If someone took a look at my Facebook page and scrolled through the last month or so of my thoughts, they'd see post after post about discipline and walking in purpose and pushing past laziness and doing what the Lord tells you to do regardless of who (or what) tells you not to. It's been heavy on my heart because in my personal time, God has been reminding me of my need to push. He always reminds me that someone needs what I have, and that if I'm not disciplined in working to get it to them, I fail.
I fail me. I fail them. And ultimately, I fail Him.
He reminds me that He put too much in me for me not to get it out to those who need it. He reminds me that He CHOOSES to use me, and I realized that if He chooses to use me, He must already know that I can do whatever it is He's tasked me to do. So I need to suck it up, give up an hour or two of sleep, turn off the TV, say "no" to a couple invites and GET IT DONE! And THAT takes discipline!
Imagine my heart jumping out of my chest when my pastor stood before us and said his topic was "What About Discipline: When Discipline Meets Action". I was excited because it was confirmation that I was on the right track, but that excitement would soon share space with shame and conviction and a few "ouches" as the Lord used my pastor to step on my toes.
The lesson was on repeat in my head while I drove home. It stayed with me as I completed some evening tasks at home. It met me on my pillow when I settled down for bed. And when I woke this morning to study, it was there again. I heard the Lord tell me to blog the lesson in parts, and of course, because I'm such a good daughter (Ha!), I had to be disciplined and get it done. It was my first assignment after having heard the Word; I didn't want to fail. Writing a blog series takes discipline, and the thought of it excited me and scared me at the same time. Would I be able to do this with everything else I have going on? (We love to factor in what we got going on, don't we? Like God cares. Pssssh... *smacks teeth*)
My pastor gave 12 indicators that let us know we're living a life without discipline, and in this series, this 14-day series, I'm going to share one of those indicators each day. On day 13, I'll share a few tips on how to live a disciplined life, and on day 14, I'll share some of the rewards of discipline.
Even in my overthinking about being able to commit to this 14-day series, I honestly couldn't wait to dig deeper and share because I hear so many believers talking about what they want to do and what they're going to do, but I don't see many actually doing it, and it breaks my heart! The ideas I hear coming from them are AMAZING kingdom-building ideas, but they're sitting on them. All I can think of is the host of people who are missing out on what God has for them because someone is thinking and planning and talking and strategizing but doing NOTHING. I hear their excuses for why they can't do what they know God has given them clear vision and instruction to do. I see them waste time doing other things. I watch them waste money on meaningless things when they could be using that money to plant seeds into their vision. And they can't even see that their own lack of discipline is what's holding them back.
Because I've been on both sides of discipline, I know the struggle, but I know that I struggled on the unproductive side of discipline because I wanted to. Period. As soon as I wanted to move in purpose, I did. I've watched myself miss opportunities simply because I wouldn't discipline myself to grab hold of them. I've wasted money on fast food because I've been too lazy to shop and/or cook. I've been late to work and other places because I didn't discipline myself to prepare ahead of time. And not only did I suffer, but those who depended on me "being there" suffered too.
But I've seen the other side of discipline. I've seen the side that's productive. I've walked through open doors right into positions and promotions because I PREPARED. I've seen how much easier my life can be when I buy and prep food and how much better I feel because I'm not eating junk. I've seen how much easier life is for me in the mornings when my clothes are laid out and ironed for the week. I KNOW the benefits of discipline, and I want to encourage you. Let's walk together for the next 2 weeks to hear what God has to say about discipline and pray together that you and I will both live more disciplined, productive lives.
I'll see you tomorrow for our first installment in the Discipline Series: Life Without Discipline- #1 Carnal Thinking.
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