Inside Out - Spirit

When we were young, our parents, teachers, and elders used to guide us and discipline us so that we would learn to be obedient to good counsel, to choose between right and wrong, and to live a life that is practical and purposeful. But as we grow older we have to practice self-discipline and the motivation has to come largely from within along with, hopefully, a little support from those around us.

I have come to realize that the safest and most stable source of fueling for my life comes from The Word of God. When I'm rooted and grounded in God's Word, I'm able to have an entirely different outlook towards life as a whole. I guarantee you that if you stick with God, you will have a strong foundation that will withstand the days of uncertainty, chaos or confusion that the world brings.

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock." – Matthew 7: 24-26

Now, there is self-discipline and then there is Divine Discipline. Divine discipline is when God’s supernatural power is added to personal willpower (self–discipline) as believers practice His presence, receive His power, and seek His joy. The key to accessing this kind of discipline is to first exercise His presence. We must remember that a disciplined life involves genuine and personal commitment to obey God’s word and it often requires lifestyle changes. Just as we alter our food habits to get our body to be fit, so we will have to alter our current activities to make time for spiritual growth. For some of us, the acceptance or affirmation from and accountability to other people also helps in our spiritual progress. Our personal choice to become disciplined can also effect change in others because as "Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another". - Proverbs 27:17

So, for a wholesome disciplined lifestyle, we first look at our inner-self because, like we read last time, the best work is always done from the inside out. To quote John Eldredge "You have a body, a soul, and a spirit. Spirit, soul, body; pneuma, psyche, soma in Greek. Three clearly distinct realms of a human being". He goes onto say that our spirit is the life breath of God within us, giving life to both body & soul. So it would seem only natural to start here right? "...A body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can’t see and touch—the Spirit..." - John3:5-6 MSG

As I had mentioned in my previous post, I spent a better part of this year getting back to some of my old disciplines and engaging in some new ones. Here are three things that have really helped me to practice His presence each day and exercise discipline to strengthen and feed my spirit.

1. Studying The Bible - Whether you are reading it for the first time or you have read it many times before, the Word of God always has something new to tell you. I used to read the Bible and make notes or mark important points, but this year I began a diligent study of it. David Mathis explains that reading the Bible is like raking leaves, whereas Bible study is more like digging. It will definitely require more time and effort, but when you dig into the ground versus merely raking, you will find more treasure. So I would take a chapter and ask God to speak to me anew. At first I would have just a few points that would speak to me and I would write it down. Within months, I started interpreting the whole chapter and writing down a page or more. As I spent time with The Word, I began to have renewed understanding, revelations and growth.

"The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple" - Psalm 119:13

2. Joining a prayer line/prayer group - Having our personal prayer time is important, we can bring our burdens and prayer requests before Him. We have to cast life’s anxieties at His feet because He invites us to do that. “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” - (1 Peter 5:7). But, another important aspect of prayer is praying for others. I have seen a great deliverance in my life as I joined a prayer line that takes place every day, where we pray for others' needs and deliverances. It takes the focus off ourselves, and I cannot express the joy I feel when those prayers for others are answered, and how rewarding it is. It builds your faith, hope and trust, that God is able and will meet your needs too, in His time.

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” - Philippians 2:3-4

3. Reading other material - This is only secondary to reading The Word of God by yourself. There is something exciting about reading your Bible, anticipating and receiving your daily bread promise first hand. I get at least seven devotionals via email, which are five minute reads each and whenever I find time during the day I read them. Some days I am able to read all and on other days a few. Apart from that, this year, I also got back to reading books written by men and women of God who share their life experiences, some of which are specially applicable to my own current challenges in life and they have truly been eye-opening. "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up…" - 1 Thessalonians 5:11 . It really is not about quantity, but Spiritual food is one area where we don't have to worry about excess. The more you get filled, the more you will overflow and those around you will be blessed by it.

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom..." - Colossians 3:16

These are the three most significant exercises I engaged in to bring about spiritual discipline in my life. I am still learning everyday to be consistent in my pursuit of God and though I may not be doing it perfectly, I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that if we decide to take the first few steps to walk towards Him, He will run towards us. We will be overwhelmed by the way God touches and changes us…I know I am…

Martin Luther King said, "The spirit is the highest and noblest part of man which qualifies him to lay hold of incomprehensible, eternal, invisible things." So lets get our priorities in order and start with our inner self, fixing our eyes first and foremost on the bigger prize – the eternal one!

"All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize." - 1 Corinthians 9:25