Before Alan left for the winter, he added one more discipline for us to practice: endurance. He also gave us a handout with a review of all the Christian disciplines and how we can practically apply them every day. Enjoy!
Key Idea: Part of practicing Christian disciplines is endurance. Endurance in the Christian is a fruit of the Spirit. We are called to endure with joy and power, with an eye towards finishing our race. Those who finish strong are promised a crown of reward.
Key Endurance verses: Colossians 1:11, Hebrews 12:1-2, Acts 20:24, Philippians 3:13-14, 2 Timothy 1:7, Isaiah 40:28-31
Five Key Concepts to Running the Race of Life
- Focus on the P’s
The person of Christ. Hebrews 12:1-2
The prize before you. Hebrews 12:2, 2 Timothy 4:8
The pain that will pass. John 16:21-22
The power from above and within. Isaiah 40:28-31 - Forget the Past. Philippians 3:14
Don’t drown in your regrets
Don’t rest on your laurels
Don’t get DQ’ed by entanglements. 1 Corinthians 9:26 - Fill Up with the Right Fuel. Ephesians 5:18
Endurance is a gift of the Holy Spirit. So, first be filled with the Holy Spirit. Depending on the level of filling you will be fueled with power and joy. Colossians 1:11 - Finish the Race Strong. Acts 20:24, 2 Timothy 4:7
To finish strong, you must train long. 2 Timothy 2:1-13, 2 Timothy 4:7-8 - Forty Day Victories
The number forty was often a period of testing followed by a victory.
What test would you put yourself under for forty days?
The Finish Line: Let’s run the race of life looking forward to a finish celebration unlike any other.
My Running Mantra:
I can’t.
He can.
He never said I could.
He always said He would.
He always will.
The Indwelling Life of Christ by Major Ian Thomas
“I’ve really got to use my imagination to think of good reasons to keep on keeping on.” Gladys Knight and the Pips, “Use My Imagination”.
Review of the Christian Spiritual Disciplines
A study and application outline based on Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline
Key idea: The disciplines do not earn God’s favor. They are practices through which we place ourselves before God for His transforming work. The aim is a deeper life with Him, not mastery of a routine.
I. Inward Disciplines – Attending to God in the life of the mind and heart.
1. Meditation
Summary: Intentionally dwell on God, His Word, and His works; listen attentively to Him.
“But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” — Psalm 1:2 (KJV)
Application: Read a short passage slowly several times. Consider what it reveals about God and how its truth should shape this day.
Reflect: What truth do I need to dwell upon rather than merely read?
2. Prayer
Summary: Communion with God in praise, confession, thanksgiving, petition, and intercession; prayer also changes the one who prays.
“Lord, teach us to pray.” — Luke 11:1
Application: Set a regular time for prayer and offer brief prayers throughout the day. Keep a list of people and needs to bring before God.
Reflect: Am I allowing prayer to change me as I ask God to act?
3. Fasting
Summary: Voluntarily abstain from food for a spiritual purpose, directing hunger toward God and exposing the hold of appetite.
“Moreover when ye fast…” — Matthew 6:16
Application: If medically appropriate, begin with one missed meal and use that time for Scripture and prayer. A food fast may require medical guidance for some people.
Reflect: What appetites have more control over me than I realize?
4. Study
Summary: Engage the mind carefully with truth, especially Scripture, to understand it accurately and respond faithfully.
]“Study to shew thyself approved unto God…” — 2 Timothy 2:15
Application: Study a Bible book in context. Note repeated words and structure; move from observation to interpretation to application.
Reflect: Am I learning what Scripture actually says?
II. Outward Disciplines – Letting inner transformation shape daily choices and relationships.
5. Simplicity
Summary: Seek freedom from the rule of possessions, status, consumption, and anxiety; order life around God’s kingdom.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness…” — Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
Application: Examine spending, possessions, and commitments. Release one thing that crowds out generosity, peace, or attention to God.
Reflect: What could I simplify to give more attention to God’s kingdom?
6. Solitude
Summary: Withdraw at times from noise and company to be alone with God, making room for quiet prayer and honest self-examination.
“And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.” — Luke 5:16 (KJV)
Application: Schedule a period without a phone, television, or conversation. Sit or walk quietly with Scripture and prayer.
Reflect: Can I be quiet before God without constant stimulation?
7. Submission
Summary: Yield the demand to have one’s own way; submit first to God and practice humility with others, without enabling wrongdoing.
“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” — Ephesians 5:21 (KJV)
Application: Notice a situation where you must control the outcome or prove yourself right. Yield where conscience and wise boundaries permit.
Reflect: Where is my insistence on my own way obstructing humility?
8. Service
Summary: Meet others’ needs with Christlike humility, including acts of service that bring no public recognition.
“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister…” — Mark 10:45 (KJV)
Application: Each week help someone who cannot repay you; when possible, do so quietly. Reflect: Would I still serve if nobody knew?
III. Corporate Disciplines – Growing in Christ together within the body of believers.
9. Confession
Summary: Acknowledge sin honestly before God and, when fitting, to a trustworthy person; seek repentance and restoration.
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” — James 5:16 (KJV)
Application: Name sin specifically in prayer. When you have wronged someone, confess it to that person and seek to make it right.
Reflect: What am I tempted to hide?
10. Worship
Summary: Respond together to God’s character and works with reverence, gratitude, praise, and obedience.
“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” — Psalm 95:6 (KJV)
Application: Read the sermon text beforehand and pray for the congregation; take part attentively in corporate worship.
Reflect: Is my attention directed toward honoring God?
11. Guidance
Summary: Seek God’s direction together through Scripture, prayer, wisdom, and counsel from mature believers.
“In the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” — Proverbs 11:14 (KJV)
Application: For a major decision, begin with Scripture and prayer, then ask mature Christians who know you for candid counsel.
Reflect: Am I seeking direction or simply approval for a decision already made?
12. Celebration
Summary: Practice joy in God by remembering His goodness, receiving His gifts with thanks, and rejoicing with others.
“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” — Philippians 4:4 (KJV)
Application: Recall answered prayers and ordinary gifts; mark a shared meal, milestone, or testimony with gratitude. Reflect: Have I forgotten to rejoice in the Lord?
The pattern: Inward (meditation, prayer, fasting, study) → Outward (simplicity, solitude, submission, service) → Corporate (confession, worship, guidance, celebration).
Central principle: The disciplines are means, not the end. Their purpose is to make room for the Spirit’s work as believers grow in the likeness of Christ (Galatians 2:20).
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