What the Bible Says to Do All the Time

These verses show what God wants us to be doing all the time:

• Guard your heart with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23)
• Give all diligence to grow (2 Peter 1:5–7)
• Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to be anger (James 1:19)
• Praise the Lord at all times; rejoice in the Lord always (Psalm 34:1; Philippians 4:8)
• Watch for temptation (Mark 14:38; 1 Peter 5:8)
• “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
• Take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5)
• Put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18)
• Seek the Lord’s strength, seek His face (Psalm 105:4)
• Do everything in the “name” of Jesus, to the glory of God, and in love for others (Colossians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Corinthians 16:14)
• “Be in the fear of God all day long” (Proverbs 23:17)
• Meditate on God’s Word (Psalm 119:97)

It sounds daunting to try to keep all these commands in mind all the time. But is there one basic principle underlying all of them? Essentially, it is to keep our eyes on Jesus, letting Him rule in our hearts at all times. We are meant to “walk in the Spirit.”

To remain focused on Jesus throughout the day, set reminders. What I do is include spiritually-focused reminders in my planner, along with all the physical tasks I have to do. At the beginning of the day, I have a reminder for a prayer of surrender (asking God for His way in my life, submitting and committing to follow Him). At other times, I have reminders to guard my heart and stay focused on what is right. I have times of prayer for others throughout the day. At the end of the day, I I have meditations that I speak out loud (speaking out loud, rather than simply thinking silently, can help your mind process the thoughts, as well as put your heart into what you are saying).

For putting on the “armor of God,” that can also be done through prayer as you commit yourself to God and seek His strength (Psalm 105:4).

For giving all diligence to grow, that can be through regular reminders to follow the steps laid out in 2 Peter 1:5–7.

For making sure you are living with purpose in everything you do, living in love constantly, think through everything in your routine and to-do list, and examine any other activities you do. Maybe you will see a need to give up some things, maybe not. If nothing needs to change, you might still want to write a reminder for the reasons you are doing certain things, in order to stay focused on your ultimate goal of pleasing God and to make the most of every moment for eternal purposes.