LESSON 2

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES – PART I

 

 

If you are going to be a disciple or if you are going to be making disciples then it is important that you yourself are disciplined.  It is somewhat unfortunate that the word discipline typically carries with it a negative connotation – that of being punished.  However, the two words, disciple and discipline, are actually related at the core of their meaning – to study, perform an activity, and/or train diligently in order to develop a skill.  Discipline – at least in terms of referring to the Spiritual Disciplines - is not intended to be a punishment nor should it be thought of as negative.

In Lesson 1 of this course we discussed how being a disciple of Christ means learning how to be a follower of Christ.  As we grow in our spiritual walk, we are developing the skill of being obedient to and behaving in a manner glorifying to Jesus Christ.   The activities that are necessary for us to develope these skills are called the Spiritual Disciplines.

As a disciple, you need to practice the Spiritual Disciplines to ensure that you are continuing in your daily spiritual growth.  As a disciple-maker, you need to teach and encourage others to practice them.

It is important to understand that keeping the Spiritual Disciplines is not something you will see explicitly commanded in scripture.  You are not living in sin if you don’t practice them, so please do not come away from this discussion thinking you must immediately go implement all of these in your life or in the lives of your church members to be in obedience to God.  That is not the case. However, you will find that your greatest chance of growing spiritually and thus successfully keeping the commands of scripture involves a regular practice of the Spiritual Disciplines.  Some of them are absolutely essentially to your spiritual growth regardless of who you are.  Others may be of benefit to some people, but not to others, depending upon one’s own personal needs and personality.

Because of this, you should learn about them, study them, try them, and figure out which ones make sense for you to employ in your own life.  You should also encourage and help your church members do the same.

 

There are various ways in which you can classify and identify different spiritual disciplines.  You can go to any number of sources and find different lists. The ones discussed in this lesson come from a book by Donald Whitney called Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life.  The list includes the following disciplines:

 

·      Bible Intake (including scripture memory)

·      Prayer

·      Worship

·      Evangelism

·      Serving

·      Stewardship

·      Fasting

·      Silence and Solitude (i.e., meditation)

·      Journaling

 

Each of these will be discussed at some level in this lesson and the next.  However, the two most critical Spiritual Disciplines – for which the major portion of the remainder of this lesson will be dedicated – are the disciplines of Bible Intake and Prayer.  Regardless of any of the other disciplines, these two should be of highest priority in every Christian life.  They should not be considered optional, but rather should become a regular part of every believer’s daily routine.

 

 

Bible Intake

 

Precisely how important is biblical intake?  Would we be off-base to say that it is absolutely essential that a Christian should read God’s word every single day? Do you read God’s word every single day?  According to a survey performed by the American Bible Society in 2014, only 37% of Americans read the Bible at least once a week.  Similarly, a study performed by Lifeway Bookstores in 2012 says that less than 20% of church attendees read their bible every day.  How would those statistics change if we were looking specifically at your church or your community? If reading God’s word is really that important, wouldn’t more Christians be reading the bible on a regular basis?  Perhaps that is the very reason why Christianity is not having a greater impact on the world – or at least an impact in America. 

In truth, there are at least four key reasons why a daily intake of the Bible is essential to our Spiritual Growth.  First and foremost, the Bible is God’s Word.  By that, we mean and believe that the Bible is God’s direct message of himself to mankind.  2 Timothy 3:16 says that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”  When we say that the Bible is God’s Word, we mean that literally.  The words come from him, not from the imagination of any man.   Through the Bible, God has revealed himself to mankind.  Through the Bible, God speaks to us. 

If it were announced that God was coming to your community tomorrow and would be speaking to the people, which of you would not move heaven and earth to be in attendance to hear what he has to say?  The great beauty of the Bible is that we don’t have to wait for his physical appearance to hear him speak, for he has already appeared physically and has already spoken.  Why would we not take the opportunity to hear from him at every possible opportunity?

Second, the Bible is an effective weapon in our Spiritual warfare.  We are constantly at spiritual war with the forces of evil and darkness.  As it says in Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”   No soldier would dare go into battle without his weapons, and no soldier would dare go to battle unless he has spent countless hours training with those weapons.  One of our weapon in this spiritual war – the primary one, in fact - is the word of God.  Ephesians 6:17 says that the word of God is the Sword of the Spirit.  Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  In other words, it is a very powerful weapon.  Reading and studying God’s word daily is how we train for war.

Third, the Bible is our guide in this dark world.  The world is a very dark and precarious place.  Satan is out there constantly trying to deceive us into taking the wrong path.  Without a light guiding us, we would soon be lost in our wandering.  Psalm 119:105 says “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”  For pastors, this is even more critical as the pastor is the one leading the rest of the congregation.  It is amazing to think that any pastor could lead their congregation spiritually without a constant inflow of scripture.  Without this beacon of truth in our lives, our doctrine and theology would very quickly wander afar.

Finally, the Bible is essential to our spiritual growth.  We are taught, trained, chastised, and corrected through the word of God.  We know from 2 Timothy 3:16 that all scripture is inspired of God, but the rest of that verse reminds us that it is inspired so that it can reprove us, can correct us, and can instruct us in righteousness.  Without a regular intake of the Word of God, what we have is just creed and religion that ultimately provide no spiritual benefit.   With a regular intake of the Word of God, we have a close, personal relationship with a loving God.  Many spiritually mature Christians can make the same claim as this author – that our lives can be divided into three distinct periods: our life before Christ, our life after Christ but before we made biblical intake a priority, and our life after we made biblical intake a priority.  The vast majority of our spiritual growth did not come until after we make biblical intake a priority.

 

Consistent intake of God’s word can be difficult, especially in areas of the world where access to God’s word is more difficult.  Nevertheless, we must find ways in which both our congregations and we have the regular opportunity to take in God’s word.  Here are four suggestions for ways in which you and your church members canb take in the Word of God.

First, we can hear it.  Romans 10:17 says “Faith comes by hearing; hearing by the Word of God.”  Likewise, Luke 11:28 says “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it.”  This includes both public readings of God’s word directly as well as the preaching of God’s word.   As pastors you need to make sure of these three things:

1.     You are actually preaching and teaching the Word of God;

2.     Your people come to hear when you preach and teach the Word of God; and

3.     You find opportunity to hear others preach and teach the Word of God.

 

Second, we can read the Bible.  As mentioned earlier, a recent poll in America showed that while 88 percent of Americans say they owned a Bible, only 13 percent say they read their bible daily.   In the United States, the two primary reasons for not reading the Bible are the presumption that there is not enough time and a lack of commitment to the Bible’s truth.  Both are poor excuses.  In other parts of the world – perhaps were you are now - the problem may be as much about illiteracy and access to the Bible as it is about time.  In many places all over the world, access to the Bible in the native language is simply unavailable.  The translation may exist, but access to resources needed to distribute Bibles is limited.  And even if there are Bibles available, many people are unable to read. How can you read the Bible if you cannot read – or how can you read if a Bible is not readily available?  These are questions that desperately need good, practical answers.

The answer may be in a story from Nehemiah 8:1-8.

 

1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.

 

2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.

 

3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.

 

4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

 

5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:

 

6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

 

7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.

 

8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

 

The scriptures were read to the people and were explained to the people.  This story is often used to explain how and why we preach sermons. However, the same situation existed there that exists in many parts of the world today – the scripture was simply not available for the masses.  If this is your situation, you may need to be very deliberate about having times of collective, public scripture reading.

Remember also that it is important to read all of the Bible, not just the portions that we like.  Find the time to read all of the Bible.  Reading three chapters a day and five on Sunday will get you through the whole Bible in a year.  If that is too much to start with, then just get your people to start somewhere, even if it is just 15 minutes a day.  One chapter of the New Testament a day for five days a week will allow you to read the New Testament in one year.  That may be a good first step.  There are also many bible reading plans that are available.  You just need to find one that works well for yourself and for your people.

Third, we can study the Bible.  Reading through the Bible is essential to get a solid big picture of God’s Word. Equally important to your spiritual growth, though, is the deep dive where you look below the surface to truly understand scripture.  2 Timothy 2:15 – Study (or do your best) to show yourself approved, not ashamed because you rightly handle the word of God. 

As pastors, you should be doing this as part of your sermon preparations, but you ought also to be doing it for your own spiritual development and you ought to be encouraging your people to do it as well.  There are two ways to study God’s word.  These were discussed in depth in the course on Bible and Bible Doctrine, so they are only briefly mentioned here.  The first is through passage-oriented study. The term Hermeneutics is used to describe this type of study.  With this type of study, you dive into the passage and study it in depth, breaking it down for better understanding. With this type of study, you find out all there is to know about that passage and how it applies to your life.  The second way to study God’s word is through topic-oriented study (sometimes called Systematic Theology).  This involves picking a subject and going into depth about what the Bible has to say (from cover to cover) about that particular subject. Topic-oriented study helps you fully understand God’s perspective on that topic.

