Spiritual Disciplines: “Growing in Godliness While Being Conformed to the Image of Jesus Christ"

1 Timothy 4:7-8 (ERV):
“People tell silly stories that don’t agree with God’s truth. Don’t follow what these stories teach. But teach yourself to be devoted to God. Training your body helps you in some ways. But devotion to God helps you in every way. It brings you blessings in this life and in the future life too."

1 Timothy 4:7-8 (MSG):

“Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God - no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.”

What are Spiritual Disciplines?

"Spiritual Disciplines" are those practices found in God’s Word – in scripture that promote spiritual growth among believers. They are the habits of devotion that have been practiced by God’s people since biblical times.

"Spiritual Disciplines" are those personal and interpersonal activities given by God in the Bible as the sufficient means believers in Jesus Christ are to use in the Spirit-filled pursuit of godliness, that is, closeness to and conformity to Jesus Christ. These disciplines are practiced for the purpose of godliness.

 

These are “Spiritual Disciplines”:

1) Reading and studying God’s Word.

2) Reading and studying God’s Word with other believers.

3) Prayer

4) Worship God (privately and with other believers).

5) Evangelism

6) Serving

7) Stewardship

8) Fasting

9) Silence and Solitude

10) Perseverance

Spiritual Disciplines:

• Are personal and interpersonal.
• Are activities not attitudes.
• Are biblical.
• Help us know and experience God while being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
• Are a “means to an end.”
  

The most important aspect of any "Spiritual Discipline" is its purpose. There is little value in practicing Spiritual Disciplines apart from the single purpose that unites them {Colossians 2:20-23; 1 Timothy 4:8}. That purpose is godliness. No one comes to spiritual maturity except through discipline. Godliness comes through discipline. 

God uses three primary catalysts (change agents) for changing us and conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ, however, only one is under our control. 

One catalyst God uses to change us is people (our friends, our enemies, parents, children, spouses, coworkers, customers, teachers, neighbors, pastors - God changes us through these people).

Another catalyst God uses in our lives is circumstances (financial pressures, physical conditions, etc. are used by God to stimulate believers toward holiness).

And then there is the catalyst of "Spiritual Disciplines." This catalyst differs from the first two in that when God uses "Spiritual Disciplines," He works on us from the "inside out."

When God changes us through people and circumstances, the process works mainly from the "outside in." "Spiritual Disciplines" also differ from the other two methods of change in that God grants us a greater measure of choice regarding involvement with the disciplines. We often have little choice regarding the people and circumstances God brings into our lives, however, we can decide, for example, whether we will read the Bible or pray this week.

The admonition for believers (us) to “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” makes it plain that this is a command of God, not merely a suggestion. Holiness is not an option for those who claim to be children of the Holy One – God {1 Peter 1:15-16}, so neither are the means of holiness - that is, the development and practice of “Spiritual Disciplines” - an option.

Discipline is at the heart of discipleship and is validated by 2 Timothy 1:7, which says, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” A key component of this self-control in a follower of Jesus Christ is spiritual self-discipline. Further, Galatians 5:22-23 declares that one evidence of the influence of this God-given spirit of self-control is greater self-control in our own lives, especially as followers of and learners of Jesus Christ.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, not only expects these biblical “Spiritual Disciplines” of those who follow Him, He is our model of discipline for the purpose of godliness. And if we are going to be like Him, we must live as He lived as much as we can. We cannot do what Jesus Christ did as God, however, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we should seek to follow His human example of how a person lives in fellowship with God the Father. 

God’s Word (Our Intake) For The Purpose of Godliness

No “Spiritual Discipline” is more important than the intake of God’s Word; nothing can substitute for it. There simply is no healthy disciple of Jesus Christ apart from a diet of the milk and meat of God’s Word. The reasons for this are obvious. In His Word, God tells us about Himself, and especially about Jesus Christ. The Bible unfolds the Law of God to us and shows us how we’ve all broken it. 

In God’s Word, we learn how Jesus Christ died as a sinless, willing Substitute for us and how we must repent and believe in Him to be right with God. In the Bible – God’s Word we learn the ways and will of Our Father God. We find in Scripture how God wants us to live, and what brings the most joy and satisfaction in life. None of this eternally essential information can be found anywhere else except the Bible – God’s Word. Therefore, if we would know God and be godly, we must know God’s Word intimately.

Many of us honor God’s Word with our lips, however, we must confess that our hearts - as well as our hands, ears, eyes, and minds, are often far from it. Regardless of how busy we become with all things “Christian,” we must remember that the most transforming practice available to us is the disciplined intake of God’s Word. 

Unfortunately, this is the alternative to discipline: disaster.

