Six Christian Disciplines
Six Christian Disciplines Continued here
The Six Christian Disciplines to be cultivated as a follower of Jesus Christ
1.Prayer in Faith
2.Reading the Bible
3.Effectual Fasting
4.Praise of God
5.Worship to God
6.Fellowship with Believers
Each of the disciplines has lasting spiritual benefits for not only you, as an individual believer, but also everyone with whom you
interact, including the Body of Christ (the Church) to which you belong. You may be able to perform these disciplines easily once or
twice, but may find it more difficult to practice them on a consistent basis. It has been my experience, and with those whom I have
talked, that the flesh will actually fight against practicing these disciplines to inhibit spiritual change and growth in your life. This
sinful and fallen nature of man rebels against the command of Christ, Luke 9:23 And He said to all, If any person wills to come
after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself]
and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in
dying also].
The apostle Paul even says, Romans 7:18-25 (NLT)18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I
want to do what is right, but I can't. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20
But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 21 I have discovered this
principle of life; that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God's law with all my heart. 23 But there
is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what
a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in
Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a
slave to sin.
The internal conflict we feel is not the real issue (because we all have it), but the succumbing to it is. Which is why we are told,
Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction,
but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting
nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and
faint.
The Bible teaches that your natural self cannot receive the things of God, but you can receive them through your spirit. Jesus takes
time before he leaves to introduce us to the Holy Spirit and to let us know what work that the Spirit will accomplish in and with us,
John 16(AMP) 12 I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them or to take them upon you or to grasp
them now. 13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full
Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will
give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will
happen in the future]. 14 He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal
(declare, disclose, transmit) it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is Mine. That is what I meant when I said that He [the
Spirit] will take the things that are Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.
In John 14:26, Jesus also talks about our relationship with the Spirit of God, "But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor,
Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act
on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance)
everything I have told you."
Jesus in these two key scriptures (John 14:26 and John 16:12) tells you that there is more to convey than the written word could
contain. So through His Holy Spirit, which indwells (lives inside of us), as a true Christian Disciple, He will teach you the deeper
things that you could not understand in the beginning. This teaching is of course conditional, on our acceptance of the Holy Spirit,
and Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. God also tells you that He is looking for those, “who will worship Him in spirit and truth.” Being
spiritual is not the key, but opening up to God's spirit, and walking in truth is. The truth is this: We are all fallen.
The bible teaches us that Jesus is the truth, and that He expects truth from us. In the book of 1 John, we learn if we lie then we have
no fellowship with God. If you say you do not sin, you are calling God a liar. The Book of Romans says, that God is true and
everyone is a liar.
We must come to grips with the fact we aren't who we want to be, and not who we have the potential to be. God wants honest
worship which originates from knowledge and relationship. We must understand who, what, when, why, and where about worship.
Who do we worship, the only true God. What do we worship, the fact that He is God all by Himself and He is not dependent on us,
but we are dependent on Him. When do we worship, we must worship Him at all times, at home, work, play, in Church, we must
worship Him with our every breath. Why do we worship Him, because He is the only one worthy of worship and doing so
strengthens us. Where do we worship, Jesus taught that to the woman by the well, not in Jerusalem (the Church) and not on the
mountain (the world), but everywhere and anywhere. Worship originates from fear and obedience, but finds its culmination in Love
and relationship. Loving God is only really possible when you understand who He is, and don't expect anything from Him. To truly
understand who He is requires the Spirit of the Lord to be present within us.
So let us agree that the spiritual aspect of your life must become increasingly important. This will help you to have a meaningful
relationship with God: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Many spend a great deal of time and money developing the physical body,
but inside, the spirit, wastes away. Consider the scripture here, 1 Timothy 4:8 For physical training is of some value, but
godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
Even Jesus taught of cleaning the inside of the cup, so that the outside might also be clean. The ability to stretch your spiritual
muscles will indeed prepare them for greater challenges, leaps of faith, times of testing. The walk of the Christian Disciple is not
always easy. The bible teaches the afflictions of the righteous are many, and also, we must join in His (Jesus) sufferings that we
might also join in His glory. We must be prepared. You physically cannot go from lifting a maximum weight of 100lbs to 300lbs,
there must be time and training. We must train ourselves up, study and pray. Fellowship and worship. Praise and fasting.
