Discovering Spiritual Disciplines Part 1

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines Part 1

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

What is Spiritual Discipline? 1.

Intentional Practices that help us open to God

2.

Tools to break free from bondages

3.

Discipline for the purpose of godliness

What Spiritual Discipline is not? 1.

Salvation

2.

Law

3.

Fix

4.

Accumulating Grace

5.

A test of God

How do we practice Spiritual Discipline? 1.

Desire

2.

Flexible

3.

Be Open

4.

Reflect

5.

Surrender

Romans 12:1-2 NIV Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-- this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

Practicing Spiritual Disciplines following W.O.R.S.H.I.P

Worship Human are made to worship. We are devoted to something whether we are aware or not. However, only God can satisfy our longing of worship. Discipline of Worship put us into a place to be receptive and responsive to the Holy Spirit.

Open myself to God When developing relationship, it is essential that we notice the presence of the other party. However, in reality we can be so preoccupied with so many things and forgot about God. Discipline to open myself to God put us into a place to be aware of God in our daily life.

Relinquish the false self and idols of my heart God created us in His image. We are wonderfully and beautifully made. However, due to the circumstances of life, our true self was not accepted or wanted. As a result, we hide our true self under other things which became the idols in our heart. Discipline of relinquish the false self and idols put us into a place of dependence of God only.

Share my life with others Our spiritual life is not only for ourselves. God has design us that we are to live in a community. As we interact with one another, we will experience God’s love among us. Christian life is a journey of a community. It takes authenticity, risk and hard ship to share our life with others. Discipline of sharing my life with others will put us into a place of embracing others just as Christ embraced us.

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

Hear the word of God God is a good who communicate with His people. Throughout the ages God spoke through the Word. We need His Word for living. Our God speak through different mediums including the Bible, people around us, the situation we are in, verbal voice that we can hear and our mind. There is no new revelation today, because God has already given us the full revelation of His grace in the Bible. Discipline of hearing the word of God will put us into a place of openness to truth and faith nurturing.

Incarnate Christ’s love for the world Jesus Christ demonstrated God’s love throughout His life time on earth. At the same time, Jesus called his disciples to show this love to others. As Jesus lives in us, our capacity to love grows. Therefore, we need to respond to the call of Christ, to show God’s love to others as well. Discipline of incarnate Christ’s love for the world put us into a place to be open to God’s heart.

Pray to God Our prayer describes our relationship with God. Prayer helps us to attend to God throughout the day. Prayer opens us to divine dialogue. Prayer is the way to both the heart of God and the heart of the world. Discipline of pray to God put us into a place to commune with God.

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

The Temptations in Practicing Spiritual Discipline •

Compare yourself to others

•

Think you are further along than you really are

•

Turn a spiritual discipline into a legalistic requirement

•

Substitute the means for the end

The Struggles in Practicing Spiritual Discipline •

The Philosophical Mind

•

The Practical of Spiritual Discipline

Practicing Spiritual Discipline as a Community •

With God

•

With Other People

•

With Yourself

Key for Practicing Spiritual Discipline •

Led by the Holy Spirit

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

Celebration Definition of Celebration • Our heart in the attitude of worship, praise and thanksgiving • Our body respond to God in various actions that orient our spirit to worship, praise and thanksgiving • Exercise our ability to see and feel goodness in the simplest gift of God. • Living in obedient to the Lord • Totally rely unto God, casting all our worries to Him Purpose of Celebration • It brings joy & strength into our life • Help us to relax and experience God’s fullness in our life • Help us to cultivate a heart of gratitude – appreciate people, world, Words and God’s purposes • Help us to live above our circumstances of life • Help us to break away from the mundane and negativity of life • Help us to appreciate life and break free from the temptation of being busy Precaution of Celebration • Avoid kind of celebrations that really celebrate nothing • Avoid faking your celebration when your inner heart is not Scriptures of Celebration • Zephaniah 3:17; Psalm 16:7,9,11; Psalm 47:1; Psalm 139:14 Practicing Celebration 1.

Begin now. Let today be a day of Celebration. A Day of no worries totally submitted to the Lord. Appreciate every moment of your life today, with gratitude in your heart. Let today be God’s day.

2.

