The Practical Disciple » Entries tagged with "disciplines"
A.C.T.S. Prayer, A Simple Key to Greater Breadth and Depth in Prayer
Do you ever feel as if you are praying the same things over and over again? Or, do you find yourself at a loss for words only minutes into praying? Does your mind wander when you pray? These are extremely common problems which can readily be addressed by simply adopting a prayer model. I have found that praying an A.C.T.S. prayer is a great way to both focus my prayer and expand my prayer vocabulary. … Read entire article »
The Myth of Originality
Herman Melville wrote, “It is better to fail in originality, than to succeed in imitation.” We tend to have a bias in our culture against imitation. Imitation often equates in our minds to fake. For example, imitation leather or imitation fur. Imitation may connote something being cheap or of lesser value. The idea that originality is always better is not always the case. In fact, imitation can be an amazing … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Creating Sacred Space While Traveling
Summer months for many people include travel. I find that travel can present some challenges to maintaining my normal routines for prayer and Bible reading, but they are not insurmountable. Yesterday, I drove to our church camp to serve as a chaplain for a couple of days with our camp staff who are going through training. When I got to my room, the first thing I did was set up my devotional … Read entire article »
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Ghost Dose #8, Replacing Your Thoughts for Spirit Thoughts
Verse: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25 Meditation: In yesterday’s verse we were urged to set our minds on the Spirit that we might live by … Read entire article »
Ghost Dose #6, Kindling the Spirit
Verse: “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6, NASB) Meditation: Today’s verse reminds us of simple yet often ignored truth, the gift of the Spirit requires responsible continued attention. The greek word translated “kindle afresh” in the New American Standard Bible, is a difficult word to translate cleanly. An examination of five versions yielded four different translations. The English Standard Version and New International Version-”fan a flame” New Revised Standard Version-”rekindle” King James-”Stir up” New American Standard Bible-”kindle afresh” The translation challenge that results in so many different version is that the greek word is a compounding of several things. Perhaps, a more literal and accurate translation would be something to the effect of “to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Bible Study, prayer
Ghost Dose #5, A Spirit of Self-Discipline
Verse: “For God did not give you a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 Meditation: The greek word that is translated self-discipline can also rightly be translated self-control, moderation, or prudence. The idea behind it is one of rightly exercising restraint in moral matters. The spirit reveals to us truth, but it is not enough to only know the truth. We have a response ability to respond appropriately. The good news is that through the gift of the Holy Spirit we are empowered to exercise restraint and diligence in moral matters. We not only know what is right or wrong but we are empowered to do the right thing or resist doing the wrong thing. We are no longer alone in … Read entire article »
Filed under: prayer
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