The Big “5” Spiritual Disciplines

Honoring God is like anything else in everyday life: if you don’t work at it, you probably won’t do it very well. Lots of Christians out there go to the gym every day to train their physical bodies, yet they put almost no thought into training on a spiritual level. Paul had something to say about that to his understudy Timothy:

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.

In this lesson we’ll talk about five spiritual disciplines that should mark your life as a Christian. Just like any discipline, these habits are not always easy at first. But over time, if you commit to practicing them, you’ll notice your faith muscles strengthening – and your new nature will start winning regularly over your old, sinful nature.

Prayer 

The discipline of prayer was practiced by Moses, David, Peter, Paul, and even Jesus himself! Prayer is simply talking to God, building a relationship with him like any other person. Imagine the dysfunction in a marriage without conversation, and you’ll begin to understand the anemic lives of so many prayerless Christians. 

Prayer works just like any relationship: set some time apart for focused communication daily. Get up early in the morning like Jesus did, or spend some time with God at the end of the day. If this is a new discipline, try praying for five minutes a day, and double it in a couple of weeks. Keep it up and you’ll soon be connecting with God for 30 minutes or more every day!

And don’t just do all of the talking in prayer. Try using the PRAY acronym for a more balanced approach. First, spend some time praising (P) God for his blessings in your life. Then review your week and repent (R) of the times you failed to honor him. Next, move on to a time of asking (A), praying for people and situations in your life. Finally, end your prayer time by yielding (Y) to God. Remember that prayer is about aligning your will with God’s – not the other way around. 

But prayer isn’t just about the structured times of communion. Like any relationship, leave room for spontaneous connection as well. You can talk to God any time, anywhere. Paul says it best in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Never stop praying.”

Bible Study

While prayer is an ancient spiritual habit, Bible study is a relatively new discipline, given the fact that most Christians throughout history did not have a personal copy of the Bible. But with the invention of the printing press, everything changed. Today, most Christians have easy access to God’s Word. We have no excuse not to open the Bible every day! 

Here’s how to do it. Start by reading the Bible devotionally on a daily basis. Try a Bible reading plan on the YouVersion app or just read a lesson a day from the Old or New Testaments. If you’re new to the Bible, start with the series of John and read all the way through Revelation. 

But devotional reading is just the start. Also try setting aside special times at least once a week for a deeper dive on the Bible. Use a good study Bible or a Bible commentary to pick up on themes and deeper theological truths.

One more thing. Don’t be like the Pharisees – religious leaders in Jesus’ day who knew a lot about scripture but missed the whole point. Jesus called them out:

John 5:39-40 “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.”

The whole Bible points to Jesus. As you make a habit of reading it, look for the thread of Jesus pulled through every lesson and verse.

Connection

Christianity is a team sport, and you can’t honor God in isolation. God’s people have always connected to each other in three environments: large (church), small (group), and individual (mentoring). Christians who neglect regular community in favor of finding God in the mountains or just staying home to watch TV are actually in violation of a direct mandate from scripture:

Hebrews 10:25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Connection might not feel like hard work if you’re an extroverted Christian, but if you’re an introvert you might be tempted to avoid this discipline. Don’t do it! Push through the awkward and make a habit of connecting. It’s missing the point to say you don’t need the church, because the church needs you! God has given every believer spiritual gifts for the benefit of other people in the church.

1 Corinthians 12:6-7 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

When God saved you, he wasn’t just thinking about you as an individual. He had a family in mind. Make a regular habit of connecting to that family – for your benefit and theirs.

Giving 

The fourth discipline has to do with your money. Your bank account is not yours; it belongs to God. Every single penny you’ve ever earned comes from him, and he has appointed you to be a steward of it. Do you spend it all on yourself? Stop it!

Mature Christians make a habit of giving generously to the local church and to other Christian missionaries and organizations. Immature Christians ignore the financial needs of the church or just simply never think about it. The dysfunctional church in Corinth had this problem 2,000 years ago, and Paul called it out:

2 Corinthians 8:7 Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.

Apparently the Corinthians didn’t take seriously their responsibility to chip in financially. They left the giving up to other Christians, and the church was suffering for it. The problem has gotten worse in churches today. Fewer and fewer Christians are letting their faith impact their finances. Jesus gives this warning:

Matthew 6:20-21 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Jesus taught that your heart follows your money. If you don’t make a habit of giving, you’ll fall in love with your stuff. Give regularly, and make it the first thing you do with every paycheck. Do it in proportion to your income, and work toward the benchmark of 10%. Sacrifice, and then trust God to provide for your needs.

Mentoring 

Rounding out the top five spiritual disciplines is a habit that most Christians rarely ever think about practicing. We call it “mentoring;” Jesus called it disciple-making. It’s when you personally help someone else in a pursuit of God. It was the final commandment Jesus gave his disciples:

Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Most Christians don’t feel qualified to make disciples. They fall for the lies that they don’t know enough about the Bible or they’re not mature enough to share their faith. But the Bible says maturity comes after you make disciples, not before. That’s why it’s a habit that every Christian needs to take seriously. If you don’t start making disciples, your faith will never grow.

So how do you do it? That’s what we’ll explore in the final lesson.