By: Pastor Femi Oluwatimehin
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022
Venue: MFM Int’l Youth Church HQ
Text: I Timothy 4: 7-8
What is Spiritual Discipline?
This is a biblical practice that a believer does, whether conveniently or inconveniently, in order to grow into the likeness of God
It is the regular actions and activities undertaken for the purpose of inducing spiritual experiences and cultivating spiritual development
It is restraining the desires and appetite of the flesh
It is putting your spirit in charge and making your soul and flesh to yield to the authority of the Holy Ghost.
If you are not disciplined or exercising yourself unto godliness, there is no how you can achieve transformation unto his likeness.
Nowadays, the devil is trying to shift our attention from the things of the Spirit, by trying to occupy us and our minds with what is going on in the world; If you are not intentional and deliberate about your spiritual life, forget about being transformed into his likeness
If you are not disciplined, you cannot be discipled
Without discipline, development would be a mirage, that is, you cannot grow.
Without discipline, dominion can never be attained, neither would Godly desire come to fruition
It takes discipline to sustain your passion. Often times, you have a passion to do a particular thing, where that passion ends, discipline starts.
How do we exercise ourselves into Godliness?
Be disciplined in …
- reading the word of God. Romans 12.
- studying the word of God
- meditating on the word of God. Meditation takes the word of God from your brain to your heart. As a result, the word becomes potent which makes us grow in God.
- the place of prayer. I Thessalonians 5:17
- the place of fasting
- your thought patterns Proverbs 4: 23; Philippians 4:8
- your sleeping patterns
- your communication
- relationship with the opposite sex
- eating habit
- time management
Discipline helps to …
.. build Godly character
… bear fruits
… grow intimacy with God
… grow and transformed into His likeness
What to do?
- Take a baby step
- Set realistic goals
- Find an accountable partner
- Ask for the grace of God
… and as a result, take note of the following.
- Instead of chatting on Facebook, communicate with God
- Instead of staying all day on Instagram, interact with the Spirit of God
- Instead of twitting all the time on Twitter, give thanks to Him
- Instead of staying in Periscope, stay in His presence.
- Instead of giving yourself always to Telegram, tell others about Christ
- Instead of watching YouTube all the time, yield to God’s instructions
- Instead of staying on Tik Tok, talk to God
- Instead of Snapchat all the time, stay in His secret place.
- Instead of WeChat all the time, welcome God into your heart
- Instead of WhatsApp all the time, surrender to His will