 6; Psalms 150:1-6; Matthew 21:8-9; Proverbs 3:9

Clapping, singing, shouting, dancing, playing music, bowing down, surrendering, and giving are all expressions and modes of praise and worship.

WHERE AND WHEN SHOULD WE PRAISE OR WORSHIP GOD?

Let’s read Psalms 150:1, Matthew 21:8-9; Acts 16:25

Praise and worship is personal but when we come together as a community or a body of believers, there is incredible power in it. God inhabits the praises of His people.

HABIT THREE: PRACTICE

BIBLE READING & GODLY LIVING

WHY DO WE PRACTICE OUR FAITH?

There is no purer way to practice our faith than reading our Bibles daily and devoting some time to understanding it and meditating on God’s Word.

Let’s read Joshua 1:8

WHO SHOULD READ THE BIBLE AND PRACTICE ITS TEACHINGS?

Let’s read Psalm 1:1-2.

Godly living is derived from our practicing of the teachings of the Bible daily.

HOW SHOULD WE READ?

Let’s read 2 Timothy 2:15; John 5:39-40

Studying the Bible will helps us to understand the Truth. “Searching” the Scriptures will help us discover Who Jesus really is.

WHAT IS “GODLINESS”?

Let’s read Titus 2:11-13

Godliness is an act of selfless denial of worldly lusts and ungodliness as well as living a sober/discreet/modest, righteous and godly or pious/religiously disciplined life. All of that can be accomplished once we submit to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Godliness is an act of the Holy Spirit in us that we willingly submit to.

WHY DO WE PARTICIPATE?

Let’s read Psalm 133:1

We gather together with fellow believers (brethren) because God loves it and it is incredibly important for support and building up.

WHO SHOULD COME TOGETHER?

Let’s read Hebrews 10:25; 1 Corinthians 14:26

When we come together as believers, we are part of the support system that God has planned for our benefit. Singing, sharing an insight, having spiritual conversations are all done to help build up our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Our weekly worship experience, the Christian’s “banquet”, is pivotal to our growth in God and participation in God’s work in and through us. We not only bless ourselves by coming, we also encourage our leaders and fellow believers by our attendance. Because of this we place high partnership value in attending every Sunday worship experience in person.

HOW CAN WE PARTICIPATE IN THE CHURCH?

Let’s read Acts 2:41-47

There were four disciplines the disciples of Jesus practiced: learning the teachings of Jesus, communing and contributing in fellowship, doing life together and praying for one another on a consistent basis. We can participate in the church in three ways: providing our time, giving of our “treasure” through financial support and exercising our talents through team involvement.