We’re so glad that you are considering joining the 40 Day Habit Challenge! We hope this will encourage you as a Christian and kick-start some positive habits in your life. The challenge is to complete 5 small but intentional habits every day for 40 days.
1) Why daily habits?
Most Christians have a desire to grow as disciples of Jesus but struggle to put it into practice. This is because we lack knowledge (i.e. we don’t know how to grow) and/or we lack discipline (i.e. we are often lazy and easily distracted). The power of daily habits is that they enable you to take small steps that build up towards significant progress.
The goal of the challenge is to live out 1 Timothy 4:7a-8:“Rather, train yourself in godliness. For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
2) What are the habits?
Here is the list of habits to be completed every day:
- Habit #1: Read 10 verses of the Bible.
- Habit #2: Pray one thing for each member of your group.
- Habit #3: 10 minutes of exercise.
- Habit #4: Read 1 page of a Christian book.
- Habit #5: Something that you choose (see below).
3) What is habit #5?
This is a habit that you can choose that will help you live a godly life. Please see below for some examples. If you’re still not sure what to choose, please let us know and we can help you choose.
- Habit #5 could be something you want to start:
- Share one encouragement with another Christian every day (in words, SMS or email)
- Do one thing to serve the people you live with every day.
- Talk about Jesus with at least one person every day.
- Stop using electronic devices after a certain time at night.
- Habit #5 could be something you want to stop:
- Stop using social media for 40 days.
- Stop drinking alcohol for 40 days.
- Stop looking at pornography for 40 days (NB: Don’t restart this one!!)
- Stop online shopping for 40 days.
4) What Christian book should I read?
If you’re not sure where to start, here are some suggestions:
- Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology by Kevin DeYoung
- Read this first by Gary Millar
- Taking God at his word by Kevin DeYoung
- Sinner’s guide to Holiness by John Chapman
5) Why would I want to join a group ?
While it would be a great thing to complete this challenge by yourself, we would encourage you to join a group of other Christians. The purpose of a group-based approach is that you can encourage each other to persevere in the challenge and also learn from the experience of others. The main way that your group will interact is by using WhatsApp (or a similar platform). It’s not expected that your group will meet in person. Depending on people in your group, you may find it helpful to have some friendly competition between group members. However, don’t forget to share encouraging words that are marked by grace. Once you have been invited into a WhatsApp group, each person in the group will need to do the following:
- Share one prayer point that the other members in the group will pray for 40 days.
- Share details for their fifth habit.
- Every week, give an honest score out of seven for how many days you completed the habit.
- Share reflections, encouragements, updates etc.
During the time of the challenge, you will also receive weekly emails from Kevin with some helpful tips and general encouragement.
6) How do I track my habits?
A key part of the challenge is tracking your habits each day. This will keep you accountable to yourself and to your group. You will also need this information to post your score each week. You may like to keep an eye on your current “streak” (i.e. how many habits you have completed in a row). The desire to maintain your current streak is often that extra motivation that keeps you going. There are many free apps for your phone or tablet that will
- Android: Habit Loop Tracker. Available in Google play.
- iPhone: Habbity. Available in App Store.
Alternatively, you may like to use a paper-based system. You could print out the template below and leave the paper inside your Bible.
7) How do I sign up?
Please fill out the online form below to register your interest. The key dates for 2025 are:
- Monday 12th May: Rego closes
- Monday 19th May: First day of the challenge
- Friday 27th June: Final day of the challenge
We will let you know details of your group before the challenge starts. While you are waiting for the challenge to begin, why not get started with the daily habits? It usually takes a bit of time to figure out what works for you and so it’s great to have a headstart! If you have any further questions about the 40 Day Habit Challenge, please contact Kevin at kevin@snac.org.au.