Spiritual Disciplines — The Edwards Family

Spiritual disciplines are practices and experiences that help strengthen our faith and more fully experience the abundance of an intimate relationship with God. Some of the disciplines of our Christian faith are studying the Bible, prayer, fasting, fellowship, purity, stewardship, obedience, evangelism, confession, solitude, and self-examination. Everyone’s path will look different but a saving faith will produce a desire to employ these practices in growing closer to God and being more like Him.

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.”

The personal disciplines you form, will end up forming you. The disciplines that we cultivate truly impact who we become. If we want our true identity to be in Christ, we must form habits that lead us to Him. Our old worldly habits will produce the same old results. As new creations in Christ, our new habits produce a more Christlike life.

Romans 12:2 “Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

As our minds are continually transformed, we will experience the fruit of a deeper relationship with the Lord. We will learn to recognize God’s voice over the voices of culture. We will make better decisions as we actively seek His will. We will experience inner peace and be less impacted by external circumstances. A stronger faith will give us moral courage and perseverance during hardships. A closer walk with God exposes our flaws as we get a glimpse of His perfection in our sanctification journey.

The inspiration of God often requires the perspiration of man.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

There are profound parallels between training the physical body and the spiritual soul. Spiritual disciplines are ways for us to grow in spirit and expand the breadth of our inner life through structured workouts of the soul. Some spiritual disciplines are personal inward exercises that are practiced alone while others are practiced in community. Faith without discipline requires less effort but produces less fruit. Daily and consistent spiritual disciplines produce spiritual fruit in our lives - fruit that will last for eternity.

The pain of discipline is less than the pain of regret. Our highest calling in life is to have an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father. Without intentionality, we risk missing out on the incredible riches and freedom of a closer walk with God. Disciplines of the faith are easy to do, but they are also easy not to do. True freedom comes when we consistently and deliberately practice these disciplines in seeking and celebrating God.