Identify the place you most readily connect with God. Is it in nature? Listening to Christian music? Participating in corporate worship? Solitude?

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

Go to that place. What do you want to tell God about the joy you receive there? 3.

Intentionally place yourself in the presence of God. Recall all of God’s gifts, provisions, guidance and love toward you. To celebrate God’s grace to you, write a song of celebration, make a collage that represent your joy, write a poem of praise, play music and dance before the Lord, or memorize a verse of praise and repeat it all through the coming days.

4.

Familiarize yourself with the church calendar. Consider ways you can go allout in your celebration of Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany and All Saints Day. Plan a way of celebrating God alone or with friends.

5.

If you are not familiar with the festival of the church, set aside a day a week for celebration. You may also consider take a few days of to take a break from your daily life. Take a few days to celebrate with God.

6.

Give yourself all-out in celebration during every Church Worship Service. Let yourself break free from the rigid form of praise. Dance, sing, shout and make a joyful noise unto the Lord.

7.

Attend to the people who give you joy. Ask God how you might celebrate them in a way that encourages them.

8.

Plan to celebrate someone’s birthday, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day in a way that reminds the person of how precious he or she is to you and to God.

9.

Consider how God loves you. Read Zephaniah 3:17. Then be still and listen. How is God celebrating you? Celebrate the God who celebrates you. Intentionally ask for the gift of appreciating yourself the way God does.

10. At

the end of the days, count your blessing. Allow the joy of the Lord fill your heart and sing to the Lord a song of gratitude.

11. Change

your perspectives to Biblical perspective. Let God use your pain to turn it into a blessing.

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

Reflection Questions 1.

Where are you most prone to celebrate God? Alone? With others? In worship? In music? In nature? What does this tell you about how God made you and how you most naturally meet with him?

2.

How is your celebration enhanced or curtailed by your ability to remember the past live in the moment or anticipate the future?

3.

When you see others celebrating God in a way that is new or foreign to you, what goes on in your mind and heart?

4.

If there is heaviness about you, an overly serious side or an entrenched critical spirit, how might celebrating God affect these traits and move you into new areas of transformation?

5.

Who do you know who really celebrates life and God?

6.

What attracts you to them?

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

Simplicity Definition of Simplicity • The art of letting go • To uncomplicated and untangle my life so that we can focus on what really matters • Three inner attitudes: 1. To receive what we have as a gift from God. 2. To know that it is God’s business to care for what we have. 3. To have our goods available for others. • Ten outward Expressions: 1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status. 2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you. 3. Develop a habit of giving things away. 4. Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry. 5. Learn to enjoy things without owning them. 6. Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation. 7. Look with a healthy skepticism at all “buy now, pay later” schemes. 8. Obey Jesus’ instructions about plain honest speech. 9. Reject anything that will breed the oppression of others. 10. Shun whatever would distract you from your main goal. Purpose of Simplicity • To help us appreciate the basic of our life • To focus the unity of our life • To break free from the desire of “adding more” Precaution of Simplicity • Simplicity need to be an inward reality and results in an outward lifestyle • Do not be legalistic as we force our outward lifestyle to be simple • The central focus of simplicity is to seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness of His kingdom first

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

Scripture for Simplicity • Matthew 5:37; Matthew 619-21; Mark 10:21; Philippians 4:11-12; Ecclesiastes 7:39 Practicing Celebration • Ask God to help you speak the simple truth. Practice speaking simply – no double meanings or half-truths that put you in the best light. Let this practice help you become aware of when you rationalize, deny, blame and spin.

• Uncomplicated your life by choosing few areas in which you wish to practice “letting go.” Clean out the garage, basement, closet or attic. Go on a simple vacation. Eat more simply. What is this like for you?

• Intentionally limits your choices. Do you need six different kinds of breakfast cereal, hundreds of TV channels or four tennis rackets? What is it like to limits your choices? Does it feel free, or do want and envy surface? Talk to God about this.

• If someone admires something of yours, give it away. Find out just how attached you are to your things. What is that like for you?

• If you can get where you need to go by walking rather than driving, try walking.

• Make a catalog of all the gadgets you have in your home, from the dishwasher to the lawnmower. Which gadgets have made you freer? Which could you share? Which could you get rid of and not really miss?

