Life has been hectic lately. We are getting back into normal routines and homeschooling after an extended Christmas break. I've been battling thyroid issues and fatigue (not fun!). And We had 5 family birthdays in 30 days with Christmas and New Years mixed in (Jason's 30th birthday, Malachi and Micah's 5th birthday, my birthday, and Magnolia's 1st birthday)! 

I've been tired, overwhelmed, and frankly just lazy when it comes to my spiritual disciplines. I've been slowly trying to work back into the habit but honestly, I need a good kick in the pants to get going! So I'm challenging myself to get back on track. Wanna join me? 

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

What are Spiritual Disciplines?

We must first ask - "Why do you study God's Word?" And "How do we grow in godliness?"

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,” – Titus 2:11-12

So how exactly do we know how to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age? By going to God's Word! By knowing God's Word. By studying God's Word and letting it saturate our lives. 

It's God's strength and His grace that will cause us to grow, but it's through God's Word and prayer that this growth happens. 

“Growth is also a normal expression of the Christian life. The New Testament writers assume growth and constantly urge us to pursue it. Peter urges us to ‘Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’ (2 Peter 3:18). Paul instructs us that by ‘speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ’ (Ephesians 4:15).” – Growing Your Faith by Jerry Bridges

I talk a lot about Spiritual Disciplines, but what exactly does that mean? Jerry Bridges says it well:

“Spiritual growth occurs as a result of intentional and appropriate effort. The word intentional implies a diligent pursuit of a clear goal. Appropriate indicates that we must use the God-given ways of growth given to us in the Bible. We usually refer to these ways of growth as ‘spiritual disciplines.” – Growing Your Faith by Jerry Bridges

In Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney he outlines at least 12 spiritual disciplines, and no doubt there are more. But for today, we will be focusing on just three: Bible reading, prayer, and Scripture memorization. 

We practice these disciplines because:

1) God has commanded us to 

2) They are the avenue through which God has given us to know Him more so that we can be transformed more into the likeness of Christ. 

Too often we wait for a “feeling” or a desire to want to read God’s Word. We don’t “feel” close to God so we don’t pray or dig into His Word. But we shouldn’t wait for these feelings, because they may never come or only seldom come. 

We discipline ourselves to read God’s Word and pray, not because we have to, but because we love God and are motivated to know Him more. Bible reading and prayer are simply two ways in which God has given us to accomplish that. 

So here's what I am jumping back into and committing to in February: 

Bible Reading

This is the first habit that I will be working on recultivating in my life. My Bible reading has been slacking and all over the place. I've been choosing to read other things right now because I've been tired (and honestly ju...