Spiritual discipline

ByPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes

Greetings to you, dear friends! Grace and peace to you from Father God and our Lord Jesus Christ! Today we’ll finish our discourse on the importance of spiritual discipline in the life of a believer.

 

There are many verses in the Bible that describe spiritual discipline in the lives of Jesus and His apostles. They were all written for us to help us become successful in our ministry just as the Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples were successful. We discussed the spiritual habits of Jesus, particularly fasting , solitude, vigilance, prayer, intense study of God’s Word,meditation on the Word of God and His ways.

 

Today too many Christians lack discipline, so they are not many spiritual fruit and expressions of spiritual authority. The paradox is that most Christians, who discipline themselves in other areas of their life in order to be successful – like job or carrier, do not believe they need to be disciplined in the area of godliness. We are talking about good Christians who are faithful members of the Church of the Living God. These are people who love God’s Word and often are very enthusiastic about the work of God. But because of the lack of discipline they do not reach their potential in God’s Kingdom.

 

It is not enough to have breadth in God; it is important also that we have depth. If you do not possess strong spiritual habits in the area of fellowship with God, then it means you lack spiritual discipline. Superficial attitude towards life is the curse of our time. The doctrine of immediate satisfaction is one of the main spiritual problems of our generation. If you do not pay attention to this problem in the church, then the church can lose her power and influence in the world. When we underestimate spiritual discipline and its different facets mentioned above, we are in great danger. By neglecting spiritual discipline we are not able to produce or bring to God any commendable fruit.

 

In conclusion of this series I want to show you that all aspects of spiritual discipline can be divided into two categories:

 

I Spiritual disciplines that are connected to abstaining from something:

 

a.       Abstaining from food for the sake of godliness – fasting.

 

b.      Abstaining from social interaction for the sake of godliness – solitude.

 

c.       Abstaining from sleep for the sake of godliness – night vigilance.

 

d.      Abstaining from luxury for the sake of godliness — sacrificial living.

 

Through these types of discipline we exercise our spiritual muscles in order to overcome our flesh and its desires. It is like weightlifting. By itself it may look like something silly, but it prepares a person for serious physical trials in the future. In the same way, the things we abstain from are not evil, but our abstinence from them is for the sake of godliness in order to prepare ourselves for real difficulties that we may face in the future.

 

These types of discipline give us deep understanding of the struggle that goes on inside of us, which is the struggle between flesh and spirit. There are some crucial lessons we are able to learn only through practising of these spiritual disciplines and in no other way. I think it will be interesting for you to find out what tricks your flesh is ready to play after you say ‘no’ to it. The spiritual practices above will help you to know how strong the hold of the flesh is over you.

 

The second category of spiritual discipline is:

 

II  Disciplines that involve us in certain activities.

 

a.       Prayer.
You need to set apart some time for the purpose of prayer and fellowship with God.

 

b.      Reading and studying of the Bible.
In order to change you need not only to read but you also need to study the Bible; you need to become a student of the Word.

 

c.       Meditation on the Word.

 

d.      Witnessing.

 

e.       Worship.

 

It is a spiritual direction that requires of us to continually thank and praise God and it also takes some time and effort.

 

f.        Christian fellowship.

 

It requires having the right people around to encourage the fellowship and growth in God.

 

I hope this give you something to think and meditate upon today and the grounds to evaluate your life. Learn to love these spiritual disciplines and start applying them in your life on a continual basis, – and your life will change drastically and you will be able to truly effective in God’s Kingdom!

 

 

May God bless you today abundantly!

 

Pastor Rufus Ajiboye

Similar Posts

  • Everything that is hidden will unavoidably be brought into the light

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    «For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil» (Ecclesiastes, 12:14). Solomon said the same thing Jesus said: God will bring into judgment our every work and especially all the hidden works: sins, wrongdoings that we have tried to keep in secret. God will openly bring our every deed into the light of His judgment. It means that all our sins will follow us wherever we go. The only way we can avoid the consequences of our sins and wrongdoings – is to repent before God brings them into the judgment. Repentance opens to us the door of mercy and grace from the Lord. It brings into our life new opportunities from the Lord. For this reason the only right lifestyle and the only correct decision is to repent of our wrongdoings so that God won’t have to judge us.

    «For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil» (Ecclesiastes...

  • How do we make sure that the Word of God abides in us?

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    Why are there so much fear, panic, disappointment, weariness and tiredness in the lives of many believers? It is because the Word of God does not abide in them. God wants us to be filled with the Word. When we read the word of God with the understanding that we need the word daily as our source of light and direction, then we are motivated to do read it even more. Since I want to be spiritually strong and able to overcome the wicked one, I want to have the understanding of God’s purpose for my life, I want His direction as to how to carry out my assignment and I want to walk in purity in my life – and for this very reason I read God’s Word and study it on a regular basis.

    Why are there so much fear, panic, disappointment, weariness and tiredness in the lives of many believers? It is...

  • How to enter your ministry?

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    If a person doesn’t have any desire to serve, it is very difficult to motivate him. This desire has to be strong enough to move you to action; otherwise you won’t do anything. It is easy to teach and lead a person that has a desire and an interest in something. And it is very difficult to convince and motivate the one who is indifferent. Where does the desire to serve come from? This desire comes from the understanding of God’s will and the purpose of our salvation.

    If a person doesn’t have any desire to serve, it is very difficult to motivate him. This desire has to be strong...

  • If we are not ready to change and start resisting them, then we are not really ready to be a disciple of Jesus Christ

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    What does it mean to be a disciple? A disciple is a person who is learning from someone else and knows that he needs to grow and gain some knowledge. A disciple is one who follows both the teaching and the life of his or her teacher. He imitates his teacher and later grows into the likeness of his teacher.

    What does it mean to be a disciple? A disciple is a person who is learning from someone else and knows that he...

  • What sin means?

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    When a person does not submit to God’s Word and despises His instructions, he or she sins. God has particular plan or will for every area of person’s life and it is spelled out in the Bible. But when you life according to your own wishes and do not pay attention to what God says about it, then tragedies are inevitable. For some time it may seem that you have outsmarted God, but this deceptive feeling won’t last long. These people sat in darkens and the shadow of death; they were bound in grief because they did not submit to God’s Word and despised His will.«Fools, because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their souls abhorred all manner of food, and they drew near to the gates of death» (Psalm, 107:17-18).

    When a person does not submit to God’s Word and despises His instructions, he or she sins. God has particular...

  • Rejoice in the Lord! II

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
    Dear friends, God once again delights to tell us to serve Him with gladness. Jesus once told His disciples: «Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven» (Luke, 10:20).If your name has been written in the Book of Life, if you are a child of God, then you are also a co-heir of Christ. And it is more than enough reason to motivate any of us to rejoice and thank God for every day of our lives.

    Dear friends, God once again delights to tell us to serve Him with gladness. Jesus once told His disciples...