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

  • The importance of walking in the fear of God

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
    The Bible teaches that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God.Until the fear of God is in place, there can’t be any Access to the Spirit of wisdom and revelation from God. The God type of wisdom that makes your face to shine in the dark seasons of life and make your star brighter despite the unfavorable circumstances of life, results from the fear of God.

    The Bible teaches that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. Until the fear of God is in place, there can’t...

  • Jesus transforms those that follow Him III

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    We must keep God’s call to change right before our eyes as one of the most important goals. As soon as we come to God and enter His Kingdom, the desire to change and grow into the likeness of Jesus should be our single desire and our daily bread. And when we start changing, the things around us will change along with the inward changes we experience. Then the most awful situation will change for better and terrible problems will be solved. All of this will happen along with the transformation of our character in the process of the spiritual growth.

    We must keep God’s call to change right before our eyes as one of the most important goals. As soon as we come to...

  • Do You Hear What God Speaks? V

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 16:25)Our task is to train our spirit to hear what God is telling us. And even if your intellect is fighting and heart does not agree with what God says to you, anyway, say to God, “I do not know how it happens, I just believe in You!”

    “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 16:25) Our task is to...

  • What do we have to do in order to witness spiritual revival filling our cities? II

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
    We concluded that we are hands, feet, mouth and heart of our God. If we refuse to collaborate with God, He will not be able to act or fulfil His plan in our cities and our countries. We stopped at what do we have to do in order to witness spiritual revival filling our cities? To make it happen we must become obedient disciples of Jesus Christ. God uses this kind of people to fulfil His prophesies and restore His will on Earth.Obedient disciple is one who moves and works for God, not sitting and doing nothing, so God can move through such person.

    We concluded that we are hands, feet, mouth and heart of our God. If we refuse to collaborate with God, He will...

  • All true ministry begins in the presence of God II

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 2 minutes
    Today I want to continue our talk on starting ministry in the presence of God. Yesterday we saw the example of Lord Jesus Christ Himself, but today we are going to see the example of prophet Isaiah. The classic example of prophet Isaiah is another strong illustration that shows us how effective ministry must begin in the presence of God

    Today I want to continue our talk on starting ministry in the presence of God. Yesterday we saw the example of...

  • Fear not, stand up and go and God will be with you!

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    It´s also important to know that Jesus knows everything, He possesses all hidden information, necessary for our mission. That´s why obedience to the Lord who knows everything is vitally important! When Jesus had a need for a donkey to ride upon to Jerusalem, He knew where to find the animal. He knew where to go and find that donkey. He knew how to bring that donkey to Him.

    It´s also important to know that Jesus knows everything, He possesses all hidden information, necessary for our...