The Call to A Disciplined Life
December 4, 2008

At some point in the past you and I connected. It was probably through one of my books or at a men's event where I spoke. I'm honored that you signed up for my weekly email. I think it's fitting that I remind both of us that we've locked arms because we want win the battle for our hearts, homes, and the helpless. And we want to help other men do the same thing. As this year comes to a close and we get ready for a new one, I'd like to review the four commitments we've all made. Once you read them, and prayed about them, send the email on to a friend. God may use it to change his life and through him, his family and friends. In his book Celebration of Discipline, Richard J. Foster points out that a farmer is helpless to grow grain. He can provide the right conditions for the growing of grain. He can plow the ground, plant the seed, and water the ground, but then all he can do is allow the natural forces of the earth to take over. After a few weeks, the life in the seed germinates and up comes a plant.

Just as a soldier must prepare for battle through a rigorous training routine, so we must prepare for battle by disciplining ourselves spiritually. I've never known a man who grew spiritually who did not consistently practice spiritual disciplines. As I encourage men to strengthen the warrior within I suggest they make four spiritual disciplines a part of their daily routine.

1. Read the Bible. If you aren't in this habit, start small, perhaps with a chapter a day. If you find a verse that is especially relevant, commit it to memory. Before you read, take a moment and ask God to use His Word to show you a single area of your life that needs to be changed. Ask Him to speak to you. As you read, answer two questions: 1) What does this passage mean? 2) How does it apply to my life today?

2. Pray. I encourage men to buy a journal and write their personal goals. I identify my spiritual, physical, relational, and professional goals on an annual basis. It helps to review them daily and bring them before God. I've found that if I pray at night without a journal my mind wanders and I lose focus. Or else I go into deep meditation and don't come out of it until the next morning. A journal helps me stay focused and enables me to recall God's faithfulness. You can enter the names of family members and close friends and jot down a request by each name along with the date. As your prayers are answered, keep a record of what God has done.

3. Express love to your family. Take time each day to tell your wife and kids you love them. If you're single, make a habit of expressing appreciation to family, friends, and fellow employees. Even though my sons no longer live at home, I try to talk with them daily. Every day I celebrate the beauty of my wife and tell her how much I love her. I recently asked Cindy if she tires of my expressions of love and appreciation. Her response was immediate: "No way!"

4. Maintain sexual purity. Begin each day with a fresh commitment not to let your eyes look for or linger on an erotic image. If you're married, focus your thoughts on your wife. Dwell on images that you know would please God. Remember, you alone control your eyes; they are the primary gate through which impurity enters your heart.

If these habits aren't a part of your life, I encourage you to start small--perhaps with three to five minutes of Bible reading and prayer. You can gradually build up to longer times. Occasionally someone will ask me why I encourage men only to spend such a small amount of time in these disciplines. It's not that I want them to only spend that amount of time. Rather, I want them to set achievable goals.

Suppose an out-of-shape and overweight man approached a personal trainer and said, "I want to get in shape." He showed the trainer a picture of what he wanted his body to look like--washboard abs, steel pecs, and biceps like giant hogs wrestling in sausage casings.

Would the personal trainer tell him, "Tomorrow I want you to run seven miles and work out with weights for an hour"? Of course not! He would provide the client with a light workout. Over time the exercise routine would expand. If the man faithfully followed the regimen, his body would begin to resemble the picture.

Similarly, if you want to look like Jesus, you must work out. You must discipline yourself. If you want to grow spiritually, commit to a regimen of daily spiritual disciplines you know you can keep. Psychologists have learned that after someone has done something for twenty-one consecutive days it's a habit. Once you've developed a habit you can expand on it.

I'd like to remind you that even a small change in their behavior will radically transform their life. Suppose a plane departs from London heading for Seattle, Washington. If the pilot makes a one percent change in the trajectory of the plane, it will end up in Portland, Oregon--a very different destination than the pilot had planned. Similarly, a small change in the trajectory of your life will put you in a dramatically better place in one year.

There is another reason I urge you to start with a spiritual routine you know you can keep. As you meet with God each day, you will experience His presence and power in a fresh way. As the psalmist said, you will "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8). As you experience the goodness of God, you will desire to spend more time with Him. You will crave His Word and celebrate the way He uses it to change your life. If you set your initial goals too high, you'll become discouraged because you can't consistently meet them. Or you'll be so focused on checking things off your list that you may not have time to simply enjoy being in God's presence.