The spiritual disciplines described herein are biblical methods of strengthening your spirit man and give us an advantage in the
spiritual warfare described by God in Ephesians 6:10-20. Each of these disciplines enhances your ability to use the Spiritual
Armor and Weapons as you fight the devil in your life, and the lives of those you love and pray for. We are taught that this fight is for
our very souls, is not against flesh and blood, but that it is spiritual in nature. That the enemy and the wicked spirits who fell from
heaven with Him are out to kill us. We learn that; we need our faith to protect us from attacks (shield of faith), we must be in right
standing with God to protect our hearts (the breastplate of righteousness), we need our bible (the sword) to fight back, we need to
have truth in us to keep our armor together (belt of truth around our loins), we must have salvation (helmet of salvation) to protect our
minds, and we must march forward spreading the gospel (feet covered in the preparation of the gospel of peace).
It is even possible for us to liken the armor to the Six Disciplines. The Helmet may be likened to Praising of God, for in that we get
the protection of our mind confessing the good works of God in our lives and the lives of others. Looking to the breastplate, we can
see Fasting, for fasting was used as a means of consecration, or separation unto God, to put the people in Right Standing with
God. The Belt of Truth is likened to the Worship which must be done in Spirit and in Truth, for the truth is if we know who God is, we
will worship Him! Reading God's Word is seen in the Shield of Faith, For faith Comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God,
every time we read His promises we can be assured in our Faith He is promising us these very things we read. The Sword of the
Spirit, is our Prayers in Faith, for this is how we extend our spirit to fight off the enemy in an offensive position, for the Keys to the
Kingdom of God which we are given is Prayer, and the Gates of hell shall not prevail against them. Finally in the Shoes which we
place on our feet to share the Gospel of Peace, we see the Fellowship we must maintain with like minded believers who will help
hold us up, and hold us accountable, and have that Go out in two's mentality that Jesus used and taught to His disciples. Fighting in
the war is not a option, but winning is. If we side with God, and walk in His ways, follow His lead, and obey His will, then we will win.
You may try to fill your life with “spiritual things” such as spiritual rituals, traditions of man, and practices handed down by parents.
However rituals, traditions, and practices may not help you to reach unto the Spirit of God, and bring Him more deeply into your life.
God warns, “they will have a form of godliness but it will lack power. 2 Timothy 3:5 (NLT) 5 They will act religious, but they will
reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
Through personalized prayer, reading the Bible, learning how to praise and worship The Lord, having fellowship with believers, and
fasting, you can more effectively develop and deepen a relationship with the God who loves you personally and very deeply. You will
also become more accountable to the body of Christ, that He calls His Church. In the Church someone may have a gift or ability you
don't. Through the fellowship and corporate activities the bible teaches, we can edify each other and the whole body of Christ. God
designed it this way, the Lord prepared it all for us, joining us one to another. He died a horrible death on the cross because He
loves you so much. It may be hard to imagine that at this point. However, it is true. It is from this death, and resurrection the Church
was born.
The Lord is excited to have you tell Him how you feel, and do not be afraid how it may sound. The Lord delights in hearing you
speak from the heart. He is a real person, and just wants to have a personal relationship with you, just as you would have with a very
special friend. God also shares His Heart with you, and wants to show you how much He cares about all those things that are
happening in your life, Luke 12:6-7 (AMP) 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And [yet] not one of them is forgotten or
uncared for in the presence of God. 7 But [even] the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be struck with fear or
seized with alarm; you are of greater worth than many [flocks] of sparrows.
He does not want you to form religion, He wants relationship, read how He feels about religion here,
James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress
and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Unless our religion produces faith and works, it is useless to God and to us. We must work on relationship. Through a working and
intimate relationship with Jesus we can invite the Spirit of God to live in us and work through us, to get us through the tough times,
and to fill us with His supernatural joy, peace, faith, love, and self control. The fruit of the Spirit, are His proof that He has taken up
residence in our hearts. The spiritual disciplines are the biblical principles that will facilitate our spirit coming into agreement with
God's, which is of supreme importance, because God teaches us, Amos 3:3 (NLT) 3 Can two people walk together without
agreeing on the direction?