• Where have you complicated your life with God? Consider what actually brings you into the presence of Christ. Spend time there.

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

• Practice giving no excuses, no apologies, no spontaneous yeses. When you are tempted to say yes, stop yourself and say, “Let me think about this for a moment. I’ll call you back in ten minutes.” Even ten minutes can afford you the time to consider whether you really want to say yes. When you are tempted to apologize for something like a messy house, don’t. An apology can give the impression that your house is always neat and clean. Perhaps people need to see that you live with a certain amount of clutter and that it’s OK. When you want to make an excuse for something like being late or eating on the run, let the excuse go. Accept yourself and the reality of your life. No excuses, no apologies and no spontaneous yeses can actually be a step in discerning what you truly need to apologize for.

Reflection Questions

• In what ways are you susceptible to the entitlement mentality of our age? • How has the “more is better” mentality shaped you? • Do you envy those who have more things or more opportunities than you? Explain. • How much of your identity is wrapped up in what you own and where you go? Who are you without all these acquisitions and opportunities? • What is it like for you to give away things you still want and like? • When have you downsized? What was it like for you?

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

Solitude Definition of Solitude • Being alone with God • Fundamental Spiritual Discipline that moves us from the business of the world to the presence of God. • It is not a place but a state of mind and heart Purpose of Solitude • Help us to uncover our true self before God • Breaking free from the addiction to the voices of the world • Overcoming the emptiness of our heart – Aloneness • Help us to quite down and be attentive to God Precaution of Solitude • Do not be legalistic with the outward practice • It is not total absent of speech, but to speak when necessary (control your tongue) • Be aware of “The Dark Night of The Soul” – spiritual dryness Scripture for Solitude • Mark 1:35; 1 Kings 19:11; Lamentations 3:28 Practicing Solitude • Take advantage of the “little solitude” that fills our day. Use the time you are alone with God. Have your devotion in silent before God.

• Try to do deeds without any explanation. Try not to justify your action for a week. Allow God to be your justifier. Try to speak less and mean what you speak.

•

In a place where you can’t be interrupted, intentionally place yourself in the presence of God. Simply be alone with God. Carry the sense of being alone with God with you into the next thing.

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

• Spend fifteen minutes or more alone with God. You can do an activity if you wish; walk, run, drive, iron. Dedicate the time ahead of you to God. After the time is up, consider how it was for you to be alone with God. Was it hard? Good? Did God speak to you in any way?

•

Make the time you spend in the shower each morning your alone time with God. Present yourself to your Creator – all of your body, all of the dirt that has accumulated in your soul, all that God has made you to be. Let the water from the shower remind you of the water of life that nourishes and changes you. Let the warmth touch you with love. If you like a cold shower, let the bracing impact call you to live your life to the full. Offer yourself to God for the day. Thank him for the alone time he spends with you.

• Set aside half a day for time alone with God. Go to a retreat center, quiet chapel or park. Don’t stay in your home. Take only your bible. Reflection Questions • How and when do you resist or avoid being alone? • What tends to pop into your mind when you are alone? • What do you resort to doing when alone? •

What troubles you felt makes you antsy about being alone?

•

When have you felt most comfortable being alone? Most uncomfortable?

• What sense of God do you have when you are alone?

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

Community Definition of Community • Christian community exists when believers connect with each other in authentic and loving ways that encourage growth in Christ. They engage in transparent relationship that cultivate, celebrate and make evident Christ’s love for all the world. • To express and reflect the self-donating love of the Trinity by investing in and journeying with others. Purpose of Community • Help us to cultivate “kingdom” minded on earth. • Allow us to incarnate God’s love with our brothers and sisters in Christ. • Break free from self-centeredness and learn to live as a community Precaution of Community • It is not a utilitarian concept • Practice within the context of your church, small group or covenant groups. Scripture for Community • 1 Timothy 3:14-15; Colossians 3:15-16 Practicing Community • Choose one: o Love one another o Encourage one another o Bear one another’s burdens o Care for one another o Accept one another o Be kind to one another o Live in harmony with one another o Forgive one another

o Be hospitable to one another o Honor one another o Belong to one another o Be devoted to one another o Speak truthfully to one another o Teach one another

