AT RHW WE PUBLISH A NEW COLUMN EACH FRIDAY. WE’RE GOING THROUGH FOUR SPECIFIC STUDIES WITH EACH SERIES BEING PUBLISHED ON A DIFFERENT FRIDAY OF THE MONTH.

In The Spiritual Disciplines series we’re learning 12 disciplines that will guide us as we grow deeper in our walk with God. These columns post on the second Friday of each month in 2020.

Spiritual Disciplines are not a list of religious duties but rather habits that nurture and mature our spiritual growth. They are inward, spiritual attitudes walked out by behaviors and actions. These habits are critical for lasting spiritual growth and true life transformation.

SILENCE: Closing off our souls from sounds, whether noise, music, or words, so that we may better still the inner chatter of our noisy hearts and be increasingly attentive to God.~ Life With God Bible

The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him! ~ Habakkuk 2:20

While all the Spiritual Disciplines are important, to me Silence is one of the most critical. Without our times of silence and solitude we will rarely have the opportunity to grow individually or in our relationship with God.

Most of us today, especially those under the age of 30, have never had a serious period of complete silence. Some avoid silence at all cost. When I was younger I would do anything to keep from being alone with my thoughts. It took going through addiction recovery for me to learn that silence can help me. It is my friend, not my enemy.

As much as I thought others would dislike the “real” me if they knew me, I also disliked myself. I didn’t want to be alone with me. I didn’t want to hear the negative thoughts from the childhood programming that would invariably surface in times of silence and solitude.

Now after recovery and learning the wonderful spiritual practice of contemplation, I have learned the value of just sitting with the trees and clouds, while listening for the still small voice of God to speak to my heart and soul.

If we are too busy to find some quiet time with God, we will soon be too busy for ourselves or anyone else for that matter.

I encourage you to carve out some time to be alone not only with God, but with yourself. Take advantage of the opportunity to be outside during the beautiful fall weather and sit with God under a tree and just… be.

BE

BE STILL

BE STILL AND KNOW

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

~ Psalm 46:10 ~

Take a few minutes and be encouraged to find some quiet time with God as you watch/listen to this beautiful song by Elevation Rhythm.

This earthly life brings challenges in our daily interactions with other people. These challenges may surface old negative patterns in our inner attitudes and our outer behaviors that were part of our old sinful life. In our new life God wants us to have a new way of talking and walking with others.

NEW TALK

Our attitudes, good or bad, show up in the words we use in difficult situations or with difficult people. When we’re reborn in Christ, God is remaking us from the inside out. This means our attitudes and words should be the first noticeable evidence of our new life to others who know us.

Our old life is dead and we are walking in new life with Christ. We must see our old self, our old attitudes and our old behaviors as dead. Our death to this earthly life must be made real in the way that we live every day.

NEW WALK

We aren’t walking this new life journey alone. Jesus has sent His Holy Spirit to live within us, to strengthen and guide us. We can trust that He is walking with us in our daily battle. He will help us in all areas of our life.

We are being made new in Christ every day. Our creation process is ongoing. It will only be fully completed when we cross over to Heaven one day. Until then, we seek God’s will and God’s ways by reading His Word, praying and listening to His guidance.

God promises He will never leave us or forsake us!

Let’s put on our dancing shoes and celebrate the good news that no matter how we’re talking and walking God will never walk away from us! Enjoy this awesome song by Elevation Rhythm!