"Do you not know that in a race all the
runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run
in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone
who competes in the games goes into strict training.
They do it to get a crown that will not last;
but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly;
I do not fight like a man beating the air. No,
I beat my body and make it my slave so that
after I have preached to others, I myself will
not be disqualified for the prize." I Corinthians
9:24-27
We
just finished a fast during which time we focused
a lot of prayer on Jesus' command in Matthew 9:38
which says, "Pray to the Lord of the harvest
that He would thrust out workers." The Hebrew
word translated "thrust" is Ekballo.
It has several different connotations which indicate
something similar to rocket propulsion. When we
leave the sending or thrusting to the Lord of
the harvest, there is a different potential in
those being sent. In reality, the outcome would
be that they would do the things that Jesus did
which are included in Matthew
9:35-38, 10:3.
"Jesus
went through all the town and villages, teaching
in their synagogues, preaching the good news
of the kingdom and healing every disease and
sickness… He called his twelve disciples to
him and gave them authority to drive out evil
spirits and to heal every disease and sickness."
(Matthew 9:35-10:1)
There
is a mistaken notion that this powerful impartation
comes with no personal effort. The container
of this power is the human temple. The body, as
with the temple in Scripture, is in the hands
of the servants of God. I think that God may withhold
a greater anointing for service when His wisdom
sees that the container cannot bear it. So what
must we do? I (Norm) am not a large framed person,
but I do weight-lift. At forty-eight years of
age, I don't expect to become a huge, muscular
figure, yet I am encouraged to see the form and
enlargement of muscle on my body. I am more fit
today than I was at age twenty-eight. Some of
the more muscular men who work out where I exercise
have given me helpful information regarding muscle
building. It is good to have coaches who speak
with experience.
Bodily
discipline does have benefit. We need to exercise
our body because it is the temple where God dwells.
Tiredness, dullness of mind, vulnerability to
temptation and depression of emotion are linked
to our physical state. Diet also has a lot to
do with this because excessive amounts of sugars
are a poison that actually kills vitality. We
all need to watch our diets. Fasting is also good
and necessary for many reasons. One of the by-products
is the cleansing of the body. I actually feel
more energized when fasting than when I don't.
A
good, consistent physical exercise program is
extremely important. I normally exercise five
days a week for thirty minutes. Find what is right
for you. Adequate sleep is also important. Most
people need eight good hours of sleep a night.
Some may be blessed to get by with less, but not
all. A missionary will need to be culturally sensitive
about this but, when possible, we should retire
early and rise early. The morning, when all is
quiet and when we are well rested, is the best
time to spend time in prayer and study. If you
would like to receive Health Arise which is a
monthly e-mail designed to encourage and motivate
you toward a healthy lifestyle, send a blank e-mail
to health-arise-subscribe@strategicnetwork.org.
"The
one mark of discipleship is the mastership of
Jesus - His right to me from the crown of my
head to the sole of my foot." Disciples Indeed
We
need to realize that bodily discipline can be
compared to spiritual discipline. Just as a physical
muscle needs exercise, the spiritual does too.
Faith is developed by exercise. Spiritual giants
are not born giants; they are born as small children.
Through nurture and exercise they grow and develop.
We need to dismiss the idea that spiritual maturity
and power comes instantly. Too many people are
disappointed to find that one must expect the
Lord to school them in spiritual matters. Many
who read Scripture, receive prophetic words of
revelation and encouragement, and/or receive a
classroom education, expect to immediately go
out and conquer the world. Peter thought like
that, but Jesus said that Peter would deny Him.
It was a little maid confronting Peter that led
to His denial. How will many of us respond when
confronted with trials; perhaps there will be
the possibility of danger or loss? How will our
faith stand if not exercised and made strong?
The
Bible says in Ephesians 6:10, "Finally, be
strong in the Lord and in His mighty power."
The Lord impressed that upon me during a time
of fasting. The implication is that we have a
responsibility to make ourselves strong in the
Lord. Before God can commit your ministry into
your hands, you must first be submissive to His
discipline. As you go into God's mission field
in another country, He wants you to go forth as
a disciplined soldier. He is preparing you for
your destiny and so how you live now is very important.
"The
cross of discipleship is that I daily and hourly
delight to tell my human nature that I am not
my own, I no longer claim my right to myself."
Run Today's Race
Areas
of the Disciplined Life
"Discipline
yourself for the purpose of Godliness." I Timothy
4:7
The
following are some additional areas in which we
need to be well disciplined, alert to the enemy
devices, so that we will be good soldiers on the
mission field. These are very basic places where
the enemy will attack the believer. We urge you
to discipline yourself now and strengthen your
spiritual muscles so that you may not be disqualified
at a later time. We have seen workers on the field
fall into these very traps time and time again.