1.Prayer in Faith
2.Reading the Bible
3.Effectual Fasting
4.Praise of God
5.Worship to God
6.Fellowship with Believers
Each of the disciplines has lasting spiritual benefits for not only you, as an individual believer, but also everyone with whom you
interact, including the Body of Christ (the Church) to which you belong. You may be able to perform these disciplines easily once or
twice, but may find it more difficult to practice them on a consistent basis. It has been my experience, and with those whom I have
talked, that the flesh will actually fight against practicing these disciplines to inhibit spiritual change and growth in your life. This
sinful and fallen nature of man rebels against the command of Christ, Luke 9:23 And He said to all, If any person wills to come
after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself]
and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in
dying also].
The apostle Paul even says, Romans 7:18-25 (NLT)18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I
want to do what is right, but I can't. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20
But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 21 I have discovered this
principle of life; that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God's law with all my heart. 23 But there
is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what
a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in
Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a
slave to sin.
The internal conflict we feel is not the real issue (because we all have it), but the succumbing to it is. Which is why we are told,
Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction,
but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting
nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and
faint.
The Bible teaches that your natural self cannot receive the things of God, but you can receive them through your spirit. Jesus takes
time before he leaves to introduce us to the Holy Spirit and to let us know what work that the Spirit will accomplish in and with us,
John 16(AMP) 12 I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them or to take them upon you or to grasp
them now. 13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full
Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will
give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will
happen in the future]. 14 He will honor and glorify Me, because He will take of (receive, draw upon) what is Mine and will reveal
(declare, disclose, transmit) it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is Mine. That is what I meant when I said that He [the
Spirit] will take the things that are Mine and will reveal (declare, disclose, transmit) it to you.
In John 14:26, Jesus also talks about our relationship with the Spirit of God, "But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor,
Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act
on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance)
everything I have told you."
Jesus in these two key scriptures (John 14:26 and John 16:12) tells you that there is more to convey than the written word could
contain. So through His Holy Spirit, which indwells (lives inside of us), as a true Christian Disciple, He will teach you the deeper
things that you could not understand in the beginning. This teaching is of course conditional, on our acceptance of the Holy Spirit,
and Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. God also tells you that He is looking for those, “who will worship Him in spirit and truth.” Being
spiritual is not the key, but opening up to God's spirit, and walking in truth is. The truth is this: We are all fallen.
The bible teaches us that Jesus is the truth, and that He expects truth from us. In the book of 1 John, we learn if we lie then we have
no fellowship with God. If you say you do not sin, you are calling God a liar. The Book of Romans says, that God is true and
everyone is a liar.
We must come to grips with the fact we aren't who we want to be, and not who we have the potential to be. God wants honest
worship which originates from knowledge and relationship. We must understand who, what, when, why, and where about worship.
Who do we worship, the only true God. What do we worship, the fact that He is God all by Himself and He is not dependent on us,
but we are dependent on Him. When do we worship, we must worship Him at all times, at home, work, play, in Church, we must
worship Him with our every breath. Why do we worship Him, because He is the only one worthy of worship and doing so
strengthens us. Where do we worship, Jesus taught that to the woman by the well, not in Jerusalem (the Church) and not on the
mountain (the world), but everywhere and anywhere. Worship originates from fear and obedience, but finds its culmination in Love
and relationship. Loving God is only really possible when you understand who He is, and don't expect anything from Him. To truly
understand who He is requires the Spirit of the Lord to be present within us.
So let us agree that the spiritual aspect of your life must become increasingly important. This will help you to have a meaningful
relationship with God: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Many spend a great deal of time and money developing the physical body,
but inside, the spirit, wastes away. Consider the scripture here, 1 Timothy 4:8 For physical training is of some value, but
godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
Even Jesus taught of cleaning the inside of the cup, so that the outside might also be clean. The ability to stretch your spiritual
muscles will indeed prepare them for greater challenges, leaps of faith, times of testing. The walk of the Christian Disciple is not
always easy. The bible teaches the afflictions of the righteous are many, and also, we must join in His (Jesus) sufferings that we
might also join in His glory. We must be prepared. You physically cannot go from lifting a maximum weight of 100lbs to 300lbs,
there must be time and training. We must train ourselves up, study and pray. Fellowship and worship. Praise and fasting.
