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 goal and intentions of God for men on the earth

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    Heaven is the place from which Jesus rules and reigns over everything. What God says about us in His Word is the truth which we must believe. Now we have God’s nature in us and it must be continually fed and nurtured. We must believe that now we have heavenly authority and power that was given to us in order to destroy the works of devil on earth. That is what Jesus did when He walked on the planet earth: He destroyed and undo the works and intentions of the devil. He set an example for us to follow in His foot steps:«For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil» (1 John, 3:8b).

  • You make room for Him and His Word in your daily schedule

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”According to the above passage, there is a process or protocol we need to follow if we want to see and experience the manifestations of God in our lives and in ministries.Now it is true that God is an omnipresence God. He is present everywhere at the same time. However, it is important to note that his presence is more real and felt in some places than anywhere else. What determines such a big difference? This is what I mean when I say we need to follow a protocol. Following the right protocol is what differentiates between the intensity of God’s manifest presence in our lives, home and churches.

  • What else forgiveness brings into our life

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    2. Forgiveness gives us strength to walk through the stages of our life.& «Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.». (Hebrews 12:1-2).

  • Is anything too hard for the Lord?

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    This question is so crucial because how we answer it will determine the measure of God’s involvment in our lives. This question helps us to realize that how much we know about God affects the level of our faith.When a person believes that there is nothing impossible for God, that person has a particular attitude towards life, a particular reaction to hardships, a particular spiritual attitude that appears when he or she runs into difficult problems that do not change for a long time.

  • Just as much as you open yourself to others, they will be able to help you at a time of need

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    The Church of Jesus Christ is the place of accountability and not where everyone does what comes to his mind. The New Testament contains many of God’s commandments that have the phrase “one another” in them. It tells us that we do not only walk before God, but also walk before one another. For example, it says in several verses that we should love one another.

  • Your attitude influences your progress

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    The judgements, the beliefs, and the convictions of a person influence his attitude and this attitude has an effect on the progress we make.The man in the parable did not multiply his talent because he had the wrong attitude. This man believed lies rather than the truth. That is the lies which many people believe, which become an obstacle to their progress and development. The lies can go something like, “no one loves me”, then any attempt from people to show love towards you, will be rejected. A person believing in lies from the enemy will not be able to accept blessings, help, and advice from others, as all this would be misinterpreted.