Spiritual disciplines. 

According to Jeff Loach, they are “historically and biblically rooted ways to deepen your relationship with God.”

Although some people can get tripped up by the word “discipline,” they needn’t be. These are faith-based practices which form you to be more like Jesus. (Have you ever noticed that the word “discipline” looks a lot like “disciple”?)

And no, they’re not just for “spiritual superstars,” but people like you and me who have bills to pay, meals to make, and knees to bandage.

Some of the most frequently cited spiritual disciplines are Bible-reading, prayer, corporate worship and fasting. There are many others, but those are referenced a lot. Jesus did them, and so did the first disciples.

For example, Jesus knew the Scriptures since he quoted them frequently (Mark 11:17). That’s Bible-reading. He was in continual prayer to his heavenly Father (John 17). That’s prayer. He gathered with God’s people to worship—in fact, it was his “custom” (Luke 4:16). That’s corporate worship. And he fasted (Matthew 4:1-11). Obviously, that’s fasting.

I recently had the chance to interview Jeff for my podcast. It’s called “How spiritual disciplines help you love others.” You can link to it below. He had a lot of helpful things to say. One of them was this: “God doesn’t expect us to grow on our own.” In other words, God is inviting us to be more like Jesus. But he doesn’t just give us the end goal—he gives us steps to get us there one day at a time, and promises to be with us throughout the process! 

In 1 Timothy 4:7 Paul shares this instruction with his young protégé: “train yourself to be godly.” That’s what spiritual disciplines help us do. They are Jesus’ gym for a soul who is seeking God.

“God doesn’t expect us to grow on our own.” Therefore, he gives us specific practises to help.

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Notes and extra content:

— PODCAST: “How spiritual disciplines help you love others—a talk with Jeff Loach.” You can access it on ‘The Pulse Podcast with Matthew Ruttan,’ or click here to listen or watch on YouTube.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.