Last week I traveled 1,929.4 mi from the craziness of the Chicagoland area to the quiet peace of Pateros, WA. As I was on my second flight on my way there, I thought about the word “Discipline”. Not from a perspective of teaching it, but truly thinking about discipline in my own life, and I immediately had a knot in my stomach. Discipline is so hard! We are constantly on the go from one place to the next, and life is just whizzing by before our eyes.

This summer’s Delight & Be Disciplined workshop had me leave back on my flight back home with so much conviction, and filled up with the hunger of going after discipline in my own life.  Discipline is such a blessing  (I am not sure if I would have said that before!).  I hope that some of the takeaways I left with will encourage you as you seek discipline in your own life.  Don’t resist it, embrace it, it is so so worth it!

 

Here are my top 4 takeaways from this summer’s workshop:

 

1. Be Disciplined… In Fighting Sin No Matter The Cost.

This may be a little tough, but it is a necessary truth that we need to consistently preach to ourselves when we are struggling with our flesh. There is absolutely no excuse for us as believers and followers of Jesus Christ to not fight our sin.  We need to live in this discipline of truth knowing we have grace, but it is only because of our sin that Jesus had to die in the first place.

Will it be difficult? Yes it will.

Will it be worth the discomfort and pain that may [will] come? Yes, yes it will.

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:22-23

We are no longer slaves to sin, but we are slaves to God.  We are to fight… not casually attempt. And we are to fight to glorify God in all that we do and be sanctified into his holiness.

2. Be Disciplined… In Having a Solid Foundation In Truth

There are so many times where we are battling it out in our minds between what is true, and what is false. Identity comes up a lot in our day today. We are constantly trying to break through the noise of the world and who likes to tell us who we are. Worth comes up a lot and we struggle to fight the painful words that ring in our ears from friends, parents, and other significant relationships.

What if we knew the truth from the get go? What if we knew the truth and were able to strike false doubts and lies immediately on contact?

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

Having a solid foundation in truth means getting into God’s word and knowing how to combat false remarks and thoughts of doubt. Having discipline in this means that we have to know the truth of God’s word, that way we can dig into the scriptures to be equipped for the battle to come.

 

3. Be Disciplined… In Saying “No” In The First 5 Seconds

This was definitely one of my favorite practical tools that was brought to us from the lovely Callie Lindsey.  She explained to us how saying “no” within the first 5 seconds of temptation, fear, doubt, laziness, etc. is an incredibly strong weapon for us. It is so easy to dwell and linger when it comes to our thoughts.  If we learn the discipline of fighting our thoughts and standing firm in saying “no”, this will be a huge game changer.

There is also this perspective when it comes to saying “no” that we often do not think about.

“For myself, the “5 second” rule definitely stuck out to me, and also learning to say no to things that may even be good, to focus on what God is calling me towards.”  –Leah Raiffeisen.

Sometimes we don’t always have to say “no” between a good and a bad thing, but also between a good and a greater thing. Praying for discernment in this and being willing to say no to good for great is key.

 

4. Be Disciplined… In Moving Away From Idleness

In a world where we are constantly distracted and easily entertained. It is so easy to sit back and relax for a few hours and zone into idleness. We sit on Youtube for an 30 minutes, which then turns into an hour. We go on Facebook and then feel guilty afterwards for not getting that homework assignment finished.

Idleness does not mean rest.

“She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” Proverbs 31:27

We need to be disciplined with our time and we not to move away from the urge of sitting still for the sake of being lazy. God has blessed us with the ability to move and work for his kingdom.  What an honor that he would use us as instruments to show his glory! Revel in this opportunity!

“Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…” Hebrews 12:1-2a

Here are my last four last small truths for you to remember:

• Discipline is not easy at all for most people.
• Remember you are a child of God
• Discipline may hurt temporarily, but it will bear much fruit
• Put your running shoes on and keep running your race

 

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Melanie Castanada is a wife and blogger in Illinois. Read more at her blog: www.somethingaboutjesus.com.