Spiritual disciplines are an often neglected part of discipleship. I will highlight four in this article: prayer, fasting, alms giving, and service. It should be clearly understood that these disciplines do not earn or maintain for us a right standing with God. That comes by faith in Christ’s finished work, through which his right standing with God becomes our own.
Spiritual disciplines are God-given ways for us to connect with God’s heart in a greater way, which makes us more receptive to the indwelling Spirit’s voice and direction. The more we get in step with the Spirit, the more we grow and thrive as disciples.
Prayer
When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Matthew 6:5-6 (NLT)
Prayer is a lifeline with God. It can be broken down into four types of prayer: worship, thanksgiving, petition, and intercession.
Worship opens the door for us to get in sync with God’s heart and purposes. As we focus and delight in the Lord, we grow in faith and gain his perspective, which helps us pray in line with his will. When we do that, we can be assured that our prayers will be effective. (1 John 5:14-15)
Thanksgiving is closely aligned with worship. Whereas worship focuses on God’s person, character, power, and worthiness; thanksgiving is the way we consciously and deliberately remember and show our gratitude for his many mercies and blessings. Being thankful is perhaps the most important character quality a person can have. Developing a habit of thankfulness is a primary concern for growth as a disciple. (Philippians 4:6)
Every healthy relationship involves conversational give and take. If all we do is talk during prayer and ask God for things, we miss out on a most important element of petitionary prayer – listening to God. We all have needs and desires, but not all of them are God’s best for us. If we learn to delight in him first, he will fulfill our deepest longings. (Psalm 37:4)
Intercessory prayer is when we go to bat for someone else. God loves his people to take on a Spirit inspired prayer burden for other people and the things God wants and plans to do on the earth. Jesus continually makes intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25) and delights when we join him in that ministry.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Ephesians 6:18 (NLT)
Fasting
And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18 (NLT)
Good things happen when we fast; even though, it may not always seem so initially. Fasting can be done in any number of ways, from complete abstinence from food and water to some more specific sort of fast, such as limiting oneself to liquids only. Fasts can be for any duration.
The important thing with fasting is to be led by the Spirit and use the fast to set aside time to focus on and listen to God through praying and reading the Scriptures.
Sometimes fasts are directed toward a specific purpose, such as asking God for direction at a particularly confusing, difficult, or important crossroad in life. At other times, we may fast simply to draw closer to God. Fasting shows that we value God more than food itself. It is a way for us to deny ourselves in order to pursue God. As with prayer, we do not gain or maintain our right standing with God through this discipline. It is a matter of the heart.
While fasting sometimes we clearly hear God’s voice. At other times, we may seem to receive nothing. We may receive a spiritual breakthrough that may be accompanied by spiritual warfare, as God opens a door for us that Satan seeks to block. Remember that Jesus encountered severe temptations just as he completed a long fast. After conquering those temptations, he launched his public ministry.
Alms Giving
Giving is a very important part of discipleship. Jesus warned his followers that we must give up all we have to be his disciple. (Luke 14:33) Tithing was an old covenant concept that continues to be practiced by many disciples today. Generally it is understood that tithing involves giving ten percent of our “increase” or income to God. Usually this is done through the local church. The idea is that the tithe is not ours to direct; so, we put it into the hands and under the authority of church leadership.
Alms giving is when we freely give beyond the tithe at our own discretion to whatever or whomever the Spirit directs.
Jesus advocated giving to the poor, as does the Bible in general. In the Sermon on the Mount, he elevated it to the same level as prayer and fasting.
Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. Matthew 6:1-4 (NLT)
If we are going to be disciples after Jesus’ heart, we will ask the Spirit to develop in us a generosity toward the poor combined with wisdom in how to give without inadvertently causing more harm. (See When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.) God promises that the generous will receive abundant blessings in return.
Serving
Serving is one of the hallmarks of true discipleship. Jesus taught his followers to elevate servanthood to an exalted status in the kingdom of God.
But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28 (NLT)
I included serving as a spiritual discipline because serving does not come naturally to most of us. It must be cultivated and deliberately pursued. Growth as a disciple can be measured in terms of how willing we are to serve others. All ministry is service, and, when we serve others, Jesus taught us that we are actually serving him.
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ Matthew 25:40 (NLT)
