Spiritual And Natural Discipline
This week we are responding to a question from YTH leaders around the country.
Question
How can I increase my spiritual discipline as a YTH leader?
This becomes a matter of priority. The spiritual disciplines are much more important than the natural disciplines. But we spend a lot of time on our natural disciplines. Our natural disciplines are communication, leadership, relational quotient, organizational abilities, and other talents. However, our spiritual disciplines include prayer, study, fasting, emotional quotient or mental health, simplicity, and other traits.
I remember when I was a younger YTH pastor watching icons of the faith who were much older than me and hearing of their spiritual lives. Whether at a conference or reading an article, I was always moved by their commitment to spiritual things. And in my first year of ministry I committed to live a life like these.
But it seemed to me that I could never attain that. Unless I did something about it.
The best way to answer this question is to watch leaders who have solved this dilemna of spiritual discipline. Here are a few things I have learned along the way:
A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step . If all you can do is pray and read the bible for one minute, start there! That’s the first step.
Be willing to be taught how to pray . Jesus’ disciple’s never asked Him to teach them to worship, preach, teach, or heal. They asked Him to teach them to pray.
A great devotional life begins by waiting and listening .That will take the pressure off from you having to perform. I think that all of us could sit and listen or wait in His presence and do nothing.
It is a commitment and not merely a decision. When asked why she was so committed to her mission of caring for the abandoned children of India, Mother Teresa said, “My secret is simple. I have committed myself to prayer.”
It takes a specific time set aside or it won’t “just happen” . Create 30 minutes each day. That means either three 10 minute or two 15 minute segments of your day that are blocked off for reading and prayer. And nothing gets in the way of this.
Prayer almost certainly will happen when you get an accountability partner. There are over 1,000 prayer meetings in the U.S. daily. Never turn down going to a prayer meeting! Ask someone to call you daily to check up on you, and then you take the next week and call them daily to keep each other accountable.
Use an online journal or an application on your phone to read and pray and worship. u could use worldprayerteam.org on the web or virtuebible or YouVersion applications for your phone. As much time as we spend on our phones, commit to using your device for spiritual discipline.
Use worship, prayer, fasting, and reading together and your time will be more creative. The combination of the three is explosive. You cannot separate the Word and Worship. When you deny yourself during fasting your senses are much more attuned to the Spirit.
Praying the prayers of the Bible help you when you don’t know how to pray or what to read. Read the book of Psalms (specifically chapters 119-139) out loud. There are many prayers in Psalms about the power of the Word. Read the Proverbs daily, Matthew 6 and Jesus’ model prayer for us, or read through John 17, Jesus’ prayer for the world.
Watch or study people who are great prayers. Ask an older person (not a peer) to mentor you in the area of spiritual discipline or read on some of the great prayer warriors of the past (start with icons such as Corrie TenBoom, A.W. Tozer, D.L. Moody, R.A.Torrey, Smith Wigglesworth, Jonathan Whitefield, Thomas Hyde, Mother Teresa, and Hudson Taylor).
Let me give you one more practical help for organizing your prayer time. I call it a Prayer Calendar. It helps me to concentrate on one topic each day and soak in a prayer theme over a more focused time throughout each day.
Monday - I pray for myself. This includes my own spiritual recovery and rest. Strengthening me personally.
Tuesday - I pray globally. This would include governments, nations, missionaries, and world revival.
Wednesday - I pray for teenagers and YTH ministries, YTH leaders, YTH services, and schools.
Thursday - I pray for our nation, our government, an Awakening, and following up the midweek services.
Friday - I pray for my family & friends, their faith, their future, their protection, and Friday is fasting day also.
You can use whatever theme daily that helps you focus on prayer and prayer themes. Create a set of themes that work for you and will keep you interested and inspired.
Finally - Check YourSHELF
Look at the books on your desk right now. Or look at the books on your shelf. What are they about? Anointing or Assessment? I dare say we are natural leadership heavy. More YTH leaders are reading books, listening to podcasts, and personally into topics such as team development, organizational paradigms, and personality assessments than they are the spiritual disciplines.
The spiritual disciplines must get more of our commitment. We can make all of the promises we want to increase our spiritual discipline, but, if we do not create a practical schedule and structure our efforts will fall short. Again. I believe our spiritual disciplines are much more important than our natural disciplines. But, if I do not do something about that, maybe I really do not desire spiritual disciplines.