What Are The Spiritual Disciplines?

Spiritual disciplines are an important part of the Christian life. However, for many of us, the word “discipline” can bring up negative emotions. “Discipline” reminds us of enduring correction from our parents, challenging physical training in the gym, or the mental exercise of learning a new skill. If we are saved by God’s grace, why do we need discipline in the Christian life? Whether new to the faith or on this Christian journey for years, we all need spiritual disciplines. This article will explain what spiritual disciplines are, how we practice them, and will include resources to help you strengthen your spiritual life. 

What is a Spiritual Discipline?

A spiritual discipline is something that we practice regularly in order to nurture and strengthen our relationship with Christ. When we become Christians, we are justified and placed in right-standing with God. God no longer holds us guilty for breaking his law; we are covered by the sacrifice of Christ. However, at the time of our conversion, we also begin a journey towards sanctification. Sanctification is the process of becoming righteous and holy. 

The process of sanctification depends on the work of the Holy Spirit but it also depends on our willingness to live in ways that honor God. This is what Paul means in Philippians 2:12b-13 when he says to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Ultimately, salvation is a gift that we receive the instant we put our trust in Christ but sanctification requires some effort on our part. 

Why We Practice Spiritual Disciplines

In Galatians 4:16, Paul uses the metaphor of childbirth to express the agony and pain he experienced in order for “Christ [to be] formed” in the Galatian church. In other words, Paul wanted these Galatian Christians to be more like Jesus. Similarly, we are called to be like Christ in every aspect of our lives: at home, work, school, church, social gatherings, and the list goes on. When properly practiced, spiritual disciplines can help us become more like Christ. 

Related: 3 Spiritual Practices for Dealing with Changes in Life

Spiritual Disciplines in Scripture, Church History, and Modern Times

Spiritual disciplines are not new. They have been practiced by Christians since the early life of the Church. There is much we can learn about the spiritual practices of Christ, the early church, and contemporary Christians who have gone before us. 

Spiritual Disciplines in Scripture

While there are many examples of spiritual disciplines in the scriptures, I’ll focus on how Jesus practiced them. We will look at Jesus’ practice of prayer, fasting, and solitude with God. 

Prayer

Jesus prayed regularly. He prayed after teaching the crowds, after doing miracles, to give thanks to God, at the Lord’s supper, right before his crucifixion, and as he breathed his last breath on the cross. He also taught his disciples to pray in Matthew 6:5-8. 

Prayer is simply communication with God. It involves praise, adoration, thanksgiving, repentance, and intercession. 

Note: If you are looking for more on prayer, I recommend our article How to Pray Effective Prayers for Beginners or Hosanna Revival’s devotional Pray Like This. 

Fasting

In Matthew 4:1-11, we find Jesus fasting in the desert for forty days and forty nights. During this fast, Jesus endured temptation by the devil. Immediately after this fast, Jesus begins his preaching and teaching ministry. 

Fasting can help us draw closer to God by temporarily giving up worldly comforts. Fasting isn’t an attempt to manipulate God into giving us the things we desire or to make us feel better about ourselves. Instead, through fasting, the noise of the world becomes quieter and the voice of God becomes louder and more clear in our lives. By allowing ourselves to hunger for some of the things in this world, we become filled up in the things of the Lord.

Solitude

Lastly, Jesus practiced solitude. He often withdrew from the crowds to spend time alone with God (See Luke 5:16). In our busy, fast-paced culture, we often forget that solitude is an important part of the Christian life. We are tempted to bypass the rest that God has given us in favor of productivity and work. 

Jesus also encouraged his disciples to practice solitude and rest. In Mark 6, after the disciples returned from a teaching mission, Jesus encouraged them to come with him to a quiet place and get rest. Although there was a crowd approaching them, Jesus knew that they needed rest in order to maintain a vibrant spiritual life.

Related: How to Connect with God through Visual Art: A Christian Guide to Visio Divina

Spiritual Disciplines in Church History

As a spiritual practice, the early Church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, prayer, and breaking of bread with one another. According to Luke J Wilson, the early Church also read and memorized scripture, fasted, prayed, meditated, and committed to living simply. In the 6th century, Christian monks formed a practice known as Lectio Divina. It involved reading scripture, meditation, contemplation, and prayer. 

We discussed prayer previously, so I would like to focus on the spiritual practices of devoting oneself to biblical teaching and fellowship with other believers:

Devotion to Biblical Teaching

As the newly formed Church, the earliest believers needed to constantly remind themselves of the tradition they had been taught by the apostles. In 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Paul reminds them to hold fast to the teachings passed onto them. 

Knowing and meditating on the teachings of Christ remind us about who we are and strengthen us in our walk with Christ. Like the early Church, we need to spend time rehearsing and thinking about the things we have been taught. 

Fellowship

Another important spiritual discipline practiced by the early Church is fellowship. They ate together, read scripture, prayed, and encouraged each other in their faith. The early Church grew stronger each day because they were united together in Christ. 

We can practice fellowship by going to church and worshiping God with other believers, sharing meals together, meeting with Christian friends regularly, or getting involved in small groups. 

Related: 5 Non-Negotiable Things to Look for in a Healthy Church 

Spiritual Disciplines Practiced Today

Many of the spiritual practices we have today derive from the practices we see in scripture and in the early Church. Of course, in our modern world, we engage with spiritual disciplines differently than the early Church did. While we technically have an easier time due to the wealth of technology and resources available to us, our modern day distractions can make it difficult to prioritize spiritual disciplines. Thankfully, there are things we can do to help. 

Apps like Prayminder, Lectio 365, and Youversion help us in our practice of spiritual disciplines.

Journaling and writing out our prayers is another way to connect with God.

Bible studies are great because they encourage us to talk with other believers about our faith, find encouragement, and learn from one another. 

How to Practice Spiritual Disciplines? 

We can practice spiritual disciplines through focusing on consistency, giving ourselves grace, and making sure that our focus is on Christ.

It is unwise to practice these disciplines just to check them off a list or say that we did them. Instead, it is better to use them as tools to strengthen our walk with the Lord. 

In order to remain consistent with spiritual disciplines, choose a few that you feel confident that you can do. Decide on a time that you will practice that particular discipline and make an effort to regularly do so at the same time every day. For example, you can choose to have times of prayer and journaling every morning for 20 minutes. Do that regularly with Christ at the center and your prayer life will grow. 

Giving ourselves grace is also important. Life comes with many transitions and changes, and we are not always able to stick to the original plan we set out. If you need to, consider switching the time or place you do a certain spiritual discipline. Or consider choosing another altogether if you need to do so. The good news is that this doesn’t have to be rigid. There is flexibility and grace involved. 

Lastly, focus on Christ. Doing spiritual disciplines will be unfruitful if Christ is not at the center. Before practicing any spiritual discipline, take a moment to remember why you are practicing this discipline and how it can help you draw close to Christ. 

Next Steps

If you are looking to grow in spiritual disciplines, I would recommend reading The Deeply Formed Life by Rich Villodas or The Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. The Lectio 365 app is a great way to begin incorporating prayer and scripture meditation into your daily routine. Joining a Bible study or small group can help you grow spiritually with other Christians.