Today's message was awesome. It was about discipline. Our youth pastor gave a message about spiritual disciplines and related it to the Olympic gymnast, Paul Hamm, who won the all-around at last year's Olympics. How? Training. Giving up today's pleasures for a future goal.

He quoted former head Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry as saying that coaching was "making men do what they don't want to do in order to become what they've always wanted to be." How true is this for the one seeking health through Jesus Christ!

My pastor's intent was to motivate the congregation to embrace spiritual disciplines in order to grow. He talked about many Christians' faith being a mile wide and an inch deep. That's how my healing feels right now. OK, maybe on the surface I'm seeing some positive things, but down in the deep tissues, it ain't happening yet. It's going to take discipline, a lot of discipline, maybe even years of discipline, but it's going to be worth it all in the end.

Guess what he talked about? Meditation! Hah! Yes! But guess what? You know how in Buddhist/Hindu/Yoga/New Age/Gnostic/Mystic airy-fairy stuff it says to empty your mind? The Bible says we are to FILL our minds- with Scripture! Psalm 1:2 says "But his [the righteous man's] delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he MEDITATE day and night." Soooo cool! And this is Old Testament stuff from King David of Israel himself!

Prayer! Yes, but not just asking God for stuff. You pray scripture back to the Lord. You listen for His voice as you pray. It's much more active than just the usual wish list. You surrender your entire self, die to your self, go through the Narrow Gate-Matthew 7:14- (Jesus is the Door in it-John 10:9 "I am the door: by me if any man shall enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.") and end up in this vast, endless, ocean of a place.

Fasting! Literal, just like I've been learning here on Cure Zone, fasting! With water for a day or juice for longer. It's cleansing on all levels. But the purpose of a Christian's fasting is to become so godly that someone being with you would later remark, "Wow! I feel as if I've just been with Jesus!"

Study! My pastor says this is a lot deeper than just reading. The Bible says that studying will change the way you think (Romans 12:1-2 the Apostle Paul, -yes the same Paul that Barefoot here on Curezone speaks of- writes to the Romans during the Roman Empire and says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.")- that's what Paul says, and well, it's true! One thing my pastor suggested was to read an entire OT book in one sitting, like on a Sunday afternoon as a part of your Sabbath observance. Another idea is to read small New Testament books daily for a month, so it sort of washes over you and permeates into your being. The Bible says this will transform your mind. Don't we want to have the mind of Christ if we are Christian? By the way, he also mentioned doctrinal purity. How many times do we ever hear "doctrinal purity" preached from the pulpit these days? My little Baptist heart just flippy-flopped!LOL

And read! Not just the Bible, but the truly great Christians who have gone before us: Spurgeon, Tozer, CS Lewis' Mere Christianity, there are many others; and the old missionaries- John Wesley, George Mueller, Jonathan Edwards, David Brainerd, Hudson Taylor... again, many others.

It is the sick who need a physician. There is no Greater Physician than Jesus Christ. Healing comes through Him and Him alone. We might not like the discipline, but discipline/train we must. I hope everyone reading this will answer the call today.

Many blessings,
-Donna