The spiritual disciplines were designed to help Christians spend time with God to permit Him to change you from the inside out. Richard Foster suggests that the disciplines are a path. These practices help you encounter God.

Your practice of spiritual disciplines will require a change of life-as-usual. You will approach your life with these two questions:

>> What am I currently not doing that, if I were doing, would put me in the path of God?

>> What am I currently doing that, if eliminated, would put me in the path of God?

"Superficiality is the curse of our age…. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people."
-Richard Foster, "Celebration of Discipline"

"The spiritual life is first of all a life. It is not merely something to be known and studied,
it is to be lived."
-Thomas Merton, "Thoughts in Solitude"

READ I CORINTHIANS 9:24-27

What did Paul mean when he said, “Run in such a way as to get the prize”?

Have you ever experienced this type of athletic commitment and discipline? What about in hobbies such as acting or music?

Paul used athletic training to describe the discipline of spiritual growth.

BELOW ARE SOME OF THE CLASSIC SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES AND A BRIEF DEFINITION:

SOLITUDE
Solitude is the practice of being absent from other people and other things so that you can be present with God.

WORSHIP
Worship is finding ways to tell God all that He is worth to you. It is more than music. It is a lifestyle.

FELLOWSHIP
Fellowship is being with others in ways that help us grow in our faith.

SERVICE
Service is humbly giving of yourself and expecting nothing in return.

CONFESSION
Confession is telling the truth about what we’ve done and admitting our responsibility so we can experience true forgiveness.

FASTING
Fasting is purposely depriving yourself of things that can keep you from depending on God to meet your needs.

STUDY
Study is using any tools available to learn all we can about the truth of God’s Word.

SUBMISSION
Submission is giving up our way in favor of someone else’s.

SILENCE
Silence is shutting out sounds so we can hear God’s voice and get to know Him better.

PRAYER
Prayer is communicating with God to help us know God, hear from God, and express dependence on God.

SACRIFICE
Sacrifice is giving until it hurts and offering your life as a gift to God.

CELEBRATION
Celebration is focusing on God’s work in the world and in your life. You draw joy and strength as you recognize God’s faithfulness in your life.

"Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody thinks of

changing himself."
--Leo Tolstoy

It is time to throw out life-as-usual and take up new paths where God can change our lives from the inside out.

For further study

1. The Gospels are full of examples of Jesus both teaching and practicing disciplines such as solitude, silence, fasting, worship, prayer, simplicity, celebration, fellowship, and service. Read through Matthew and make a note of the examples you find.

2. Richard Foster said, "Superficiality is the curse of our age." John Ortberg said that our greatest enemy in the spiritual life is Hurry. How are hurry (busy-ness) and superficiality related? Are you under the curse of superficiality?

3. Are there any disciplines on this list that you have never tried or have had difficulty with? If so, choose one from the list and develop an action plan for experiencing that discipline in the coming week.

Here are some books on the spiritual disciplines that you may find helpful.

Foster, Richard, Celebration of Discipline

Ortberg, John, The Life You've Always Wanted

Peterson, Eugene, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

Whitney, Donald, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

Willard, Dallas, The Spirit of the Disciplines

Here are some classic books on spiritual disciplines.

Andrew Murray, The Inner Chamber

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

John Bunyan, The Pilgrims Progress

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

St. Ignatius, The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius

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