We come to Christ in need of either forgiveness or help–sometimes both! Either way, He’s ready to save!
8 The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.
16 Whoever strays from the path of prudence comes to rest in the company of the dead.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.
29 The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways.
How about taking the “edge” off of some of our crises by preparing for them ahead of time? God forbid that we should take a proactive approach to our spiritual well being! Many of what people call judgements of God are actually built-in consequences that happen when we get out from under His umbrella of protection. He tells us ahead of time what will happen if we do, and –whammo–they do! But, just in case we think that God is being unfair or unjust or even just mean, we must remember that we did it to ourselves. He just told us up front.
So, what kind of things can we do to stave off some of the “judgements of God?” Walking beside Him is the BEST remedy (Galatians 5:24-25). It’s when we go wandering off on our own that we get into trouble. Sheep do that. To help us stay right beside our Savior, here are some spiritual disciplines that work! How do I know? Because He said they would, and because they are tested and true, proven by Christians throughout the centuries. This list of spiritual disciplines is not a comprehensive list, but it does comprise a majority of them. It is taken from the website, Twelve Spiritual Disciplines. We will look at the first half today and the second half tomorrow.
- Bible Study- 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
- Prayer- Matthew 6:5-15
- Fasting- Matthew 6:16-18
- Confession- Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:9, James 5:16
- Worship- 1 Chronicles 16:29, Ephesians 5:18-20 and Matthew 4:10
- Fellowship- Acts 2:42, Hebrews 10:24-25
- Rest-
- Celebration-
- Service-
- Generosity-
- Chastity-
- Disciple making-
Studying the Scriptures is important, but we must remember that it is Jesus in the Scriptures whom we seek. “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” John 5:39-40. Let’s not make the same mistake that the Pharisees did. Let’s seek Jesus in the Scriptures, for He is the One who gives us eternal life and renews us daily.
Prayer is being in conversation with God. We can address the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit because they are THREE IN ONE: When we address one, we address them all. A running dialogue is a great way to keep Him on the “front burner” of our minds. It also helps when He prompts us in a direction, gives us caution in a conversation, calls our attention to a specific subject, or gives us insight into what others may be going through at a particular moment. All of these situations are useful in wisdom and discretion, ministry and evangelism.
Fasting is a discipline of which I am not acquainted. I will study it more…
When it comes to confession, make sure that the person to which you are confessing is discreet and mature. Also, public confession must be prompted by the Holy Spirit. It’s usually for a special time and place–and it’s His call. If your confessor is someone from out of town, a long-time friend of the same sex, and not someone who is in your circle of regular friends, so much the better!
Worship is responding to God. We do it through prayer, music, obedience, dancing, praising, crying, giving–any way that is a response to His moving in our lives. Our worship services are designed to give people the opportunity to respond to God, whether it’s praise, thanksgiving, confession, intercession, or supplication. The worst thing we can do is just sit/stand there and endure. What a waste!
Fellowship includes laughter, talking, listening, discussing and even debating. Hebrew Christians call it “haverim,” which is based upon Jesus’ pronouncement that where two or more are gathered in His name, He will be there, too (Matthew 18:20).
Let’s be proactive about these disciplines. Map out how you can put them into practice in your life. Some require daily work. No matter. We have eternity to work on it! But, let’s not wait to get started. The more disciplined we are, the more like Christ we are!
Abba, please teach us to be like You. Lead us to be like You even as we walk beside You. Instruct us as we go, LORD. You have the words of life. Amen.
Tomorrow, the other six…
In the Master's Hands 