Today I led a co-ed discussion group of seniors at my church on the subject of “Spiritual Disciplines”. In fact, that’s my monthly assignment for this group. The president of this senior ministry asked me to be the featured moderator on the 4th Thursday of each month to lead invigorating discussions and prompting effecting action on any subject I choose. So far, the sessions have been very stimulating and beneficial to those in attendance.

I began the discussion by asking the audience to give me their definition for “Spiritual Disciplines”. After a brief silence, someone said, ‘when I hear the word spiritual, I think of God’. Very good, I exclaimed. Now define disciplines. Well, that’s when God…STOP! I said! Say no more! (Whom the member was about to identify would have been a misnomer…a wrong or inaccurate use of a name or term. And I did not want her to mistakenly name the wrong player. The member was about to name God which would have been wrong. The second word (disciplines) is the responsibility of a person to carry out. Not God’s!

Definition for “Spiritual Disciplines”

As a follower of Jesus Christ, these (disciplines) are the intentional and deliberate acts of each believer’s conduct to enhance their spiritual growth and that will transform and change their interaction with the Holy Spirit. But in order to experience a healthy spiritual growth, you must listen to the Holy Spirit and put into practice God’s advice.

Suggested habits/disciplines to institute in your daily life.

l. Bible reading – This exercise, if practiced on a daily basis, is like a super-charged spiritual diet. It provides raw material that the Holy Spirit can use to renew your mind and transform your heart.

2. Bible study and prayer – This is different from Bible Reading. Every Christian should from time to time join a bible study group and engage in group and/or corporate praying. Just keep in mind that anything can be a spiritual discipline (habitually performing this act) if it develops better habits, makes you aware of Jesus’ presence or changes behaviors that makes growth difficult.

What shall I watch next? I’ve got nothing but time.

3. Bible Memorization – By making a concerting effort to committing key passages to memory, you can incorporate Scripture into your disciplines. Choose passages that are particularly meaningful and can help you share your faith with others.

4. Stewardship – Have you yet come to the realization that God is the ultimate owner of everything and you are just his manager. If God instructs you to donate a certain amount of your wages (income) to your place of worship are you obedient only if no financial emergency arises? Why not make a ‘discipline’ vow to obey God regardless of any impending financial circumstance. And stick to it! Generosity is a critical discipline that trains Jesus followers to appropriate God’s resources better and be more thankful and appreciative of God’s blessings.

5. Fellowship – Jesus gave us more than an invitation to develop a relation with God when He preached that the Kingdom of God is at Hand. (Jesus Christ Himself was God’s kingdom and steward over all of God’s possessions, including salvation.) And just as Jesus came to reconcile mankind back to God, we, too, ought to be reconciled to our fellowman, relative, persons of different ethnicity etc. And we should make a concerted effort to love everybody.

6. Fasting – Most people think of fasting as denying yourself food in order to focus your attention on prayer and other spiritual pursuits. However, food is not the only thing you can fast with. Think about it! How about refusing to become engaged in gossip or foul language. Flirting on the job or pocketing office supplies when nobody is looking. Now my next suggestions will require some serious thinking. How about fasting from putting off until tomorrow what you can accomplish today. In other words, fasting from laziness, non-dependability, making hollow promises, etc.

7. Silence – Did you know that many people set aside time in a day to just sit alone with God where they can appreciate silence. If your scene is outdoors, just take in all of God’s creation. Be thankful. Be amazed. Be enriched. Speak to the birds. Call on the butterflies. Feed the squirrels. Shout to God with a voice of triumph. You get the picture.

Scripture Lesson: “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales. Rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7-8

When was the last time you had an “Ah-Haa” moment?  Was it last week, yesterday or maybe this morning?  Mine was just now!  Just as I began to compose my thoughts for this week’s blog, the Lord shouted in a loud voice, “STOP in the name of love, before you break my heart.  Think it over.”  Doo wop, doo wop!”

Well, I exaggerated.  The angels were not really blasting out The Supremes 1965 hit song, but I thought it was a great opener for what I am about to share with you (for the second time) concerning just how much God loves proof reading our writings, publishing and promoting our hieroglyphics on how we use His written word as a form of our worship.

Honestly, when life throws me a lemon, one of the most expressive ways I’ve found to cope is by journaling, or writing my grief down somewhere.  And my first thoughts this morning when I awoke were the Holy Spirit whispering to me, my child, that is just what I do…envelop someone’s heart to write things down.  (My “Ah-Haa” moment.)  You see, God is actually the Author and Finisher of our faith….who would-a-thought!

So, what are some examples in the Bible of God’s references to writing things down?  I’m so glad you asked.

• As a Prosecuting Attorney, God said:  “Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”  Luke 1:3-4
• As a Supreme Ruler, God said:  “This is what the Lord said, the God of Israel, says:  ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you.’”  Jeremiah 30:2a
• As the Master Teacher, God said:  “Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”  Deuteronomy 6:9
• Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote:  “You (the Corinthians) yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.  You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”  2 Corinthians 3:2-3

Needless to say, one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day!

I realize that there are other acceptable ways Believers in Christ pay homage to Him, for example:

1. By worshiping through music.
2. By worshiping in fasting and praying.
3. By worshiping conducting Bible study.
4. By fostering unity in the body of Christ.

But for me, worshiping while journaling allows me to laugh out loud with Him, debate with Him, cry with Him, rejoice with Him, shout with Him, run with Him, Love on Him, and most of all submit to Him.

