I love the art of shooting a basketball. For years, I’ve studied how many of the “greats” release the ball—the lineup (elbow), hand placement, wrist action, and release. There are so many moving parts within a shot, which is why it requires daily practice. That’s why the greats—even those who earn millions of dollars and have taken countless shots in their careers—commit to practicing one of the most basic drills every day: form shooting.
Form shooting reinforces the foundation they’ve built over the years and allows them to correct bad habits that can creep in and hinder their success.
James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits, defines a habit as “a behavior that has been repeated enough times to become automatic.” Habits, he says, are “mental shortcuts learned from experience.”
I typically study scripture at night, but in 2025, I decided to “start” my day in His Word. My goal is to read or listen to the Bible chronologically throughout the year. Each morning, as I get ready, I open the Bible app and begin. This habit pays dividends throughout my day because it fills my mind with truth.
Still, even though reading God’s Word is something I cherish, incorporating this new habit into my morning routine has been more challenging than I anticipated.
Clear outlines four steps to building habits: cue, craving, response, and reward.
- Cue: Something that “triggers your brain to initiate a behavior” (p. 47). I’ve noticed a trend on social media where women place their Bibles in visible spaces, like on the kitchen counter, as a reminder to feast on His Word.
- Craving: The motivational force sparked by the cue. Clear explains, “What you crave is not the habit itself but the change in state it delivers” (p. 48).
- Response: The action you take. When repeated consistently, this response becomes a habit.
- Reward: The reason we pursue the habit. As Clear writes, “The cue is about noticing the reward. The craving is about wanting the reward. The response is about obtaining the reward” (p. 48).
Reflecting on my new morning habit of reading the Bible, I realize the struggle may stem from missing the reward.
What is my “why”?
Is it because I know I should be in the Word more (true as that is), or is there a deeper reason? The reward must be more meaningful than just checking off a box—it needs to connect to my growth and purpose in Christ.
Consider 1 Peter 2:1-12 when thinking about forming habits–especially forming being in the Word habits:
“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” (1 Peter 2:1-2)
Being intentional about spending time in God’s Word transforms my day. It fills my mind with His thoughts and helps me confront and lay aside things like deceit, hypocrisy, and envy. Feeding on His Word nourishes my soul, enabling me to grow spiritually. Reading the Bible chronologically allows me to see the overarching story of mercy and grace from Genesis to Revelation.
This habit of daily time in Scripture is like “form shooting” in my spiritual life. It builds the “spiritual house”:
“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:4-5)
It also glorifies God:
“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:11-12)
When my conduct is honorable, it points others to Him. It shows how gracious He has been to me and in turn, to them.
In February, Sheltered in Grace will be posting a series of challenges that help us form or continue some good habits that feed our souls and others.
What is the reward? Building up your spiritual house and pointing others to Him.
- Cue: Look for daily prompts on our Facebook page.
- Crave: Let the reminders stir a desire to connect with God.
- Respond: Take action and complete the challenges.
- Reward: See God glorified in your life and the lives of others.
Are you hungry?
We hope you’ll join us.
Anchored to Him,
(Tennessee) Leigh Ann
