Dec 17, 2021
What do successful athletes, musicians, authors, entrepreneurs,
and leaders have in common? The are disciplined. They
have strong, clear principles that they follow, and they discipline
themselves to stay on "on course" to reach their desired
destinations.
It's interesting how when Christians talk about discipline, it's
almost perceived as being a dirty word. "Oh, we are saved by
grace...so just believe in your heart." One kind of gets the
sense that following Jesus is a random thought or feeling as
opposed to a person one must discipline themselves to pursue!
Let's not kid ourselves, being devoted to Jesus and living as his
disciple is the most difficult thing a person will ever do!
The adventure of becoming like Jesus requires people to literally
"swim against" the powerful current of the American culture.
Following Jesus takes practice and hard work!
To help us on this daunting task, Jesus has gifted us spiritual
disciplines; habits, practices and experiences that are designed to
develop, grow and strengthen one's faith and dependence on
God. Some of these spiritual disciplines include, prayer,
generosity, service, fasting, and solitude. These
disciplines, when practiced on a regular basis, provide the
practice and exercise needed to develop people's faith.
The apostle Paul when coaching Timothy makes this same comparison
between physical and spiritual disciplines. He writes:
"Train yourself for godliness; 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." ~ 1
Timothy 4:7-8
In this sermon we will continue our study of the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting by looking at what Jesus teaches about how to practice fasting. The goal of this sermon will be to help each person to develop a plan that works best for their life situation. If you are looking to deepen your dependence upon Jesus, and strengthen your faith, don't miss part four of Less of Me ~ More of Him!