The "D" Word - Discipline by Robin Thompson

We all know that to be successful at anything requires hard work and discipline. The word discipline may remind you of the army, correcting your child, dieting, rising early and exercising. All of these things produce good fruit, but are not always pleasant to the flesh. We agree that if a soldier was not disciplined, he would not have confidence in battle. If a child is never disciplined, he will bring his mother shame. If you eat whatever you want, whenever you want and never exercise, you will eventually be out of shape and unhealthy. If you slept all day and got up only when you felt like it, you would lose your job and get very little done. We know this, but as human beings we struggle to be consistent in many areas of discipline.

When I hear the word discipline, I have mixed emotions. When I’m feeling motivated, I love discipline. I thrive on pushing myself to get up early for personal devotions. As an aerobics instructor, I drive my exercise class to the limit. The ladies are screaming for relief and I’m pushing for more. I get all organized and put the whole family on charts. I feel proud of myself when my list is checked off and I’ve stuck to the plan. But when I fall off the wagon and my motivation is gone, I don’t want to even hear the word discipline. It is at that time when I need it the most. In my personal moments of weakness I remind myself that discipline is my friend. Although it may be painful for the moment, it always pays great dividends. My simple definition of discipline is this: doing what you know is right even when you don’t feel like it.

When my mother first came to the Lord, the church was having some sort of contest. You could earn points for praying, Bible-reading, fasting, witnessing, etc. Because my mom was so thrilled with her new life, she threw herself into the contest with gusto. When the contest was over, she was a winner! She was a winner because she had established good spiritual disciplines that kept her growing in God. The habits that she formed during those early days of her Christian walk were never broken. To this day, she continues the spiritual disciplines that have produced much fruit in her life.

Your growth in Christ is a process. It's not automatic. It takes time and effort. There are no shortcuts when it comes to discipline. There are no instant pills that make you an incredible spiritual woman. There is no magic sermon or seminar. You must simply discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. That's what I Tim. 4:7 means, "But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness." Get rid of your bad habits by replacing them with good habits. Romans 6:19, "...for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness."

The first good habits that you must develop are prayer and bible reading/study. The basis for a close relationship with Jesus is regular daily devotions. If you will discipline yourself in this area, all the other areas in your life that need discipline will follow suit. Why? Because the word of God will challenge you to a more disciplined lifestyle and God will speak to you in your prayer time about areas that need attention. Memorizing God's word will keep you from sin, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee." Psalms 119:11.

One reason why spiritual discipline is so difficult is because the devil and your flesh team up together. The devil is no match for the power of the Holy Spirit in you, but when your flesh wants to do what the devil is suggesting, you have a real battle. Your flesh doesn't want to get up earlier for time with God. The enemy loves to exaggerate how tired you are. But discipline yourself to deny your flesh. Even when you feel like you're not getting anything out of your quiet time, keep doing what is right. Don't depend on your emotions. Continue studying and praying and the passion will return and you will feel God's rich love once again. Schedule your quiet time so that nothing takes its' place. Be prepared for the excuses Satan will throw at you. If you miss a day, don't stay on a guilt trip; don't be legalistic; and don't give up! Remember God's mercies are new every morning. Today is a brand new day. Determine to be disciplined!

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