-
A consistent quiet time
Your
devotional life is a time set aside each day
to be with the Lord. It may mean study, or
prayer, or it may be a time of fellowship
and meditation with Him. It is a time when
you find yourself happy to be with God and
He with you. There are many tools that help
in personal devotions. The most important
tool is an alarm clock to wake you from sleep!
Realize that the enemy will strongly attack
this area of your life. We have seen him do
this in missions again and again.
"Blessed
are they who keep his statutes and seek him
with all their heart." (Psalm 119:2)
-
Taming the tongue
Watch
your tongue. Stay away from destructive speech,
listening to gossip, or talking negatively
about someone. Instead, bless others by saying
constructive things, looking at the good side,
practicing positive speech, encouraging others.
Your tongue can have a powerful influence
on others. Use your tongue to bring life instead
of death.
"When
words are many, sin is not absent, but he
who holds his tongue is wise." (Proverbs 10:19)
-
Using your spiritual gifts
What
are you good at? What do you love to do? Where
do you sense God's presence moving through
you? Tell others when you see them excelling,
or when you see a spiritual gift operating
in their life. Your spiritual gift is your
spiritual job description.
"For
this reason I remind you to fan into flame
the gift of God, which is in you through the
laying on of my hands." (II Timothy 1:6)
- An
evangelistic lifestyle
God
wants all of us to reach out to the lost.
We must be involved in evangelism here at
home before going overseas. We need to reach
out and show acts of love and kindness to
our neighbors and co-workers now.
"But
you, keep your head in all situations, endure
hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge
all the duties of your ministry." (II Timothy
4:5)
- Journaling
and listening to God
Get
a notebook and write down what God is speaking
to you, what you are learning and how you
see God working. Begin journaling now. It
helps you to remember all that happens. God
can give you direction through journaling.
Your journal is your friend.
"My
sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and
they follow me." (John 10:27)
- Prayer
and fasting
Prayer
and fasting has already been mentioned but
we must stress how extremely powerful this
is for reaching the nations. Fast a day or
a meal a week, and pray for that country or
area that is on your heart and for what you
want to see God do there. Discipline yourself
into longer fasts as you are able. We recommend
Debbie's book called Intercessors Arise:
A Mentoring Manual Designed to Release your
Potential in Prayer and Intercession that
can help you grow in your prayer life. You
can purchase it at www.intercessorsarise.org.
"But
when you fast, put oil on your head and wash
your face, so that it will not be obvious
to men that you are fasting, but only to your
Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who
sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
(Matthew 6:17-18)
- Bible
study
The
Holy Spirit is given to guide and teach (John
14). There are many good books that help in
Bible study. Sometimes I just read through
books of the Bible, meditating on certain
portions, relating them to others. For a period
of six years, I (Norm) would read through
the Bible from cover to cover each year. I
had a chart in the front of my Bible with
all the books and chapters so I could check
each off as I read it. This helps to ensure
that you are not purposefully leaving out
the "uninteresting" parts of the Bible. "All
scripture is God-breathed and is profitable."
I have noticed that the more I am in the Scriptures,
the happier I am with the productivity of
my life.
"All
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training
in righteousness, so that the man of God may
be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
(II Timothy 3:16-17)
-
Praise, worship and thanksgiving
Praise
and worship are our greatest weapons against
the enemy. Whenever you are going through
a difficult time, have a time of radical praise,
worship and thanksgiving. Everything changes.
Remember that God dwells in the praises of
His people.
"Worship
the Lord with gladness; come before him with
joyful songs." (Psalm 100:2)
Go
through these areas of the disciplined life and
evaluate yourself. What are your strengths
and weaknesses? What areas do you need to work
on now? Make it a matter of prayer. Focus your
discipline on improving those areas this year.
You will find it a great benefit to your life
later, whether at home or overseas, and you will
be a good example to others in every situation.
If
a Christian is not disciplined in many of these
areas he will not be very fruitful. Discipline
and discipleship are one and the same. Jesus says,
"if anyone would come after me." "If"
means you don't need to unless you like, but you
won't be of any account to Me in this life unless
you do. Jesus expects us to live a disciplined
life. As we grow and mature in our Christian walk,
we realize the importance of this truth. We become
stricter with ourselves, and we do not run aimlessly.
We realize that we are in strenuous training.
Many times we say "No" to good things because
we want the best. We know that self-denial and
taking up the cross of Jesus Christ is a requirement
in being His disciple.
"Then
Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would
come after me, he must deny himself and take
up his cross and follow me." Matthew 16:24
For
additional training on mentoring in character;
preparation for knowing the will of God and approved
unto God: a key to God's will, read the book called
Go Forth in Power by Norman and Debbie
Przybylski.
Training
in World Missions
To
learn more about the Elijah Company please read:
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