DEVELOPING A DISCIPLINED LIFE

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "DEVELOPING A DISCIPLINED LIFE"

Avice Jones
5 years ago
Views:

1 KINGDOM TRAINING LEVEL 1: THE ESSENTIAL HABITS OF A DISCIPL E HABIT1: Living For The Glory Of God... 1 Corinthians 10:31 HABIT 2: Walking Daily With Jesus. Matt 4:4 HABIT 3: Sharing Your Faith... Matthew 28:18-20 HABIT 4: Embracing Discipling Relationships... John 13:34-35 HABIT 5: Preparing To Meet Together... Acts 2:38 HABIT 6: Developing A Disciplined Life...Take Home Test DEVELOPING A DISCIPLINED LIFE Have you ever wondered, how do some people accomplish so much more than other? Everyone has the same number of hours in a day and in a week. And yet, they seem to get so much done. It is a matter of a DISCIPLINED LIFE. DISCIPLE and DISCIPLINE come from the same root word. JESUS is our example of a disciple and of living a disciplined life. We all have great dreams for how God can use us and how God can mold us into who He wants us to be. Yet, how do we react when the going gets rough and the process becomes painful? It s not a matter of having a great beginning, its a matter of having a great ending! I could run the KOKO Half Marathon - and lead for the first 20 yds. Wow! And every racer would look at me. Man, he is really fast! But then, I would fall back. Probably quit. I took it out too fast. Great start, terrible finish. Do we take steps backwards? Do we take a break? Do we quit? Perseverance and a disciplined life go hand in hand! Discipline is not a one time thing. Discipline is a lifetime thing! We can t wake up one morning, have a great day and say: Man, I ve got this. I am disciplined. I used my time well today. I m good for life. Discipline is a lifetime thing. Training. Open to 1 Cor. 9 Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. 1 Timothy 4:7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.

2 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for prize. Both analogies are of sports with individual competitors...a runner and a boxer. NO ONE CAN TRAIN FOR ANOTHER PERSON Hey, I ll pay you money, and watch you train. Can t do that physically. Can t do it spiritually as a Christian either. NO ONE CAN RUN FOR ANOTHER PERSON NO ONE CAN BOX FOR ANOTHER PERSON EACH DISCIPLE MUST DEVELOP DISCIPLINE FOR THEMSELVES The younger a person starts...the better their life will be lived! (ROCKY 2 TRAINING CLIP 1979) Discipline: The way of bringing our lives under control...under God s Control. We are not doing this under our own power - God s power working within us! Self Control is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23) Self-Control / Self-Discipline is not for SELF...to do more and better for SELF Self-Control / Self Discipline is to allow us to be GOD-CONTROLLED QUESTION: DO YOU RUN YOUR LIFE BY FEELINGS OR BY PRINCIPLES? God created us as emotional beings. Emotions themselves are not bad. There are times our can lead us in the right way. But more often than not, they can lead us in the wrong way. (Today: I feel like serving. I m gonna clean the whole house). But often, I don t want to clean. The question is...what controls your life? Do I run my life by feelings or by principles? Hebrews 6:12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Laziness is a sin. Laziness is a constant threat to the life of every Christian, young or old. We are to imitate those who are patient, faithful and disciplined (opposite of lazy!) Look for good examples and learn from them. Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.

3 Yes, the word stupid is in the bible. My kids love that. If we don t take correction - God calls us stupid. Ignorant. A fool. I don t want be stupid. I want to love discipline. I want love God s knowledge. Proverbs 24:30-34 I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. I deserve a little break today. And sometimes we need one. But that break stretches from 1 hour to 1 day, to one week. Oh, I ll get around to it. Laziness is foolish. And it is costly. Our lives can have such incredible impact! If, we are disciplined. Do we love discipline or do we love slumber? Proverbs 26:13-16 A sluggard says, There s a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets! As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven people who answer discreetly. A Disciplined LIFE...not in one area of life...i n all areas of life. I was a slob in college. So undisciplined. Mom always did my laundry. Clean clothes were magically pressed and folded and put in my drawers at home. Spoiled. College. I ran out of clothes. I had three piles: clean, doesn t smell too bad, and UH!!! I was lazy. I had to learn discipline. I took my clothes to the dorm basement - and used 8 washing machines at the same time! I then folded I would put off studying for a test until 10pm the night before. This is where I learned of that magical drink called coffee. I was lazy. A procrastinator. Baptized as a single man. Learned some discipline, but still a slob. Brother borrowed my car. I had mcdonalds, wendys, and taco bell trash from weeks. In Back. He washed my car. Vacuumed it. Threw out the trash. Wow! So clean. Thanks! Bro, I love you but You are a slob. He taught me how to be disciplined. To make my bed in the morning. I almost never did that. To go to bed at a reasonable hour. Children of the light. Washing the dishes...not leaving them in sink overnight To keep up on laundry. To keep my car clean. Bro, if you want to get married some day, you better learn these things. More so - you need to honor God. I learned to teach others to be disciplined.