The intake of God’s Word is not only the most important “Spiritual Discipline", it is also the broadest. It actually consists of several subdisciplines. Let’s note the subdisciplines:

• Hearing God’s Word
• Reading God’s Word
• Studying God’s Word
• Practical Application of God's Word

Questions to ponder:

1) If our growth in godliness were measured by the quality of our intake of God’s Word, what would be the result?

2) What can we do to increase our intake of God’s Word?

Do not expect to master the Bible in a day, or a month, or a year. Rather, expect often to be puzzled by its contents. It is not all equally clear. Great men of God often feel like absolute novices when they read God’s Word. The Apostle Peter said that there were some things hard to understand in the epistles – letters of Paul {2 Peter 3:16}.

Why is it that the words of Scripture can go through our ears or eyes and then out of our minds so quickly and commonly, despite our reading and studying the Bible? The problem is that hearing and reading the Bible - God’s Word, by themselves, usually aren’t sufficient for remembering what we’ve received. However, memorizing God’s Word has great benefit.

Memorizing God’s Word gives us spiritual power

When Scripture is stored in our mind, it is available for the Holy Spirit to bring to our attention when we need it most. That’s why the author of Psalm 119:11 wrote, “I have stored up Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” It’s one thing, for instance, to be watching or thinking about something when you know you shouldn’t, however, there’s added power against the temptation when a specific verse can be brought to our mind, like Colossians 3:2: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Memorizing God’s Word Strengthens Our Faith 

Do we want our faith strengthened? One thing we can do to strengthen our faith is to discipline ourselves to memorize God’s Word. Memorizing God’s Word strengthens our faith because it repeatedly reinforces the truth, often when we need it most.

Memorizing God’s Word Prepares Us for Witnessing

On the Day of Pentecost (the holy-day being observed, the Holy Spirit came in great power upon the followers of Jesus Christ), the apostle Peter was suddenly inspired by God to stand and preach to the crowd about Jesus Christ. Much of what he said consisted of quotations from the Old Testament {Acts 2:14-40}. Until God’s Word is hidden in the heart, it isn’t available to the mouth.

PRAYER: FOR THE PURPOSE OF GODLINESS

It’s very easy for us to feel guilty about our failure in prayer, however, that’s not the intent of this lesson. We must come to grips with the fact that to be like Jesus Christ we must pray.

God expects us to pray

I realize, to say prayer is expected of us may make some of us a bit uncomfortable. However, those who have submitted to the authority - lordship of Jesus Christ and the Bible, know that the will of God is for us to pray, and we also believe that His will is good.

God has spoken clearly and powerfully to us through Jesus Christ and the Scriptures, and He also has an ear that is continuously open to us. He will hear the prayers of His children. That’s why, of all the “Spiritual Disciplines", prayer is second only to the intake of God’s Word in importance. 

Despite the importance of prayer, statistical surveys show that a large percentage of believers spend little time in prayer. While we may offer a brief word of prayer here and there, we rarely spend more than a very few minutes - if that - alone in conversation with God.

Jesus Christ expects us to pray

Don’t think of prayer as an insignificant requirement. Realize that the Lord Jesus Christ, with all authority and with all love, expects us to pray. These excerpts from His words show that He Himself expects us to pray:

• Matthew 6:5, “And when you pray . . .” 
• Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray . . .”  
• Matthew 6:7, “And when you pray . . .” 
• Matthew 6:9, “Pray then like this: . . .” 
• Luke 11:9, “And I tell you, ask . . . ; seek . . . ; knock.”
• Luke 18:1, “And He - Jesus Christ told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray.”

The words of Jesus Christ quoted above are as much His will for us as if He spoke our name and said them to us face-to-face.

God’s Word Makes It Clear 

In addition to the words of Jesus Christ, the unmistakable expectation of God from the rest of the New Testament is that we pray. 

Colossians 4:2, “Continue steadfastly in prayer.” People who “continue steadfastly in prayer” have devoted themselves to pursuing a lifestyle where prayer is an ongoing priority. When we make something a priority, when we sacrifice for it, when we give time to it, we know we’re devoted to it. God expects us to be devoted to prayer.

First Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” 

While “continue steadfastly in prayer” emphasizes prayer as an activity, “pray without ceasing” reminds us that prayer is also a relationship. Prayer is in one sense an expression of a believer’s unbroken relationship with the Father. This verse, then, doesn’t mean that we should do nothing but pray, for the Bible expects many other things of us besides prayer, including times of rest when we could not consciously pray.

We can think of praying without ceasing as communicating with God on one line while taking calls on another. Even while were talking on the other line, we never lose our awareness of the need to return our attention to the Lord. So, praying without ceasing means we never really stop conversing with God, though we have frequent interruptions.

 

God gives us seasons of life where our priorities change as well as the time available for them, however, in every season God expects us to be devoted to prayer and to pray without ceasing.

