In this last installment on the series of Seek First, Pastor Megan takes us through the importance of seeking first and how our spiritual disciplines should anchor us in God and keep us focused on Him. 

As believers we must keep seeking the things of God - the heavenly things. 

We must continue to seek God and become obedient to His precepts. When we follow Him we must rid ourselves of our old habits and self and become continually renewed in true knowledge of God. In Him we are a new creation. Salvation is immediate but there is a process to sanctification.

Our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus, however, sanctification is a journey. Stripping off the old is a journey and we have the Holy Spirit to help us. We have to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and one way to do this is through the spiritual disciplines. 

Spiritual disciplines are activities we do to practice dependence on Christ and seek His righteousness and not our own. These spiritual disciplines help us focus on Him. The truth is that Spiritual disciplines are hard but it takes dedication and choosing to continue even if we don't feel like it. We have to consistently train ourselves to be godly - it's not passive (it requires us to do the work). 

However, we must be careful of being legalistic when we start the disciplines. It's not about our ego but it's a lifestyle. It's an inner transformation.

To become consistent, we need to start with a goal in mind because that will keep us motivated and focused. As mentioned, we should not be passive and lazy. The Spirit is moving and God is moving with His people and He wants His church ready.

We need to train ourselves to continue with the spiritual disciplines even when we don't want to.

Here are the Spiritual Disciplines:

Worship:

Worship shifts the focus from us to God. Even when we feel down and depressed, worship is a way to praise God and acknowledge His wonder even if we are not okay. It keeps God and the center of it all.

Studying and meditating on the Word:

Studying and meditating the word keeps us anchored in His word; It's also a way to know and hear more from God. Reading the word can also encourage us in difficult situations. The word of God strengthens us, it's our sword.

Prayer and thanksgiving:

Prayer keeps us in communion with God -it keeps us dependent on Him. God wants us to speak to Him. 

Fellowship:

We were never meant to do life alone, we see this with the Trinity. We also see this with Jesus and His disciples. As believers we need to be in community. In Fellowship we encourage and build each other. We have Jesus in common and that's all we need. 

Serving:

Our flesh likes to be served, however, we are called to serve. In doing so we follow Jesus's example. Serving builds us up - it builds the church and gives Glory to God.

Truth is, there are days where we will feel tired and feel discouraged but we keep pushing. We don't give up. The key is to continue to focus on Jesus. 

So, which spiritual disciplines do you need to work on?