The spiritual disciplines described herein are biblical methods of strengthening your spirit man and give us an advantage in the
spiritual warfare described by God in Ephesians 6:10-20. Each of these disciplines enhances your ability to use the Spiritual
Armor and Weapons as you fight the devil in your life, and the lives of those you love and pray for. We are taught that this fight is for
our very souls, is not against flesh and blood, but that it is spiritual in nature. That the enemy and the wicked spirits who fell from
heaven with Him are out to kill us. We learn that; we need our faith to protect us from attacks (shield of faith), we must be in right
standing with God to protect our hearts (the breastplate of righteousness), we need our bible (the sword) to fight back, we need to
have truth in us to keep our armor together (belt of truth around our loins), we must have salvation (helmet of salvation) to protect our
minds, and we must march forward spreading the gospel (feet covered in the preparation of the gospel of peace).
It is even possible for us to liken the armor to the Six Disciplines. The Helmet may be likened to Praising of God, for in that we get
the protection of our mind confessing the good works of God in our lives and the lives of others. Looking to the breastplate, we can
see Fasting, for fasting was used as a means of consecration, or separation unto God, to put the people in Right Standing with
God. The Belt of Truth is likened to the Worship which must be done in Spirit and in Truth, for the truth is if we know who God is, we
will worship Him! Reading God's Word is seen in the Shield of Faith, For faith Comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God,
every time we read His promises we can be assured in our Faith He is promising us these very things we read. The Sword of the
Spirit, is our Prayers in Faith, for this is how we extend our spirit to fight off the enemy in an offensive position, for the Keys to the
Kingdom of God which we are given is Prayer, and the Gates of hell shall not prevail against them. Finally in the Shoes which we
place on our feet to share the Gospel of Peace, we see the Fellowship we must maintain with like minded believers who will help
hold us up, and hold us accountable, and have that Go out in two's mentality that Jesus used and taught to His disciples. Fighting in
the war is not a option, but winning is. If we side with God, and walk in His ways, follow His lead, and obey His will, then we will win.
You may try to fill your life with “spiritual things” such as spiritual rituals, traditions of man, and practices handed down by parents.
However rituals, traditions, and practices may not help you to reach unto the Spirit of God, and bring Him more deeply into your life.
God warns, “they will have a form of godliness but it will lack power. 2 Timothy 3:5 (NLT) 5 They will act religious, but they will
reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
Through personalized prayer, reading the Bible, learning how to praise and worship The Lord, having fellowship with believers, and
fasting, you can more effectively develop and deepen a relationship with the God who loves you personally and very deeply. You will
also become more accountable to the body of Christ, that He calls His Church. In the Church someone may have a gift or ability you
don't. Through the fellowship and corporate activities the bible teaches, we can edify each other and the whole body of Christ. God
designed it this way, the Lord prepared it all for us, joining us one to another. He died a horrible death on the cross because He
loves you so much. It may be hard to imagine that at this point. However, it is true. It is from this death, and resurrection the Church
was born.
The Lord is excited to have you tell Him how you feel, and do not be afraid how it may sound. The Lord delights in hearing you
speak from the heart. He is a real person, and just wants to have a personal relationship with you, just as you would have with a very
special friend. God also shares His Heart with you, and wants to show you how much He cares about all those things that are
happening in your life, Luke 12:6-7 (AMP) 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And [yet] not one of them is forgotten or
uncared for in the presence of God. 7 But [even] the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be struck with fear or
seized with alarm; you are of greater worth than many [flocks] of sparrows.
He does not want you to form religion, He wants relationship, read how He feels about religion here,
James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress
and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Unless our religion produces faith and works, it is useless to God and to us. We must work on relationship. Through a working and
intimate relationship with Jesus we can invite the Spirit of God to live in us and work through us, to get us through the tough times,
and to fill us with His supernatural joy, peace, faith, love, and self control. The fruit of the Spirit, are His proof that He has taken up
residence in our hearts. The spiritual disciplines are the biblical principles that will facilitate our spirit coming into agreement with
God's, which is of supreme importance, because God teaches us, Amos 3:3 (NLT) 3 Can two people walk together without
agreeing on the direction?
Prayer Can Help Ministries
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
If you are interested in receiving Bible study materials that contain the Six Christian
Disciplines contact us and we will send them out via mail or email
Disciplines contact us and we will send them out via mail or email
Introduction: