Tag: Spiritual Disciplines

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Celebrate Discipline :: WORSHIP

IN OUR CELEBRATE DISCIPLINE COLUMN EACH MONTH WE ARE LEARNING A NEW SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE, HOW TO APPLY IT AND HOPEFULLY GROW INTO THE PEOPLE GOD WANTS US TO BE.


SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES: habits that nurture spiritual growth; exercises unto godliness.


WORSHIP: a response to God’s love as the Holy Spirit touches our human spirit.


It may seem odd to look at worship as a Spiritual Discipline. But if you have ever been so angry you could explode or struggling with an ailing body… think about being in the midst of these situations and still able to worship God. That takes Spiritual Discipline. 


Though worship is usually associated with religion, there are people who aren’t religious that have a type of worship. Worship is often revealed by the people or things we value most; money, power, possessions, substances, etc… 

Where do we turn when we’re coming undone at the end of a bad day?

There are many styles of worship: liturgical, charismatic, traditional, and contemporary. Because the New Testament doesn’t specify rules and forms of worship, no one style is better than another. The most important thing to consider is our heart motivations before, during and after. 

Before beginning a time of worship we must be sure we are in right relationships with family, friends, and God. If we go into worship angry that will block our ability to give and receive love, which is the primary purpose of worship. 

The quality of our worship comes from the focus of our heart. We mustn’t look at another person and compare styles of worship. God wants my very best, not my interpretation of someone else’s very best. 

The heart of worship is to seek God and love Him in our own personal way. 


Take some time to evaluate your type or style of worship. Is it all you want it to be? You can lay face down on the floor or dance around the room. Whatever you do that shows God how much you love Him is what He wants from you.

God is Spirit and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. ~John 4:24

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

What does worship mean to you? How do you like to worship?


If you can’t see the video screen below click here for one of my favorite worship songs. 

RESOURCES:

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney

Photo credit: designpics / 123RF Stock Photo

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Celebrate Discipline :: CONFESSION

 

IN OUR CELEBRATE DISCIPLINE COLUMN EACH MONTH WE ARE LEARNING A NEW SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE, HOW TO APPLY IT AND HOPEFULLY GROW INTO THE PEOPLE GOD WANTS US TO BE.

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES: habits that nurture spiritual growth; exercises unto godliness.

CONFESSION: an admission of misdeeds or faults to God or another person.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. ~ Psalm 139:23-24

Since God desires to give and forgive, He has put in place the process of redemption which started at the Cross and was confirmed with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is because of Christ’s holy work and through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can make our confession and know that forgiveness is possible.

 
The Spiritual Discipline of Confession is a difficult one for us because we often choose to see our community as one full of saints rather than a fellowship of sinners. All the more reason for confession to be a priority in our lives. When we are able to help someone struggling with their lives it helps us to know we aren’t alone in our struggle with sin. If I am left alone in the confession of my sin, I stay in the dark. It is in the light of mutual confession that healing power is released and lives are transformed.
 

In some Christian traditions there are formal printed confessions spoken as a congregation or to a confessor. There are many advantages to this method.

  1. No more excuses or blaming. We confess that we have sinned by our own fault. 
  2. Forgiveness is expected and given. With words from a brother or sister our forgiveness is sealed by the Holy Spirit.
  3. Remorse is experienced. We use this time to consider the seriousness of our sin against God.
 
Confession journalling is another avenue to consider. As we go about our daily lives we can process our various sin struggles in a diary or journal. This can be a sweet time of self-examination with the Lord at the end of the day.
 
The most common view of confession is that spoken to another person. But before we run off and start sharing our deep dark secrets we must take care to find the proper person. Key qualifications we should look for are: spiritual maturity, compassion, wisdom and the ability to keep a confidence. 
 

Having found a confidant there are three things we must check before we begin.

  1. Our conscience ~  We invite God to show us where we need healing and forgiveness.
  2. Our sorrow ~ We are taking our confession seriously because we know we have offended God.
  3. Our desire to sin ~ We ask God to help us live holy lives from this point forward.

The Spiritual Discipline of Confession breaks all pretenses over our life. We are now free to walk in our God given grace and forgiveness with the hope of making a difference in the lives of those around us.

 

“Honesty leads to confession, and confession leads to change.” ~ Richard Foster

 

 

RESOURCES:

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun