Over the last seven months Karen and I have been losing weight something we originally thought to be impossible at our age. It seems as we get older the harder it is to lose weight, but in reality weight loss is difficult only because as we get older we exercise less discipline in our lives. Now I use that word “exercise” in particular because as we get older is seems for most people the less exercise (activity) we have going in our lives. Increased exercise and discipline eating are the two major ingredients in weight loss. Many diet companies are getting rich on people trying to lose weight when all it takes is a real desire to lose weight, control the amount of calories going into our body, and increasing our daily activity; walking, running (for those who can), going to the gym. We have been amazed as the pounds just melt off our bodies as we exercise some discipline in our eating and activity. Did you know there is no real difference in our Christian walk with the LORD and our physical well being? Both our Christian walk with the LORD and our physical well being both require discipline to certain principles and rules. In the natural we cannot eat cake and ice cream until it runs out of our ears and expect to lose weight as in the spiritual we cannot expect to grow in the grace and knowledge of the LORD if we fill our mind up with the things of the world and the cares of the day, it will not happen. We must discipline our thoughts and lives, we must bring every thought, every motive, every desire into the subjection of Christ Jesus. Paul shares these verses with the Church at Corinth and us, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) Please notice the parenthetical (innermost thought by the speaker in the text) thoughts of verse four here Paul was thinking about the struggle or “warfare” we must engage in to pull down “strong holds” (two words not one) or those things we depend on for strength, those things we are propped up on for support, things in our lives that make us strong, but the direction in God is weakness not strength even “every thought” all must be brought into captivity of the obedience of Christ. The weaker we are the stronger the LORD is in and through our lives. This teaching is contrary to what you hear in most denominations and religions today. Most denominations and religions teach we must be mighty in God to “the pulling down of strong holds,” but that is not what Paul said, it is not us, but our weapons (read the verse again) that are “mighty” we are to be weak, we are to decrease so God can increase. Many say we must be high, powerful, and great, well that is not what Jesus said, oh no Jesus said we are to learn of Him how gentle and lowly (Matthew 11:29-30) of spirit He is, but who wants to be gentle and lowly of spirit? I really believe the greatest characteristic of Christ missing in the church (especially in men) today is gentleness. David said in Psalms 18:35, “thy gentleness has made me great.” If we truly desire to be great in God we must get back to being gentle. Now please do not tell me one can do this without having discipline in their lives. Gentleness comes by way of discipline and perseverance. It is much more than the “power of God” taking control (as most denominations and religions teach) and changing our lives, yes God is there to give us the strength and ability to turn from sin, but it is up to us to do the turning which comes by way of discipline. James tells us, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (James 4:6-10) The word “resist” here is not the type of resistance most Christian think of when they say I will stand and resist something or someone, oh no the word “resist” here means to flow in the opposite direction; so if sin is flowing to the right we must flow left. If evil is causing bad things to happen we must flow or do the opposite of what is happening because of the sin we have judged. Where do we get the strength and ability to resist evil and sin? Discipline and the learning of the lessons God has purposed for our lives. Discipline enables learning to happen in our lives. Today we see little discipline in the lives of most church members maybe that is why we see little learning in these same lives. Without discipline to “resist the devil” (evil or sin) we will not be able to turn from the temptation in our lives. James also tells us it is not the devil (he gets blamed for a lot of things that is not of his doings) that causes us to stumble, but our own desires. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:13-15) Did you know the devil cannot read our mind and know our thoughts? Did you know the devil unlike God is not omnipresent? Did you know the devil is not God! It is our own lust that draws us away and then we are enticed (not the underhanded dealings of the devil) and when lust brings forth sin, then sin brings forth death. When we yield to temptation it is because of the lack of discipline in our lives: lack of discipline in reading God’s word, lack of discipline of spending time with the LORD, lack of discipline spending time with fellow believers, and the more. Christian discipline in our lives gives us a solid foundation on which to live our daily lives and without Christian disciplines we can easily find ourselves drifting away from God and back into the disciplines of the world. Either our lives will be nurtured and guided by the disciplines of the world or by the disciplines of God it is our choice and oh how subtle this movement is. Drifting away from God is seen in retrospect and always seen after we wake up from the calamity and loss we can experience. Let us guard from this drifting.
While meditating on this article the LORD opened my understanding to some thoughts that will help us (me to) with this need for discipline. Paul who was a great man of spiritual discipline shares with us in 1 Corinthians, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1 Corinthians 9:27) I cannot tell you the number of sermons I have heard on this verse comparing Paul’s discipline to a gymnast and how they must work out everyday to be fit to compete in the arena, well some of this may be true in physical context, but in the spiritual that is not what Paul was saying. Paul was not talking about disciplining his body by doing calisthenics, but was talking about disciplining the collection of his thoughts, ambitions, and desires as one would have to daily manage a dead body chained to them under a Roman death sentence which ultimately killed the living person. The word “body” in verse 27, is Strong’s #4983, a dead body (used in the mortification punishment (see Romans 5:15 and Colossians 3:5) and where we get the word mortician) or a collection of one’s thoughts, ambitions, and desires. Every Jew and Gentile alike feared this punishment and knew exactly what Paul was talking about or a collection as we see in the Body of Christ: the agitate collection of all of the Christians in a given church, area, or even the world making up one group of people. Paul was talking about disciplining or bringing “into subjection” not his physical body, but the collection of all of his fleshly thoughts, ambitions, and desires. Now this was not just any subjection, but an extreme form of discipline. The word “subjection” here in verse 27, is Strong’s #1396, to make a slave and to treat as a slave i.e. with severity, subject to stern and rigid discipline. Paul said he treats his own thoughts, ambitions, and desires as a slave so that when he has ministered to others he himself should not be a castaway or disqualified by God. I do not know about you my preacher friend, but this verse really gives me pause. If Paul had this concern about his spiritual well being and knowing the revelation he received from God where are we found?
I am amazed at the closeness between the words “disciple” and the word “discipline” you cannot have one without the other. To be a disciple of Christ one must be disciplined in their daily Christians living. I will even take it much further one cannot be a Christian (as the LORD has arranged things) and not be disciplined. Many Christians ask, “what does the Church need to day” and many would reply, “a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit” well there is no need for this the Holy Spirit did not become stale, it is us who have drifted and become complacent. It is us who have settled for a compromised apostate religion instead of a spirit-filled life because we lack the wherewithal to discipline ourselves to the things God said are important. What the Church needs today (I include myself here) is a fresh dedication to spiritual discipline in our lives. A fresh commitment and perserveance to our walk with the LORD without it no man shall see God now in this age and in the ages to come. Written by David Stahl
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