Disciplined Faith: Introduction
“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.”
- 1 Timothy 4:8-10
NLT
Disciplined Faith?
When Paul talks about training for godliness, what images come to mind?
Did you know that our walk with Christ involves discipline? Here at the Disciplined Faith blog, we are passionate about living our lives in such a way that we are always striving to love God more and to be more like Christ.
Discipline is defined as, “training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character” (Merriam-Webster). If we are to take steps forward in our faith it requires discipline in so many areas of life.
When we come to know Christ as our Savior and Lord we must become devoted to Spiritual disciplines that God uses to train us to love Him, experience Him, and become more like Christ.
I have become passionate about this subject because it was something that I neglected in my faith for many years and I believe a majority of believers have found themselves with a similar story.
My Story
I grew up in a Christian household and I had always gone to church.
It was at the age of 7 that I decided to follow Christ as my Savior, then I was baptized. Shortly after, I was telling others about Him. In fact, one of my teachers asked me to share the message of Christmas with my class because she was not allowed to do so in a public school setting. However, as I grew up, church became stale to me. I still had convictions, I still went to youth group, and I had moments with God, then I went off to college.
I chose to go to Oklahoma Baptist University. The small Christian community drew me in, but oddly enough I stopped going to church unless friends would go with me. Shortly after, I found myself in a much different place. Instead of following Christ, I was chasing after women, watching pornography, cursing, and going to parties. My selfish pursuits hurt people and I used people. Then I fell into a cycle of anxiety and depression.
Do you relate to this portion of my life?
Thankfully, God sent a guy named Joseph to me. He once asked me how I was doing and I told him of the issues I was having. He encouraged me to follow James’ advice, confess my sins, and then he would pray for me. I told him everything.
Joseph did not stop there, in the next few weeks he invited me to church over and over. Eventually, I relented and then he began to encourage me to study the scriptures with him. Further along, he began to invite me to do various kinds of ministry. He later gave me the invitation, “Follow me as I too attempt to follow Christ.” He held me accountable, he encouraged me to pray and read daily, he was patient with me and spoke sternly to me at the right times. During this time, God led me into a love for Him and His word.
Joseph showed me the discipline that is required in order to follow Christ as my Savior AND Lord.
Since then, God has eased my anxiety, gave me joy, allowed me to be a minister of youth, gave me a beautiful wife who also loves Him, and has now blessed us with a baby girl on the way.
I am not perfect today and I am learning more about the necessity of reliance on Christ in the midst of action.
So what is the goal of the Disciplined Faith Website?
If we are to deepen our relationship with God and serve Him well, there must be discipline in our lives. Following God in this way carries so many benefits. What image did you see when I asked about training for godliness? If you drew a blank I pray this blog will be of great benefit to you!
I want to use this site to encourage and share what I have learned and am learning about following and enjoying God.
I have incorporated two types of disciplines into my life
Spiritual Disciplines
The main goal is to explain the spiritual disciplines that we see Christ practice and to teach how to implement them into our day to day lives. Oftentimes, this will be accomplished by posts that will be reflections on the scriptures that I am currently reading, lessons I have learned, or questions to stimulate reflection and conversation that glorifies God.
Physical/Mental Disciplines
In the 1 Timothy verse, Paul states that training for godliness is the most important (this is the priority- – spiritual disciplines), but he also states that physical training has benefits as well. I agree with Paul as I have used both physical and mental training to aid me in my training for godliness.
Some posts in the Physical and Mental Training will include exercise, nutrition, and other lifestyle practices that I am learning about and using.
Overall, I hope this site can be helpful to you. What is your goal? Feel free to start conversations on the posts. My wife and I are here to respond as time allows.
I hope the content will aid in bringing people closer to Christ and may even save others from making the same mistakes I have. This can be an amazing and fun experience as we both continue to learn! Let’s be disciplined together growing in our love for God and for each other.
As of right now, you can only reach out to me in the comment sections of posts and my email, shown on the right. If you have questions, definitely send me an email! My wife and I will reply back and may make a post with your answer.
Contact Me
- disciplinedfaith9@gmail.com
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