4 I knew some single brothers, friends, guys who lived together. They had dishes piled high. Clothes everywhere. Cockroaches had a field day. I cleaned their entire kitchen. Took me hours. And then, I taught them how to live disciplined lives. Two of those guys are now happily married. Discipline is all about knowing the result is WORTH IT! A person must envision the end result and desire that more than comfort. It takes hard work. But it is worth it. Honors God! Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. STORY: RENOIR... in great pain he painted everyday...why? The pain passes but the beauty remains. Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. FOUR AREAS FOR DISCIPLINE 1. TIME How do we use our time? First Class: Major Responsibilities/Privileges to Glorify God We cannot bring glory to God if we neglect any of these. Personal Relationship with God and Personal Righteousness Relationships in the Body / Discipling Public Worship / Teaching Job/School Poor and Needy Spouse Children Evangelism / Sharing the Gospel We face a lot of competition for our free time. TV, Computer, Gaming, Sports, Music, i-pad; i-phone; social networks; hobbies - none of these things are inherently bad. But they need discipline.

5 Average american - 10 plus hours screen time. Some work related. Point is: how are we using our time. Do we watch 4 hours TV and have 5 minutes quiet time? Everything we do, involves discipline. Being on time for everything...church, class, work, appointments, etc. If our lifestyle is being late to things it shows our lack of respect for God and for others. Our lateness says You are not important...it s all about me! All will be late from time to time...what is the pattern of your life? Are you late for what is important to you? (meeting with the boss; a movie you want to see; a date that you look forward to; a sporting event; etc.) 2. MONEY We need a budget. All of us. Without one: we are undisciplined. We tend to spend way more money than we make. Who of us likes debt? Debt...causes so much stress and worry...having a plan to get out of debt and sticking to it. About 10 year ago - serious debt. Worked in investment banking, made good money but had bad habits. Vacations - credit card, eating out credit, groceries - credit card (I was paying 19% interest on spam - for years!. New car - payments. I thought: that is just how life was. Over $20K in debt (Not including mortgage). Then - I got angry about it. Sometimes anger is good. I read books. Dave Ramsey s financial peace, Total Money Makeover. Learned to budget. 1st thing - give to God first. I was tempted to reduce my offering to God. I have had many people ask me over the years - can I reduce my giving to God to pay off debt. I tell them: read your Bibles. Do you see that anywhere? Give 1st to God Then, Budget. Made a payment plan. Paid off debts 1 by one. Smallest to largest. Used cash for everything. You can t overspend cash. Once it s gone, it s gone. I brown bagged lunches for over a year. I SOLD my new car, and got a beater. I paid off my debts. We didn t eat out for over 1 year. I cut up all my credit cards. And 2 years later: NO Debt. We ve been debt free for 8 years. It begins with serious intent. Learn from someone how to budget. Get help! Paying back whatever you owe someone...money is a divider even of brothers I loaned someone $20 once. Then suddenly, they started avoiding me. I finally found that person - why are you avoiding me? Because I can t pay you back! So many times I hear about this. Money can divide us. Pay back whatever you owe. We really shouldn t borrow in the first place. Materialism and Greed: going into debt because of what you want NOW. People want what their parents have worked their whole lives to have...think they have a right to the more expensive car, the giant screen TV, the bigger house; the in clothing lines; etc. Or keeping up with the neighbors. Learning to say NO and being content. Try that when you are at the mall. Maybe you shouldn t be in the mall.

