January 29: Building Spiritual Discipline

 Building Spiritual Discipline

Dr. Terry -Ann Robinson 

 Building Spiritual Discipline

Theme: Establishing habits of prayer, fasting, and Bible study to grow closer to God.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17).

 Have you found that forming a good habit, such as exercising daily or eating healthy foods, is challenging? Yet, other less wholesome actions, such as binge-watching TV programs and overindulgence in social media, are embedded in the blink of an eye. The scripture gives us some healthy habits that we should have. How do you rate these habits in your daily life? Do you rejoice always? Do you pray without ceasing? Do you give thanks in all circumstances? In my daily life, I sometimes miss the mark on these. I fail to make choices that promote my spiritual growth; quite frankly, I lack spiritual discipline.

 The Apostle Paul had the same struggle. In Romans 7:15, he confesses -what he wants to do, that he doesn't do, what he hates, that he finds himself doing.

 The reality is that developing spiritual discipline is a challenge. The enemy of our souls wants us to be spiritually indisciplined. He uses the tool of distraction to his advantage. Our jobs, school, church work, and social media are just a few of the things that consume our time. He puts everything in our way to prevent us from developing the discipline needed to build spiritual habits that connect us with Christ.

 For years, I struggled to develop strong spiritual discipline. After spending a lot of time looking for strategies to help and testing several recommendations, Here are 4 simple steps that I have found work.

 Step 1: Be Intentional

The story is told of a little girl who always forgot to say her morning prayers, so after being upset with herself for forgetting, she decided to take action. She placed her slippers under her bed every night, so when she got up in the morning, she would go on her knees to get her slippers and remember to say her prayers.

 If being spiritually disciplined is the desire of our hearts, we will go the extra mile and be intentional in prayer.

 Step 2: Start small

Daniel 6:10 tells us that 3 times per day Daniel prayed. Maybe 3 times is not a manageable objective for you just now. But what if you started with a target of just once per day? Early in the morning was a good starting point for me. Set an alarm if you need it. But spend that time with God. I guarantee you won't regret it.

 Step 3: Acknowledge your successes

Every time you hit your target for 3 straight days, then stop and celebrate your success. It helps you to feel good about yourself, and so you are more likely to keep working on developing your spiritual habits.

 Step 4: Increase

After consistently meeting your target for 1 month, then it's time to increase. Add an afternoon prayer, fasting, and a bible study session. You already have something good going; don't stop now. There is nothing called too much time with God.

 So don't delay - Building a spiritually disciplined lifestyle cannot wait; start now!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your grace and love. Help me to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all things. Strengthen my resolve to seek You daily and grow in spiritual discipline. Keep me focused on You and guide my heart to honour You in all I do.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Photographer: Shaqueena S. Danvers