We can think of praying without ceasing as communicating with God on one line while taking calls on another. Even while were talking on the other line, we never lose our awareness of the need to return our attention to the Lord. So, praying without ceasing means we never really stop conversing with God, though we have frequent interruptions. 

God gives us seasons of life where our priorities change as well as the time available for them, however, in every season God expects us to be devoted to prayer and to pray without ceasing.

There are other New Covenant passages indicating that God expects us to pray, however, Colossians 4:2 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17 are especially significant because they are direct commands to pray. 

So, this means too little time, too many responsibilities or too much to do, too many kids, too much work, too little desire, too little experience, and so on are not excuses that exempt us from the expectation – the command to pray. 

This is what is means to “pray without ceasing:”

1) There is a spirit of dependence that should permeate all we do. This is the very spirit and essence of prayer. So, even when we are not speaking consciously to God, there is a deep, abiding dependence on Him that is woven into our faith. In that sense, we “pray” or have the spirit of prayer continuously.

2) Pray repeatedly and often. I base this on the use of the word “without ceasing” in Romans 1:9, where Paul says, “For God is my witness, who I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I mention you.” Now we can be sure that Paul did not mention the Romans every minute of his waking life, or even every minute of his prayers. He prayed about many other things. However, he mentioned them over and over, and often. So “without ceasing” doesn’t mean that, verbally or mentally, we have to be speaking prayers every minute of the day. It means we should pray over and over, and often.

And finally, praying without ceasing means to “never give up on prayer.” Don’t ever come to a point in your life where you cease to pray at all. Don’t abandon the God of Hope and say, “There’s no use praying.” Jesus Christ wants us to learn this lesson. One of His parables is introduced by the words, “And He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He knew our experience in prayer would tempt us to quit altogether. So, Jesus Christ, along with the apostle Paul, says, “never lose heart.” Continue to pray; don’t stop!

The believer must see the expectation to pray not only as a divine summons, but also as a royal invitation. As the writer of Hebrews told us, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” {Hebrews 4:16}. We can be prayer pessimists and see the expectation to pray merely as an obligation, or we can be optimists who view the command to pray as an opportunity to receive the mercy and grace of God.

The believer’s expectation to pray is a gospel expectation. 

In other words, prayer is not so much a duty as a privilege, and not so much a privilege as it is an expression of the believer’s life. We expect children to communicate - even if all they can do is cry - because they are alive. So, God expects His children to communicate because they have been given eternal life and “have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” {Romans 8:15}. The apostle Paul reiterated this in Galatians 4:6: “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” The children of God, impelled by the impulses of the Holy Spirit, want to talk with their heavenly Father.

God expects us to pray because that is the means He has ordained not only for godliness, but also for the spiritual warfare between His kingdom and the kingdom of His Enemy. Prayer is a weapon the believer uses in spiritual warfare. To abandon prayer is to fight the battle with our own resources, putting ourselves at a disadvantage.

We know this: Jesus prayed. The gospel of Luke tells us, “But He (Jesus Christ) would withdraw to desolate places and pray” {Luke 5:16}. If Jesus Christ needed to pray, how much more do we need to pray? Prayer is expected of us because we need it. We will not be like Jesus Christ without it.

Why do many of us fail to pray as we should? 

Sometimes the problem is primarily “a lack of discipline.” Prayer is never planned; time is never allotted just for praying. While lip service is given to the priority of prayer, in reality, it always seems to get crowded – pushed out of the way by things more urgent – important. Prayer must become a real priority for us as believers!! Prayer must be learned!!

Prayer must be learned!

Unfortunately, many of us haven’t learned about prayer. If we are discouraged by the command to pray its because we feel like we don’t know how to pray well. The fact that prayer is learned should give us hope. That means that it’s okay to start with little knowledge or experience in prayer. No matter how weak or strong our prayer life is right now, we can learn to grow even stronger.

God’s Word says we must pray for the glory of God, in His will, in faith, in the name of Jesus, with persistence, and more. A child of God gradually learns to pray like this in the same way that a growing child learns to talk. To pray as expected, to pray as maturing believers, and to pray effectively, we must say with the disciples in Luke 11:1, “Lord, teach us to pray.” We learn to pray by praying, by meditating on God’s Word, by praying with others, and by reading about prayer.

• Pray for God’s glory: John 17
• Pray in His will: 1 John 5:14-15
• Pray in faith: James 1:6
• Pray in the name of Jesus Christ: John 14:13-14
• Pray with persistence: Colossians 4:2

The Great Subject of Prayer {Luke 11:1-13}

This is one of the most thorough passages in all of Scripture dealing with the great subject of prayer. It is a passage that should be studied time and again.

