10 Spiritual Disciplines for your personal growth
Spiritual disciplines are ways we can live by God’s principles. We can actually DEMONSTRATE how deeply we value His salvation and desire to be more like Jesus! There is no better way to honor Him.
When we have spiritual disciplines, we allow God to carry us beyond our fallen human instincts. With this new Life, we can see more clearly what He is like and have a closer relationship with Him.
Spiritual disciplines have an unbelievable way of helping us to shape our character to be more like Him. Keep reading to learn about different spiritual disciplines and learn some easy first steps to incorporate that particular spiritual discipline into your life!
10 spiritual disciplines and simple ways to incorporate them into your life
1. Worship
Worship is more than just singing.
Described in the Dawn Traeder Magazine, “Worship means respectful devotion—loving, honoring, and obeying someone who deserves our highest regard. Worshipping God means acknowledging and celebrating His power and perfection in gratitude. Worship includes understanding and awe of God’s Holiness; we remember how great He is and behave reverently in His Presence.”
Well said.
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Next time a difficult situation arises, instead of any usual reaction you may have, think about Worshipping the Lord. Express thankfulness and gratitude from deep within instead of complaining or anger. Be intentional to remember Him and His Grandeur in your hard moment.
2. Prayer, also in the form of journaling
Prayer is something that as we become attuned to the Holy Spirit, we should be ‘pray without ceasing, ‘ 1 Thessalonians 5:17, it is still a discipline that we should be intentional about growing in.
If you have a hard time focusing while praying, writing out your prayers can be helpful and cathartic.
Rote prayers are also a helpful option to incorporate. Think The Lord’s Prayer: ‘Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ Matthew 6:9-13.
Specific devotionals – including this set – one of my favorites – includes rote prayers and a short reading for morning, noon, and night. It also comes in individual books.
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Experiment with both praying out loud, silently, and in a journal and find out which one suits you and what times.
Get a small notebook and write one page of a Scripture from your Bible reading that day with a personal prayer to God underneath it.
3. Service and Evangelism
Regularly take the focus off our yourself and your personal pursuits to avoid getting self centered. Of course we can evangelize to others through service projects, but explicitly sharing your faith reminds us of where we used to be before we were saved. If sharing your faith makes you nervous, or you aren’t sure what to say, a book like The Way of the Master is an EXCELLENT resource to help you understand and give you tools for easy explanation of your faith to others.
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Make a plan this week to host someone for dinner, or visit with someone who is lonely.
Practice sharing your faith or get a copy of Way of the Master and pray specifically for opportunities to serve someone or share your faith at least once this week.
4. Solitude
Choosing to sacrifice some time alone, away from others to spend with God can be difficult especially for those of us who are extroverted. Conversely, as an introvert, choosing to spend your coveted alone time with the Lord instead of your own pursuits is also a sacrifice.
Having some quiet time away from devices or in nature can be deeply restful and peaceful time for us to commune with God. He says “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10 Contemplating His bigness and our smallness is humbling and reassuring that He is in control.
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Try to carve out 5 minutes before bed, wake up before everyone else, or take some extra time in your bathroom or bedroom with the door closed every day this week to think about God.
5. Community
As i’m sure we’ve all figured out, the church of God is not a perfect place. Christians are messy, damaged, and imperfect. But God’s command for us is to ‘Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ‘Galatians 6:2-3
Don’t count yourself out of the importance of engagement regardless of the situation in your life. There are seasons and limits that make engagement difficult but don’t forsake REGULAR life giving meeting with other believers. They don’t have to be your favorite people, and you don’t need to agree about everything.
Start somewhere
Decide you are going to go to church this Sunday. You have until the day before to decide which one to go to. Give it a chance and unless it’s a grossly horrible fit, try to go every week this month.
Make adjustments to your plans or work schedule to make it happen next month if necessary, or find a church with an alternative meeting time.
Expect opposition especially getting there the first time.
6. Confession
Confession isn’t restricted to some “types” of believers. And it isn’t restricted to any location.
Repentance is a super important part of our faith that keeps us humble and focused on living a life that honors God. Acknowledging your sin goes far in increasing your awareness and helping you refine your behaviors, helping you honor God more with your actions and your life.
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Pray for a greater awareness of when you fall short during your day. When you do fall short, be intentional to apologize not only to God but to those around you. Don’t make excuses or wait to “do it later”.
7. Simplicity and Stewardship
Are you using the resources God has given you wisely? Your time, your talents, your resources- financial and otherwise?
The popular trend of Minimalism emphasizes being intentional about what items you choose to keep and bring into your home. This ensures you are using your financial resources wisely (in the future anyways) by thinking before purchasing items. Passing along anything that doesn’t align with your goals eliminates clutter and distraction and keeps life simple, so you can better focus on what really matters.
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Give a tithe to your local church and watch how God will multiply your investment.
Declutter some unused items in your house and see how the simplicity makes your life easier – and can even bring some calm into your home.
8. Bible reading
Don’t neglect the importance of the Living, Breathing Word of God in Your life.
Start somewhere
Dust off the Bible, and commit to a time today to sit and read it regardless of what is happening around you. Alternatively, listen to the Bible in an app or on a podcast while you are getting ready for your day or doing household tasks.
9. Celebration and Gratitude
Celebrating life’s events and achievements is an expression of gratitude for the good things that have happened.
Make sure you are remembering the Goodness of God and His favor during these special moments. We shouldn’t get so focused on success and work that we forget to make time for celebrating and fun either! It’s healthy!
Start somewhere
Make a plan to do something fun to bring joy to your family or a small group of people. It doesn’t need to cost money. For example, a game night, potluck, or outing to a park or playground. There are people who are lonely and willing if you find resistance with those close to you wanting to participate.
10. Memorizing verses or passages of Scripture
‘I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. ‘ Psalm 119:11
Knowing what God’s Word says is paramount to know the difference between right and wrong, and His Will for our Lives. Being able to recall important Scripture blesses us.
Start somewhere
Choose a verse to post somewhere public in your home on a piece of paper this week and work on memorizing it. If you need any ideas, a list like this can help.
how to act on so many spiritual disciplines?
Thank you Holy Spirit for Your guidance and Lord for Your understanding of our finiteness. You know that in our humanness, we can not master all the spiritual disciplines in the same season. Nor will any be fully mastered at any point in our imperfect, human lives.
Pick one or two spiritual disciplines to focus on this week, and refer back to this list when needed. It takes time to develop a new habit, so once you have found one that works for you and you can be consistent, try incorporating more spiritual disciplines.
May God continue to bless you in your walk with Him, and help you develop some new spiritual disciplines to help you grow closer to Him.
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