Agree with one another Look out for one another Worship with one another Lay down your lives for one another o Do not provoke one another o Do not grumble against one another o Do not envy one another o o o o

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

• Practice living one particular “one another” every day for a week. What is this practice like for you? • Join a community program in your church – outdoor or indoor games, house visitation, hospital visitation, spring cleaning. • Ask someone to tell you their story. Listen to the story as deeply as you can. Tell the person how much it means to you to hear the story. How does the story give you a deeper understanding of your friend, of God and of yourself? • Include others in family gatherings. Practice what it is to belong to God’s family – not just your nuclear family. • Begin a thank-you list. Thank God for the people in your life who have helped you grow. Write a song or poem about God’s good gift of family. • If you have something against a brother or sister in Christ, go to that person and make peace with them. Meditate on Romans 12:18. Journal your response. • Join a church, a small group, a mission group. Become part of a community of faith and see how this imparts Christ to you in new and deep ways. Reflection Questions • What is appealing or unappealing to you about being an independent operator?

• How do you respond to the words: o Dependent o Independent o Interdependent How does your response affect your experience of Christian community?

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

• What kind of connection does Christ want you to have with Christian brothers and sisters?

• How does the life you are leading reflect the value Christ places on belonging to the family of God?

• When has the body of Christ nurtured and sustained you? What was it like for you?

• What gifts do you bring to the body of Christ?

Devotional Reading Definition of Devotional Reading • Taking a passage of the Bible, prayerfully meditating on it until the Holy Spirit shows you a way to apply its truth to your own life in a way that is personal, practical, possible, and measurable. • The aimed is to growing a relationship with God rather than gathering information about God Purpose of Devotional Reading • Help us to experience the Word • Help us to build relationship with God • Help us to live undivided life Precaution of Devotional Reading • Be consistent • Sit relax, not tense or slouched • Be systematic in choosing the text

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

• Try to use clean Bible without notes • Keep it brief, not too long Scripture for Devotional Reading • Psalm 119:36, 97, 103, 111; Hebrews 4:12-13, Deuteronomy 30:14 Practicing Devotional Reading • 5 Steps of Devotional Reading o Silent o Read o Meditate o Respond o Contemplate • Choose a special place. Reserve this place as a regular meeting place with God. Choose a special time. Give your best time to the Lord. • Using Mark 10:46-52 o Put yourself in the presence of God. Become quiet and offer yourself to God. o Read Mark 10:46-42 out loud, slowly allowing the words to resonate and settle in your heart. Linger on the word or phrase that catches your attention and lights up for you. Sit with the word or phrase and savor it as a word of God for you. o Read the passage again and listen to where the word connects with your life right now. Enter into the scene in your imagination. Imagination is a God-given gift. Envision the scene. Carefully watch the people. Listen to how they interact. What do you hear and experience as you watch and listen? o Read the passage one more time, listening attentively. Has God addressed you in this Word and invited you to respond? Allow the Scripture to lead you into a prayer response. Do not censure your thoughts or requests. Let them flow out spontaneously and freely before the Lord who loves you. Hold nothing back. Respond to God’s invitation to you. Reflect upon your life, see if there is any where in your life that you can apply the Word. o Deeply receive God’s Word and rest in his presence and love. Give yourself some time to wait and be still before you reenter life as usual. Take God’s Word to you with you throughout the day. Return to it and remember it all day long. Stay with God until you feel prompted to leave. Try to memorize the verse God had spoken to you.

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1 •

When reading the Scripture, try to insert your name into the pronouns that stand for you. What is it like for you to read Scripture this personal way? For example, try it with Isaiah 43:1-3.

Reflection Questions • How has your faith journey been characterized by a head-heart split? How has God’s love moved from being a matter of belief to a real and lived experience? • How would you characterize the way you tend to read? How has the way you read Scripture been influenced by reading habits in general? • What are the strengths and weaknesses of scanning and hurrying through material in search of the main idea? • How and when have the Scripture been the voice of God to you? How have they brought you in to the presence of Christ?

