Category Archives: Spiritual Disciplines & Growth

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus talked about three practices we call spiritual disciplines — giving, praying, and fasting (Matt. 6:1-18). He not only told us the right way to engage in spiritual disciplines but also how that way yields the right kind of reward.

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (Matt. 6:1)

Think about the kind of reward you want for engaging in the spiritual disciplines.

Do you want the short-lived, shallow, and subjective applause of others for what you have done or the eternal, worthwhile reward from God?

The Getting Spiritually Fit Discipleship Tool briefly considers how there is no better reward than what we get from Him when we take the right approach to spiritual disciplines.

In part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:1-18), Jesus mentioned three activities that could be considered spiritual disciplines — giving, praying, and fasting.

Jesus Assumed His Followers Will Engage in Spiritual Disciplines

To Jesus it wasn’t a matter of “if” you should engage in these activities but when. Notice how each section begins:

Giving: “So when you give to the needy …” (Matt. 6:2-4)

Praying: “And when you pray …” (Matt.6:5-15)

Fasting: “When you fast …” (Matt. 6:16-18)

The Right Way to Engage in Spiritual Disciplines

Before getting into these three practices, Jesus first provided an overriding principle that could apply to these and probably any other spiritual discipline:

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (Matt. 6:1)

Then within the sections for each of these activities, He re-emphasized the right way to engage in these disciplines as opposed to the wrong way.

The Getting Spiritually Fit Discipleship Tool briefly looks at what Jesus said about the right approach as opposed to the wrong way. It also gives other examples of spiritual disciplines in addition to addressing our motivation for engaging in the disciplines and how to be more consistent in them.

We can learn how to define spiritual disciplines and give examples of them. Though helpful, that doesn’t mean we will consistently engage in spiritual disciplines.

How do we get to the point where we consistently engage in spiritual disciplines?

You may be looking for some “how-to” steps to follow to help you become more consistent. Understand, however, that what works for one person may not work for another. We all, however, need a starting point to lay a good foundation. Build on the following understandings and see how it affects the way you approach these practices:

First, we need to understand the spiritual battle behind a struggle to engage in the spiritual disciplines.

Second, we need to understand how natural tendencies, like our personalities, can affect our practice of the spiritual disciplines.

Third, we need a worthwhile purpose for engaging in these practices.

Fourth, we need to grab hold of God’s resources that will enable us to engage in spiritual disciplines.  — Don’t take the spiritual out of the spiritual disciplines because then all you are left with are disciplines.

The Getting Spiritually Fit Discipleship Tool briefly expounds on each of the above points along with some helpful Scripture. It also challenges you to think through what might be keeping you from consistently engaging in spiritual disciplines.

Since the Bible doesn’t use the term “spiritual disciplines” we can’t point to an activity or practice and say “God says this is a spiritual discipline.” Rather, we can only look at that which He says will help us get to know and love Him better, to grow in our relationship with Him. Those activities could be examples of spiritual disciplines.

Examples of Spiritual Disciplines Could be That to Which Scripture Exhorts Us to Be Devoted

A good starting place could be Acts 2:42-47 where we read of the early church not only engaging in certain practices but being devoted to them. The following list of activities in this passage could be good examples of spiritual disciplines. Acts 2:42 begins, “They devoted themselves to” …

1) God’s Word (Matt. 4:4; 2 Tim. 3:16-17)

2) Fellowship (Rom. 12:10; Heb. 10:24-25)

3) Prayer (Col. 4:2)

4) Worship (Jn. 4:23- 24; Rom. 12:1)

5) Benevolence (Titus 3:8, 14)

Are there other possible disciplines?

Some authors on books about spiritual disciplines add even more spiritual activities to the list. Since we don’t even find the term “spiritual disciplines” mentioned in the Bible, we must guard against getting dogmatic about what to include. We do, however, need to find a biblical basis for it. If our objective in practicing spiritual disciplines is to foster and deepen our love relationship with the Lord, we must approach it through means He endorses in accordance with His Word.

The Getting Spiritually Fit Discipleship Tool provides some instruction on each of the above listed examples of spiritual disciplines, as well as a list in chart form of other possibilities indicating how they might lead to, be a part of, or result from time spent in the Word, fellowship, prayer, worship, or benevolence.

To engage in that which could cause us some inconvenience or discomfort, we need a pretty good reason to do so. We humans don’t like to give up our personal agendas and interests for something we don’t perceive as worth the time and effort.

Soldiers undergo vigorous discipline so they are fit to win the battle. Athletes train themselves to win a prize. Farmers endure hardship for a crop. See 2 Timothy 2:3-6.

For us to be motivated to regularly and persistently spend time in the Word and prayer, for example, we need to sense the value. So, why engage in spiritual disciplines?

A Motivation that Should Make Us Want to Engage in Spiritual Disciplines

The Apostle Paul said, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ …” (Phil. 3:8-11).

Is your heart’s desire to more fully know and love this God?

The Getting Spiritually Fit Discipleship Tool will help you further reflect on what will and will not tend to motivate you to engage in spiritual disciplines.

In defining “spiritual disciplines” we must first note that we can’t find this term in the Bible. Most of the times we read the word “discipline” in Scripture it’s in conjunction with reproof or correction. This is not the type of discipline people generally refer to with the term “spiritual disciplines”.

Spiritual Disciplines Defined Biblically

The closest use of the word “discipline” in the Bible to how Christians generally use the term “spiritual discipline” can be found in 1 Timothy 4:7 where the Apostle Paul exhorted Timothy, “train yourself to be godly.” The New American Standard Bible words it, “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” It uses the Greek word “gymnazo” from which we get the English word “gymnastic”. Hence, this kind of discipline is more training, practicing, or exercising to become fit.

We could therefore refer to them as those practices we impose on ourselves to make us spiritually fit or healthy. We put structure into our lives so as to be intentional in our quest to grow spiritually, to get to know God better through the various means described in Scripture that can lead to such growth.

The Getting Spiritually Fit Discipleship Tool further examines the idea of “spiritual disciplines” as a biblical concept and asks you to personally reflect on your willingness to do what it takes to get spiritually fit.