Book Review: Heart and Habits

Heart and Habits by Greg Gifford is a deeply practical yet unwaveringly theological look at our habits and the heart behind them. Other works, like Mathis’ Habits of Grace, have delved into our spiritual disciplines; Gifford’s work expands the view to every habit we have, from what we eat to how we spend our free time and even how our habits affect our character and godliness. The crux is asking one simple yet convicting question: Do our habits glorify God and love our neighbor before they serve our own wants and desires?

Gifford begins the book by talking about our created capacity for developing habits, from walking to driving. He posits that God has given us the capacity for performing many complex and useful actions with “automaticity,” and we should use that capacity for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). Gifford points us to the Spirit as the source of heart change and to God as the one who ultimately does the work of habit formation (although we are still called to do the work—see Philippians 2:12–13).

Gifford ably uses Scripture to promote practicing habits that glorify God, and he makes an excellent argument for how our habits matter for our character, godliness, and righteousness. The book ends with practical habit formation (including a helpful inventory of habits for people like me who love bulleted lists!).

At its core, Heart and Habits is actually a book about worship. Gifford exposits from the Scripture how we may or may not be glorifying God and loving our neighbors with our habits (or lack thereof). At 144 pages (or four hours as an audiobook), it is dense yet accessible to an average reader. I highly recommend this book, especially to go through with others in a small group or book club.

Justin Holland

Justin has been member of Faith Bible Church since 2021. He and his wife, Bri, have four children.

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