What Is Your Spiritual Disciplines Strategy?

After 21 years of being a Christian, and after reading many books dealing with spiritual disciplines, my conclusion is this: you just have to do it.

Although I could talk about several other spiritual disciplines, I will limit this brief answer to Prayer and Bible Reading.

Prayer
I've used all sorts of helpful methods for prayer, but because I have a disposition for variety, I keep changing and modifying my methods. After all, my relationship with Christ is constantly changing and developing, then why should my prayer life not continue to change and develop?

When I first became a Christian, it was stressed to me to have a set time and place for a "quiet time" or a time of devotion to God, and that was very helpful. However, I soon learned that I need to pray more than just once a day or at a certain time each day. The Apostle Paul instructs us to "pray without ceasing." By all means, use whatever method, strategy, outline, etc. that you find helpful and biblically sound, but by all means do it.

Bible Reading
I received a Ryrie Study Bible for Christmas in 1995. That began my regular Bible reading. I think it took me 4-5 years to read through it the first time. Since then, I've tried to have more disciplined approach to reading through the Bible. The one year reading plans are very helpful in this regard. I've made it my goal to read through the Bible once a year. Sometimes I'm slower than that, and sometimes I'm faster. But again, like prayer, whatever method or approach you use, the most important thing is that you are learning what God has said in His Word. Don't just read it; study it, meditate on it, hear it, and practice it.

So do it. One of the saddest things I encounter as a pastor is Christians who simply will not read their Bibles and will not pray. My advice is to do it. Do it when on good days and bad days. Do it when you feel like and when you don't. Commit yourself to it today.

Nothing encourages me more as a pastor than to hear people at church telling me about what they read in the Bible that week, or how they have been praying. Nothing thrills me more than when they share how Christ has used it to change their lives.

So do it. One warning though...if you decide to commit to praying regularly or reading your Bible, just know that you will encounter all sorts of potential distractions. As a husband and father of three, I know very well how crazy life can get. Distractions will come. Push through them. Don't make excuses. Sacrifice everything to spending time with your Heavenly Father. He certainly deserves it, and you need Him.