1) Jesus prayed (v.1)

2) Jesus' model prayer (v.2-4)

3) Man's part in prayer (v.5-10)

4) God's part in prayer (v.11-13)

The Prayer Life of Jesus Christ

Jesus prayed. It had been prophesied that He would give Himself to prayer {Psalm 109:4}, and He was always praying.

He prayed at His baptism {Luke 3:21}.

He prayed during His temptation {Luke 5:16}.

He continued all night in prayer {Luke 6:12}.

He was alone praying {Luke 9:18}.

He went up into a mountain to pray {Luke 9:28}.

He was now praying in a certain place {Luke 11:1}.

Jesus Christ often prayed, and He emphasized prayer as one of the greatest needs of human life. He always insisted that it was the source of His strength in living and serving God. Therefore, the disciples were aroused to hunger after the same strength for life and service.

Jesus Christ prayed as a Son to His Father, and such intimacy stirred the disciples to want the same kind of relationship with Father God.

John the Baptist taught His disciples to pray. It was a common practice for a teacher to instruct his disciples in prayer. Jesus Christ’s disciples used this as the basis to ask Him: "Lord, teach us to pray."

The Model Prayer of Jesus Christ {Luke 11:2-4} 

Naturally, Jesus Christ will teach anyone to pray, anyone who is sincere and wants to begin praying. Note what Jesus Christ did. He said, "When ye pray, say...." or "After this manner...pray ye" or "Pray then like this." He was giving a model prayer upon which we are to base our praying. It is a guide, the points of which are to be prayed through. The believer is to develop the points as He prays. 

The Prayer Points that Jesus Christ Taught

1) Thank God

2) Praise God

3) Make your requests known

• Pray for God’s Kingdom to come.
• Pray for the necessities of life.
• Pray for forgiveness – ask for forgiveness.
• Pray for deliverance.

Our Part in Prayer

No clearer explanation of our part in prayer could be given than what is taught here.

1) Jesus Christ illustrated very simply what man's part is. The story explains itself.

2) Jesus Christ drove the point home: perseverance and endurance receive what it asks. The believer shall get what he or she asks if they:

a. will not leave the throne of God.

b. will not go away.

c. will not let God alone.

The person that prays must be sincere, fervent, constant, persistent, persevering, and enduring in asking God for whatever she or he wants. Jesus Christ gave an exhortation to persevere and endure in prayer, and He stated it perfectly in two ways:

• The person who prays is to continue asking for what he or she needs.
• Ask, and it shall be given to you. But if asking does not receive it, then...
• Seek, and ye shall find. But if seeking does not receive it, then...
• Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

We must mean what we pray, and the way we show God our sincerity is by continuing to ask for what we need.

The verbs ask, seek, and knock are all continuous action. We are to keep on asking and seeking and knocking, ever imploring God to hear us.

Our answer is assured! 

God will hear and answer the person who perseveres and endures in prayer. The believer always receives the need desired. 

God is most willing to give. 

The child of God can rest assured that when the circumstances of life become hard, God will give the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to see His child through.

God is not only “willing” to answer, He is “most willing” to answer. 

He loves and cares for all our needs. This must always be remembered.

God always answers our prayers, however, sometimes His answer has to be "no." 

Why? Because what we asked is not always for our good, and God is always going to do what is best for us and He makes everything work out according to His plan {Ephesians 1:11}.

God’s part in prayer

We - believers are given a clear explanation of God's part in prayer by Jesus Christ {Luke 11}. He illustrated what God's part is. God is not evil; He is good just as an earthly father is good. Jesus Christ gives us several illustrations:

1) God is most willing to give. 

a. Man is evil, full of selfishness and sin, yet he gives to his child when asked. (Jesus Christ makes a contrast between evil man and God, who is perfectly good. If an evil man gives, it is impossible that God, who is good, would not give).

b. Our heavenly Father gives us the very Source of all good things; He gives us Himself. Just imagine the very presence of God dwelling within our hearts and bodies! If He dwells within us, then every good thing is assured. Once we have God who is the Holy Spirit, we do not have to pray to someone who is way off in outer space somewhere. We do not have to wait for the Father’s gifts to arrive. We have His presence within!!

The Father - God is with us; He looks after us and cares for us; He directs and guides us; He assures and comforts us; He prays and intercedes for us; He will answer prayer.

Questions to ponder:

1) Why does God not always answer our prayers immediately? 

2) Why is it necessary to ask and seek and knock and to keep on asking and seeking and knocking? 

3) Why do we need to ask at all when God knows our needs even before we ask?

Answers to consider:

1) Prayer teaches us to communicate and fellowship with God and to trust and seek after God more and more. 

2) Prayer teaches us both patience and hope in God and His promises. 

3) Prayer teaches us to love God as our Father more and more.

4) Prayer demonstrates how deeply we trust God and how much we love and depend upon Him.