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

Compassion Definition of Compassion • Feeling with and for others as well as extending mercy and help to them in extravagantly practical ways. • Putting yourself in another person’s shoe. • Caring with love. Purpose of Compassion • To fulfill the passion of Jesus Christ. • To show the love of Christ to the world. • To become the vessel for God to use in healing the broken hearted. Precaution of Compassion • Practice compassion with wisdom. • Constantly aware the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Scripture for Compassion • Mark 1:41 • Matthew 15:32 • 1 Peter 3:8-9 Practicing Compassion • Become quite and still. Bring yourself before God and ask God to let you feel His passion. Mediate the journey to the cross. Feel for Jesus, what is it like for Him to be abandoned by those he counted on? What is it like for Jesus to be alone on the cross, feeling the pain and shame. What desire drives Jesus to the cross? • Take a moment to reflect situations that had happened in your life. Reflect how you respond to negative emotions such as anger, denial, blame, withdrawal, depression, etc. How did moments of compassion come or not come into these moments? Pray to God on what you see. • Choose one way you can show compassion to someone this week. After you have done so, talk so someone about what it was like for you to do this. • Draw up a list of the people who services you receive: teacher, pastors, caretakers, and so on. Next to each name write down any needs you know

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

they have (e.g., physical, personal, financial, etc.) What is God calling you to do? Listen, journal, act. • Consider the non-believer in your community. Choose one of them. What do they need? What do they have to give? Where is God calling you to walk in his compassion? Reflection Questions • When is compassion deserved or undeserved? • What attitudes and emotions surface when you relate to emotionally needy or dysfunctional people? • What experiences in your past make it easy or difficult to be compassionate with yourself? • Do you think the attitude that “people just need to work harder and show more initiative in order to get on in life” affects relationship? How? • What is it like for you when people are compassionate toward you?

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

Fasting Definition of Fasting • To let go of an appetite in order to seek God. • Self-denial of normal necessity to seek God. • To learn self-control. Purpose of Fasting • Fasting is for God, not for our own needs. • Fasting help us to keep a balance in life. • Fasting help us to break free from things that control us. • Fasting deals with our obsession, fantasies, desires, and possessive attitude. Precaution of Fasting • Don’t fast when you are sick, traveling, pregnant or nursing. People with diabetes, gout, liver disease, kidney disease, ulcers, hypoglycemia, caner and blood disease should not fast. • Don’t fast if you are in a hurry and are fasting for immediate results regarding decision. Fasting is not magic. • Listen for a nudging from God to fast. • Stay hydrated. Always drink plenty of water and fluids. • If you are new to fasting, begin by fasting for one meal. Spend the time with God that you would normally be eating. • Work up to longer fasts. Don’t attempt prolonged fasts without guidance. Check with your doctor before attempting long periods of fasting. • If you decide to fast regularly, give your body time to adjust to new rhythms of eating. You may feel more tired on the days you fast. Adjust your responsibilities appropriately. (Expect your tongue to feel coated, and expect to have bad breath). • Begin a fast after supper. Fast until supper the next day. This way you miss two, rather than three meals. • Don’t break your fast with a huge meal. Eat small portions of food. The longer the fast, the more you need to break the fast gently. Scripture for Fasting • Matthew 6:16-18, Isaiah 58:6-7

Discovering Spiritual Disciplines – Part 1

Practicing Fasting • What to do in the time set apart for fasting: o Bring your Bible and a glass of water during your fast. o Relax and breathe deeply. Place yourself in the presence of God. Offer yourself and your time to God by prayer. o Spend some time worshiping God for his faithfulness. Thank him for where he has come through for you. Psalm 103:1-5 also provides a starting point for praise. o Bring your desires to God. Ask him if this desire is in line with his will and his word for you and the church. Be still and listen. Offer your desires and prayers to God. • Fast one meal a week. Spend your mealtime in prayer. When you feel hungry, pray to Jesus about your self-denial. • For a period of one week, fast from media, sports, shopping, reading or use of the computer. Dedicate the time you now have to God. What feelings arise in you? What thoughts interrupt your prayer? Reflection Questions • When you feel empty or restless, what do you do to try to fill the emptiness? What does this tell you about your heart? • What is your attitude toward fasting or self-denial? • In what ways do you currently deny yourself? • When has self-denial brought you something good? • What has the experience of fasting been like for you?