The man on the left is not a picture of my grandfather, Daddy Bob, but it reminds me of him sitting in the wooden bench swing on his front porch on a warm Spring day, slowly pumping himself back and forth as he read his Bible.  We grandchildren knew not to disturb him, but we could watch him as he from time to time looked up at the rolling clouds in the bright blue sky and spit out his tobacco.  Next, he would take his pencil from behind his ear and underlined something he had just read in the Bible.  How I longed for a peek at that page.  But that was Grandpa’s own private conversation with God and I knew he expected God to answer him in His own good time.

You may be wondering how you can use the written word as a form of worship?  May I suggest you try writing down your first positive thoughts of your day.  And in the evening pick up that list and write down how each thought was accomplished.  Did you make it happen?  Did someone else make it happen?  Was God in the mix?  Then turn it all over to Jesus in your closing written prayer.  Collect these precious pieces of paper and you will be on your way to worshipping while journaling.   Then you, too, will agree that to journal is a wonderful form of expression.

Until next week, my friends, happy journaling.

TO HELP YOU GET STARTED WITH YOUR JOURNALING, SHOP AMAZON FOR THIS JOURNAL NOTEBOOK:  I’ll Write it Down: A Two Way Chat Diary Oct 17, 2019 by Joronda Montañ Paperback      $9.95

Scripture Lesson:  “Never forget to be truthful and kind.  Hold these virtues tightly.  Write them deep within your heart.  If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself.  Proverbs 4:3-5 (Living Bible)  STOP in the name of love…

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.com every Friday for a new post from the Master’s servant manager…ME!

TO MY SUBSCRIBERS AND VISITORS TO THIS BLOG…THE FOLLOWING SUBMISSION IS A RE-BLOG FROM A PAGE IN MY DIARY FROM 1996. I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT ENJOY READING IT AGAIN.

How about a little nostalgia? For this week’s blog, I would like for you to take a little stroll with me down memory lane. What prompted this sentimental journey, you might asked? Well, this week I received a facebook message from a long lost friend from my past. He and I were both young adults at the time, and members of the same church located in a small town in Maryland, USA. Since I was also a Sunday School teacher at that time, and assigned to teach a co-ed teenage class, the president of a young adult Bible Study group invited me to be a facilitator at a workshop for single folks during an upcoming weekend conference retreat.

What an amazing opportunity, I thought, to broaden and share my ever-expanding spiritual growth in the Lord. For He (the Holy Spirit) had certainly been taking me on mystical journeys, as He opened up the inner most meanings of God’s holy scriptures during my devotional study time. However, so far, I had not received any indication that I was to share or do anything corporately with this new in depth spiritual knowledge.

Therefore, I attributed the subject matter for this week’s blog to that unexpected (out of the blue) facebook greeting from a long lost friend. Obviously, the ole adage, ‘Out of sight, out of mind,’ is not necessarily true.

So, in early December, 1996, while preparing for that young adult workshop that I was to facilitate at that weekend retreat, I ran across a newly published book by Dr. Jeremiah Wright, entitled Good News For Single Folk. After praying over all the materials I had gathered, and after receiving spiritual confirmation that all was well, following is what happened.

At first, as I began developing an outline from the materials, I experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit, big time! It seemed as though I was being hindered from developing my outline because I was starting from the wrong premise. As I raised my pen to cross out yet another sentence for the umpteenth time, I paused. Something supernatural was happening. Someone was calling my name. In a whisper I said, “Speak Lord.” Immediately, I was led to turn in the scriptures to Luke 19:10b: “...for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

With trepidation, I softly inquired of the Holy Spirit what exactly was it that was lost and how does it apply to singles. Again, I was led to read several additional scriptures in Genesis 3:21-24. There, we find all of the provisions and disciplines God administered to ‘fallen’ mankind.

• We were to be clothed in garments of skin because we had lost our glorified bodies.
• We now knew good from evil, thus we lost our innocence. Therefore we have no excuse.
• Our minds became befuddled and we didn’t know what was good for us. In other words, we lost our freedom of choice.
• Physical Death was ushered in and we lost external life.
• We were banished from the Garden of Eden and lost our eternal home and all the luxuries that went with it.
• And finally, because of the Guardian Angels with the flaming swords, we lost easy access to the Way. God placed stumbling blocks in our paths.

Once again, I humbled myself and asked the Lord what does this have to do with singles? God said to me; Tell the class that because of the acts of the first couple, (Adam and Eve), the sanctity of marriage was also abridged. Divorce and unfaithfulness are imminent. But, the Good News is Jesus Christ! He is the Bridegroom Who would never be unfaithful to His God nor to His bride (us).

So, in His communion time with me, Jesus, in a still small voice, put forth this proposition…Since married couples are considered single in My Father’s eyes (and the two shall be one), and single people are already single, tell everybody in your Young Adult Sunday School Class to marry Me! Let’s elope before you have time to get lost again!

Click to hear Buddy Holley’s song, “Think It Over” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isgUxR4R_hg

My prayer for singles…

Dear Heavenly Father: Please protect the intimacy and oneness you have instituted in the relationships of courting young peoples and other couples in general. For it is only with Your protection can they guard their hearts against temptation and keep it from all hurt, harm and influences from outsiders. It is also my prayer that You keep their hearts focused on Your nuptial vows so that their spirits may become one in Your sight. Never allow the couples to ignore or turn from seeking solace from each other before they abandon all hope in You and in reconciliation. I pray this prayer in the Matchless Name of Christ Jesus, Amen!

Scripture Lesson: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate.” Mark 10:7-9.

Click http://www.tgifmasterminds.com every Friday for a new post from The Master’s servant manager…Me!