Staying close to God is the key for success for every man in his actions, relationships, and responsibilities. This closeness requires certain consistent disciplines.
Discipline for Time Alone with God
1. Meeting with God alone frequently is important (every day, if possible).
Psalm 42:1–2 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (NIV)
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (NIV)
Psalm 63:1; Habakkuk 2:20
2. Waiting on God is a similar concept.
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! (ESV)
Isaiah 40:31 They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (ESV)
Psalm 40:1
Discipline for Time in God’s Word
1. Spending time in Scripture—reading, meditation, study—gives guidance for each day.
Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (ESV)
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (ESV)
Psalm 1:2–3; 19:9–11; 119:9–11, 129–30; Isaiah 55:1–2; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Hebrews 4:12
2. Committing God’s Word to memory is a further step.
Psalm 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 6:6–9; Psalm 37:31
Discipline for Time to Talk to God
1. Spending time daily in prayer is essential.
Psalm 5:2–3 Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, for to You I pray. In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. (NASB)
Psalm 88:13; 119:47; Jeremiah 33:3; Ephesians 6:18; Hebrews 4:16
2. Prayer is the Christian’s lifeline. We must pray—consistently and constantly.
Psalm 55:17 Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. (NKJV)
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. (NKJV)
Psalm 86:3–6; Matthew 7:7; Luke 18:1
3. We must pray in Jesus’s name, that is, according to his holy character and will, not selfishly.
John 14:13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (ESV)
1 John 5:14–15 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (ESV)
4. Sin can hinder our prayers.
Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:1–2
5. We can pray about anything that concerns us.
Philippians 4:6–7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (NLT)
Matthew 7:7–11
Discipline for Time to Be with God’s People
1. Being a part of a local church and attending with consistency is commanded.
Hebrews 10:24–25 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (NLT)
Psalm 42:4; 122:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:11
2. In Acts and throughout the Epistles, the existence of the local church and every believer’s involvement in it is assumed.
Acts 6:5; 13:1; 14:23; 1 Corinthians 11:18; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; James 5:14
Discipline for Giving Back to God
1. Giving financially to the Lord’s work is a principle strongly supported in Scripture.
2 Corinthians 9:7 You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly. (GNT)
Proverbs 3:9 Honor the LORD by making him an offering from the best of all that your land produces. (GNT)
2. While Old Testament tithing is not the law for God’s people under the New Covenant, the laws of tithing do help us understand God’s mind and heart on the question of giving. They represent his thinking on the matter.
Leviticus 27:30–33; Malachi 3:8; Romans 6:14–15
Discipline to Be the Witness God Wants Us to Be
1. Sharing our faith in Jesus is a commanded spiritual discipline.
Acts 1:8 But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (GNT)
1 Peter 3:15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you. (GNT)
Matthew 5:16
Biblical Narratives
• Israelites, giving for the tabernacle, Exodus 35:29; 36:4–7
• Ezra, his decision to study, obey, and teach the Word, Ezra 7:10
• Hezekiah, asking for deliverance from the Assyrians, Isaiah 37:14–20
• Daniel, consistent in prayer, Daniel 6:10
• Habakkuk, his time alone waiting on God, Habakkuk 2:1
• Jesus, praying and seeking time alone with the Father, Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35
Practical Steps
• Set reminders in your cell phone and other devices for taking time in prayer, meditation, solitude, and time in God’s Word.
• If your times with God become mediocre or ineffective, think creatively to enhance those disciplines.
• Get a plan going to study books of the Bible or to read through the Bible in a year.
• For state-of-the-art help in memorizing Scripture, get acquainted with the Navigators.
• Make giving back to God a part of your budget and financial planning. There’s no time like the present to get started.
• Work at keeping Sundays free for local church involvement. Ask your employer to allow you the time to worship with others on that day.
• Ask God for passion to reach out to the lost. Make a list of people to pray to faith.
Keith R. Miller, Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling Men (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014), 280–284.
