While James Clear, writing from a secular viewpoint, maintains "the more you repeat a behavior, the more you reinforce the identity associated with that behavior", author James K.A. Smith in his book You Are What You Love takes into the spiritual world the same acknowledgment that habits have power to shape identity.
Smith puts his finger on an uncomfortable truth: No matter how many great sermons we might hear or books we might read, "we can't think our way to holiness". (p.5)
"Virtues," Smith posits, "are learned and acquired, through imitation and practice." (19) Therefore, "discipleship is more a matter of reformation than of acquiring information." (Emphasis in original.)
The church's "good habits" are in competition with the world's bad habits in a race to shape the identities of believers. Smith sees the secular world's trends and habits as being deformative of our spirits and worship - specifically of a traditional, liturgical type - as being reformative of our spirits.
It is an interesting way to reframe discipleship. If he is correct, the ramifications are huge for how we approach spirituality and sanctification.
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