6 Philippians 4:11a-12 I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. 1 Timothy 6:17-18 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. Giving to God in our Tithes and Offerings It is a discipline. Jesus promises us blessings when we give Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3) SEXUAL NATURE God created man & woman and said all was very good...when Adam first saw Eve, he called her: Woah man! It was good! It must be disciplined...self-controlled. God calls for absolute purity (1 Tim 5:2)...not even a hint of sexual immorality (Eph 5:3) When Jinky & I dated - absolutely pure. We were never alone in a parked car, we had double dates. One time - phone, asked her to stand outside with door open. Not even a hint! God is serious about singles remaining pure. Singles: I m going to talk about sex for a minute. OK, now you re awake. This is geared for the marrieds. But you need to know, God created sex to be awesome in the covenant relationship of marriage. It s holy. It is worthy of honor. The world has made sex a dirty thing. God created it for marriage We got a great marriage retreat This Friday! TRUE LOVE Over 60 people signed up!!! We are going to work on our marriages. And we will have great romance! Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Marriage - honored by all! He made it to held up. Demonstrates his relationship with us. A great marriage often used by Jesus to demonstrate our relationship with God.

7 God calls for the marriage bed to remain pure. Our individual backgrounds, experiences and sins can set into our emotional make-up sexual tendencies, issues and desires. Certain things get imprinted--some right, some wrong. We are to bring our sexual natures under God s Control We are to discipline the mind, the eyes and the desires If married, we are to meet each other's sexual needs and wants...sometimes that will mean some self denial...another name for discipline. 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. Having great intimacy with our spouse helps protect each other from sexual immorality. Do not deprive each other. Sex in marriage should never be a weapon. Withholding intimacy is from SATAN. Let me say that again. It is sin. Yield to the greater need. Prayer by mutual consent is the only time to refrain. And that - briefly!!! God designed intimacy to be a very regular part of married life. 4) Physical Bodies We are to take care of our bodies...our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. Context is sexual immorality. But it certainly includes how we take care of our physical bodies. Honor God with your body. It s a temple. God s Spirit dwells in you. You were bought at a price. 2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. Smoking, Alcohol Abuse; Drug Abuse (illegal and prescription drugs) Check-ups and following the doctor's orders I don t like going to doctor. But we need to. We need to listen to doctor.

8 Cholesterol high - might need to cut back on short ribs. Blood pressure high? Cut back on finadene sauce. Weight Issues...not trying to look like super models or body builders...being overweight is an obvious sin...we can lose peoples respect Can you imagine an overweight Jesus saying, Come follow me? Diets do work/exercise...many excuses...it s a discipline issue to stay on a diet...then it s a discipline issue to keep the weight off once it is lost Many of you know: I used to weigh over 250. I lost discipline. But, then, I repented. I changed my diet and worked out. You can do it too. There are so many dangers with being overweight. High blood pressure; knee and foot and back problems; type 2 diabetes; heart disease & strokes; certain types of cancer; sleep apnea; osteoarthritis; fatty liver disease; pregnancy problems, early death. We want to live a long life with our kids/family. 1 Timothy 4:8a For physical training is of some value...not of NO value! I run 10 miles every week. Discipline. I don t really love running. It s ok, but I stay in shape. When I moved to Guam - you ll put on 10 pounds. I haven t. In fact, I ve lost a little weight. It s about discipline. We can all go for walks. We can swim. We can say No to the second helping of food. DISCIPLINE / TRAINING is a must when we are young but it is a must as we get older (ROCKY 6 TRAINING CLIP years later!) DEVELOPING A DISCIPLINED LIFE...so that we may enjoy life! DEVELOPING A DISCIPLINED LIFE...so that we have a satisfying life! DEVELOPING A DISCIPLINED LIFE...so we will have an impacting life! DEVELOPING A DISCIPLINED LIFE...so we will have a godly life! DEVELOPING A DISCIPLINED LIFE...so we can get to heaven!

What s on your list?

What s on your list? Run with the Bulls Swim with the Dolphins Live with Lions Running before God Naked & Unashamed 1Corinthians 9:24-27 Genesis 2:25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt