By Tony Constantino
What are spiritual disciplines?
A spiritual discipline is an exercise to help you better connect with, and listen to, God. It is a transformative practice, one that leads to growth as a Christian. Think of it like the wire on a bonsai tree, slowly bending you into the shape God desires you to be.
They are not magic, they are not esoteric, this is not witchcraft or divination or anything else of the sort.
Why bother?
First: to assist in transformation, to mold you into the person God wants you to be.
Second: Scripture tells us to: 1 Timothy 4 6-8. 6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
Basically, Spiritual disciplines help us to build our “spiritual muscles”
In this series, we are going to cover the “core” disciplines.
These are the spiritual disciplines most central to Christianity, those that are most basic, and those that are most commanded within Scripture.
In many ways, they are the disciplines that give you the most “bang for your buck.”
Sources:
I will be using the Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun as a basis, and I'll let you know when I use other sources.
When reading from Scripture, I usually use the English Standard Version, or ESV.
What are the core disciplines?
Prayer
Scripture Contemplation
Scripture Memorization
Service of others
Fasting
Gratitude (giving thanks)
Silence/solitude/unplugging
Monetary Giving
Worship
There CAN be more, but we’re going to leave it at this for now (I’ll update this post as needed)
General Guidelines
Practice it daily (for some), preferably on a consistent schedule (it helps with the discipline side of it.)
Give yourself at least twenty minutes for each session. Not all can be accomplished in twenty minutes, and it may take longer, but the key is not be in a hurry or trying to “squeeze” it in.
Minimize distractions. Close the door to the room, silence your phone. If you have a child, have the other parent care for them. Don’t play music if you can help it.
Find a way to be most present with God.