Spiritual Disciplines

Understanding the Disciplines

1 Timothy 4:7 NKJV

But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.

Spiritual Discipline:

Prayer/meditation

Reading the Bible/Study

Fasting/Worship

Practices that are biblical.

Personal and Interpersonal

Training yourself - These are practices they are not gifts of the spirit, They are to be practiced. The purpose of these practices is for Godliness.

Closer to the image of God. Being like Jesus is doing the spiritual disciplines

If you say yes to something that is important you have to learn to say no also

1 Timothy 4:12–16 NKJV

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

Luke 9:23 NKJV

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Let go of what you want and come follow me

Luke 14:17–20 NKJV

and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’

Sometimes you have to say no to things that also may be good

Good things also keep you from engaging in a more deeper relationship with god

It’s not intended to be difficult

1 John 4:18 NKJV

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

Romans 8:38–39 NKJV

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Develop a consistent rhythm of engaging in conversation with God

- Be real

- Eliminate distractions

- Speak honestly

James 1:22 NKJV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Know it and do something with it

The Root and Meanings of Discipline

Discipline comes from discipulus, the Latin word for pupil, which also provided the source of the word disciple (albeit by way of a Late Latin sense-shift to “a follower of Jesus Christ in his lifetime”).

“Spiritual discipline, then, is developing soul reflexes so that we know how to live. We discipline ourselves to develop soul memory in normal times so that we’ll be equipped for the times of high demand or deep crisis.” —Douglas Rumford