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

  • Change always comes through prayer!

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
    We talked about Hannah who did not give up even though she was barren and was being humiliated by other people; she kept on believing God and trusting that He would send her a miracle into her life and give her a baby. She did not plunge into despair and sense of helplessness, but daily brought her needs before God in fervent prayer.

    We talked about Hannah who did not give up even though she was barren and was being humiliated by other people...

  • Without God I cannot, but with Him I can do all!

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    We can not do the works of God without God. Very often in our own strength, we try to do what God requires us to do with Him. Often we rely on ourselves and on things we already know. Often we rely on our experience. But when the prayer is our priority we understand that when relying on ourselves and doing the job without prayer, we are wasting time and energy. Without a strong prayer movement in the church, the church vision cannot be accomplished. It´s just not possible!

    We can not do the works of God without God. Very often in our own strength, we try to do what God requires us to...

  • Thank God always and in everything, because it is God’s will for us

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    Someone might say, «I still do not have a job, even though I have prayed and the church has prayed for me». Or he might say, «Thank You, Lord, for the daily bread You give me». Do you see a difference? In the first case we hear murmuring, in the second – thanksgiving. Is it really necessary to thank God for the daily bread? Absolutely, since many people are forced to go hungry from day to day.

    Someone might say, «I still do not have a job, even though I have prayed and the church has prayed for me». Or he...

  • Worship the Lord

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
    God wants us to talk to Him the way we talk to our father. Jesus said in His prayer: “… blessed be Thy Name!” The word “bless” means He worshipped the God Father in reverence to Him. Worship prepares our soul to meet the God. It also involves our spirit. Just like in order to listen to a broadcast on the radio you need to tune it up first, worship helps us to turn our spirit on and tune it up on the God´s wave. Jesus taught:«You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve»

    God wants us to talk to Him the way we talk to our father. Jesus said in His prayer: “... blessed be Thy Name!”...

  • Resist the devil, and he will flee from you, but do not forget that your power to resist the devil is derives from your humility and submission to God

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
    The bible declares that we can successfully resist Satan through the power of the Holy Spirit.When we accept Jesus as our Lord and the Savior of our lives and submit to God, then we have access to the divine power that forces the devil to be on the run anytime we resist to him.“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4: 7).

    The bible declares that we can successfully resist Satan through the power of the Holy Spirit. When we accept...

  • Hope of salvation

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    «But let us, since we belong to the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and, for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God didn’t appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.».We have already talked a lot about the role of faith and walking in love last time. Today we begin to discuss the role of hope of salvation. We need faith today. By faith we possess peace today, regardless of what is happening around us. By faith we enter God´s rest even nowadays.

    «But let us, since we belong to the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and, for a...