What Are Spiritual Disciplines?
Every endeavor has basic skills that support the success of the effort. For example, tying rope-climbing knots is a basic skill for rock climbing. Study skills are rudimentary for a student. These basic skills are sometimes called disciplines. They are practices from which success springs. The Christian life has disciplines which must be learned. The more we practice these disciplines, the more we grow and mature in them.
As followers of Jesus, we are to become more like Jesus. Spiritual disciplines are meant to help us grow in this godliness. We know this, yet often struggle to engage disciplines that position us to grow in godliness. Even when we engage these disciplines, we often feel frustrated with how difficult they are and how little they seem to change us. Take heart, if this is where you are. The fact you desire for greater fruit in your life is evidence of the Holy Spirit working in you. Sanctification is both a wonderful and challenging journey. We will have seasons of great joy and triumph and seasons of great discouragement and struggle. It is our hope these lessons on Spiritual Disciplines give you greater understanding, hope and most of all, a more fervent pursuit of God. This document gives some brief thoughts on:
Prayer
Reading God’s Word
Fasting
Worship
Biblical Meditation
Further Information
The Benefits of Spiritual Disciplines 
In this two-part podcast series of Breaking Bread, Isaac Funk and Fred Witzig help us understand what spiritual disciplines are and how they are helpful to the end that we might be more like Christ.
Spiritual Disciplines Sunday School Lessons
In these Sunday School lessons, students will learn a greater understanding of what spiritual disciplines are, the hope for growth that they contain, and most of all, a more fervent desire to pursue God.
Additional Articles
Spiritual Growth Mindset
In the garage at my folk’s place, there is a wall with markings. Markings with dates and names representing a timeline of growth. Each grandson and granddaughter have their own growth story captured. Each year, Grandpa marks each one’s height. While Grandpa first stoops to make the mark of the
4 Cautions with Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual disciplines are ancient. Yet they are growing in popularity with our contemporary Christian culture. What are common cautions that should accompany our wise application of spiritual disciplines? In this episode of Breaking Bread, Isaac Funk helps us understand four cautions: legalism, agency, syncretism and mysticism.
Renewal Through Simplicity
In the rhythm of life, there’s a profound cadence in the seasons that echoes the Creator’s wisdom—a cadence of dormancy in the gray shades of winter leading to renewal painted in the hues of spring. As we witness nature shedding its deadening shell of winter frost and embracing the warmth
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