Are you INTENTIONALLY working on your relationship with God? Need some help in getting started? Many people make the decision to engage in Spiritual Disciplines as a way of getting closer to God.
Spiritual disciplines are ways we open ourselves to God. They help to bring us to the place of honesty, grace, and soul transformation. Jesus modeled living in a “rhythm of life“, using spiritual practices to cultivate his intimacy with the Father.
Dallas Willard teaches that it’s important to balance our use of disciplines of abstinence and disciplines of engagement. The rhythm of the spiritual life is cross and resurrection: put off the old self and put on the new self. We are also called to deny yourself and follow Christ. Self-denial practices make space for us to embrace and live out the life of Christ.
Spiritual disciplines do not make us mature because we do them, but rather they put us in a position to be drawn into trusting Christ more fully. Spiritual disciplines don’t do the changing in us. It is God.
This list and classification come from Dallas Willard. Though not comprehensive, it is a very helpful list.
The two categories are important. The first, “Disciplines of Abstinence,” are designed to help us remove destructive and unhelpful things from our lives through acts that force us to stop, wait, remove, or eliminate. The “Disciplines of Engagement” are intended to build the right kinds of attitudes and habits into our daily lives.
Disciplines of Abstinence
Solitude: The practice of spending time without any others or any distractions.
Silence: No noise or conversation. Just you and God.
Fasting: Abstain from food, media, entertainment, or anything else that occupies your time.
Frugality: Use your money for purposes outside your own needs for a time.
Secrecy: Do not allow anyone to know of the deeds you do or the money you give in order to avoid doing them for the wrong motivations. Only God needs to know.
Sacrifice: Stretch your sense of what you can do without for the sake of those who have less.
Disciplines of Engagement
Study: Memorize Scripture and expand your universe of biblical study helps.
Worship: Engage in corporate worship and include worship in your own prayer time.
Celebration: Practice being grateful and thankful both in your own relationship with Christ and with other believers. Express encouragement and thankfulness to others.
Service: Give your time to the church and/or to others. Ponder tithing your time.
Prayer: Take deliberate steps to pray regularly and with purpose. Praying through the Psalms is a good way to increase your “prayer vocabulary.”
Fellowship: Hebrews 10:25, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Confession: Practice confessing your sins to trusted people who will pray with you and be spiritual allies.
Submission: Submit to the proper people in the proper ways—fight against the sin of pride.