When we receive Christ, we launch into a lifelong quest to become more like Him. But we are totally dependent on Him to bring about His sanctifying work in us. At the same time, we are not passive in this process. To this end, the Lord gave us His Holy Spirit, each other, and what we call “spiritual disciplines.”
Spiritual disciplines are simply activities that help us draw closer to Jesus. For it’s in His presence that we are changed. Some of the more common spiritual disciplines include reading and studying God’s Word, prayer, solitude, fasting, resting, worship, service, etc.
God’s Word reveals to us what God is like. We learn about His character and His dealings with mankind. Paul explains, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4) Spending time in God’s Word is vital for our growth in Christ.
Prayer, of course, is communing with the Lord. Prayer is not merely a one-way conversation but involves listening as well as talking. The more we grow in our relationship with the Lord, the more natural prayer becomes. Communication like this is vital to any relationship.
Solitude is an important discipline especially in this fast-paced, noisy world. In solitude, we deliberately take time to get alone with God. This can be in the woods, on a lake, or simply in a room at home. We remove ourselves from all other distractions and spend time with our Lord. We can couple solitude with other disciplines like prayer, fasting, and the Word as well.
Those are just a few examples of spiritual disciplines and what they look like. However, I must warn you about a common error we fall into with spiritual disciplines. It’s easy to make the discipline as the “ends” instead of the “means” to an end. We must always remind ourselves that the reason we pursue any spiritual discipline is primarily to draw closer to Jesus—for in His presence we are changed.
But many fall into the trap of focusing so intently on the discipline to perfect that discipline that they forget that growing closer to Christ is the goal. Then they become proud of how long or how well they study the Word, or how eloquently they can pray, and that gets ugly.
Like a friend of mine says, “Always go to the Word with the intent to meet with God.” The same could be said for prayer, solitude, and any of the other disciplines. Paul urged Timothy, “Train yourself to be godly.” (1Timothy 4:7) And the spiritual disciplines help us do just that by drawing closer to Jesus!
Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Luke 11:1-4
Personal Application: Experiment with some of the spiritual disciplines that you may not have used before like fasting, solitude, resting, meditation, and simplicity. Read the Word daily and always go to the Word expecting to meet with God.
Jim Grassi, D. Min.
We cherish any verse in Scripture that reminds us to keep focused and intentional about evangelism and discipleship. “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5