The Fight of Your Life

Every year at this time I find it helpful to reread “Celebration of Discipline” by Richard Foster (now in mp3 for those who don't like to read). There are a number of good books on spiritual disciplines, but I have found this book helpful for the past fifteen years and continue to use it as a reminder and as a basic plan for the upcoming year.

As I reread it this week, I will attempt to post my thoughts and observations on what I rediscover in it. This book provides a great deal of application, but the foundation of each discipline is a core need that we all have. I am going to share whatever I can on the functions of the disciplines and also the need for self-control in our lives.

Before I begin reading this book I like to remind myself why it is so important that I receive this reminder and force myself to focus on my need for discipline.

There are many writers both living and dead that help me understand this need in my life. One of them is Oswald Chambers. In his classic devotion “My Utmost for His Highest” on the day of December 21 he writes, “Be ruthless with yourself.” This is my and all believer’s greatest need.

So many Christians focus on the wrong enemy when seeking to fight the good fight of faith. Many times they seek to manage their circumstances or even look to engage spiritual forces with prayers and power statements. The fact of the matter is that our greatest foe and enemy of faith is us. If we can ever discipline our lives and keep our bodies and emotions in check, we will have won most of the spiritual war we face.

So I am going to seek to be ruthless with myself. I am not going to make excuses or allow myself to feel sorry for me. I must face the fact that I am not a victim. I am a blood bought soldier of the King of Kings and I have His Spirit living in me. I have been redeemed by His grace and have been given my orders. I am to live in obedience to Him out of a great love and a strong sense of appreciation.

Another writer that helps me force myself to focus on my need for discipline is John Owen. In his classic “The Mortification of Sin” he tells Christians to “Be busy killing sin or it will be killing you.” Sin is not a joke. It is not a mistake. It is not a slight vice. It is a deadly disease to your soul and it will rob you of life. It will job you or joy and peace. It will lead you to destroy your life and the lives of the people closest to you. It will seek to steal the hope you hold.

We must constantly seek to kill this sin that so easily entangles our thoughts and desires. We must starve it out. We must drive it out. We must vanquish it from our head, heart, and hands.

Foster’s book helps us understand how to do that. That is why I will be rereading it again this year as I have for several years now and I hope you will join me and begin practicing these spiritual disciplines.