A DISCIPLINED DAILY WALK WITH GOD

The Bible teaches us that a disciplined walk with God is our best protection against fulfilling the desires of the flesh, against failure and against living a life without purpose. Your purpose in God usually becomes clearer on the strength of godly discipline.

Life is not about living to satisfy your voracious appetite; its much more than that. Life is more about making a difference and notable impact in our world, and this can only be possible when we allow ourselves to be disciplined enough to become that man or woman who God has designed us to be.

Reference: 1 Corinthians 9:25 Good News Translation (GNT)

'Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever.'

In this verse, Paul used the 'athletes in training' as a metaphor for our life of service to God and others. The point of participating in a race is to win, and winning takes discipline. Remember that God's Word tells us that discipline is necessary for our training in righteousness so that we may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV). Kingdom accomplishments don't happen by chance; godly discipline programmes their orchestration.

There are strategic ways of practising discipline to grant you relevance in the Kingdom of God. Commit yourself to them. One of them is focusing on your purpose. When an athlete loses focus and motivation, his coach and trainer will exhort him to get his eyes on the prize. So learn to focus on your assignment. The other two are prayer and meditation on the Word. They discipline us to live a life of godliness and - to do them - requires discipline as well.

It is true that the process of discipline makes us uncomfortable because it goes with strictness of responsibility but godly discipline comes from a place of love - the heart of our heavenly Father. Once you grasp the revelation of this verse apostle Paul shared with us, you'll begin to love and enjoy spiritual discipline - by exercising great control over yourself in all things. Have you realised that those who participate in a race or any sports competition indulge in physical training, and observe strict diets, sleep schedules, abstinence from harmful drugs, and caution in their behaviour? They observe such measures of discipline so they would keep their focus on winning the race and getting the prize: a wreath.

Same way, when you yield to godly discipline, the will of God for you becomes clearer and you achieve your purpose effectively. If you must be relevant in the Kingdom, by the help of the Spirit, your priorities must be in order or in place and you must be self-controlled. Anyone can manipulate their way to the top in any sector of operation in life without a proper discipline, but in the Kingdom to which we belong, godly discipline makes men and builds them to be relevant in the sight of God.

We are in a generation of microwave success syndrome. We all want to have it now or overnight and so, godly priorities have a way of slipping. Instant success is not a bad idea but when it robs you of persistence, discipline and self control, it can be resting on a shaky ground. As God's children, your life must be committed to your walk with God and to fulfilling definite instructions from God on a regular basis, so you can exercise discipline that will yield great and lasting results in any area of your life.

You can't wake up and become disciplined automatically. It entails a process that takes place over time and it tames the flesh. If discipline is absent in your life, you're not well equipped to climb the ladder of success in the Kingdom because nothing happens in God's Kingdom by luck or by accident. Everything that happens in the Kingdom is programmed by great significant factors and one of them is godly discipline. It is your consistency with godly discipline and partnership with the Holy Spirit that will bring the results you need - to manifestation in your life.

Discipline adds value to your life. So you must make out time to pray and read your Bible every day because these two functions deliver an immutable spiritual growth. When you live a life of discipline, your life becomes a window through which others can view, download and access the possibilities of God.

Scripture Reading - Psalm 94:12-13; Proverbs 3:11-12; 2 Timothy 1:7; Hebrews 12:10-11.

Guided Prayer:

Precious Father, your Word trains me like an athlete, to be disciplined and focused on my purpose and it empowers me to stay strong and determined. Feeding myself with your truth in the Scriptures gives me the advantage to make healthy decisions that count and yield tremendous results. Thank you Lord for a sound mind and a disciplined life, lived with the help of your Spirit, in Jesus' Name, Amen!