The final way in which you can get Biblical intake is that you can memorize it.  When David said “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee” in Psalm 119:11, he was referring to scripture memorization.  

There are so many reasons to memorize scripture.  When Jesus was being tempted by Satan in the wilderness, it was scripture that he used to defeat him.  When you are ministering to your people, there is no more effective ministry than when the Holy Spirit brings a scripture to your mind that is directly applicable to the circumstances you are dealing with.  In an environment where illiteracy is so high, it may very well be that scripture memorization may be more important than catechisms or creeds.  There are so many good verses to memorize.  At the end of this lesson there are 52 suggested memory verses – one to memorize each week for a year.   When you spend a whole week meditating on a scripture in order to memorize it, that verse will permeate your life and your soul.

 

So in closing out the discussion related to Bible Intake, there is simply no way to over emphasize its importance.  Make it a priority.  Find creative ways to make it work.  Your spiritual growth – and that of your church members - hangs in the balance.

 

 

Prayer

 

Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation, once said that he had so much to do that he spent the first three hours of his day in prayer.  There is probably no way that the majority of us could possibly spend three hours a day in prayer.   Honestly, it would be silly to think that God would expect that of us.  However, that statement by Martin Luther does point out the importance of prayer in the life of a Christian. 

Prayer is obviously a very important part of the Christian life, but what exactly is prayer?  Is it communion with God? Yes, but that is only the beginning of what prayer is. Is it a way to make our requests made known to God?  Yes to that as well, but that is a very shallow perspective on prayer.  Perhaps the best way to describe what prayer is would be to first discuss what prayer is not!

First of all, prayer is not simply getting what we want from God.  It is true that scripture teaches us to make our requests known to God – and we should do so on a regular basis. However, prayer is not a way for us to express our selfish desires to a “deity-in-waiting.”  Rather, Philippians 4:6 says with thanksgiving make our requests known to God.  However, on the other hand, Matthew 6:8 tells us that God already knows every request we have, so the point cannot be to let him know our needs. 

More importantly, when we use prayer as a means to (attempt to) get what we want from God, we diminish the glory of God and make him our slave. Of course it is not possible to actually make God our slave and none of us would admit that is what we are trying to do.  However, our prayer life sometimes proves that is how we think. Too often, we go to him only when we need him, laying our desires before him.  However, when all is well, we tend to pray less. When we treat God this way, it should not be surprising that our prayers appear to go unanswered and our prayer life feels ineffective.

Second, prayer is not a means to change God’s mind.  God is immutable-that is, he is unchangeable.  Even though there are places in scripture where the implication is that God’s mind was changed by prayer, theologically that never really happens.  If God is perfect, his mind does not change.  If God is unchanging, his mind does not change.  In those instances where it seems that God’s mind has changed, it is an enlightening thing to realize the truth that God intended the final result all along.  Why then, did you need to pray for it and what was the purpose of the prayer?   It certainly was not to change his mind.  The prayer was made because you needed to have the prayer answered.  You needed to learn and grow in your faith.

What, then, is prayer?  Consider these facts about prayer.  First and foremost a learned skill – and that is why it is a Spiritual Discipline.  We need to practice it so that we can get better at it over time.  We should not feel bad if our prayer life is not the best that it could be. Prayer takes practice and is a learned skill.  Luke 11:1 teaches us two important facts about prayer

i.          John taught his disciples to pray, and

ii.         Jesus’ disciples had to be taught to pray.

Many of us are in the same boat – we do not think we pray very well. Perhaps that is because we do not practice the Spiritual Discipline of prayer.  Fear not, you can get better at prayer.  Here are some suggestions for learning to pray better:

1.     Write down your prayers

2.     Pray the Psalms (many of them are prayers and if you read them, you might find they say what you are already thinking)

3.     Follow the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer

a.   Praise, Adoration, and Thanksgiving

b.  Acknowledge God’s Will in all things

c.   Ask for your daily needs

d.  Seek and give forgiveness

e.   Ask for protection and deliverance from evil and temptation

4.     When all else fails, pray the Lord’s prayer itself – it may be a model, but it serves as a good prayer by itself

 

Second, prayer is always answered.  Sometimes it may seem like our prayers go unanswered, but perhaps that is simply because we do not understand the nature of prayer.  God always hears and always answers the prayers of believers.  He just does not always answer them the way we would like for him to answer them. God answers every prayer in one of three ways. Maybe he will answer with a clear yes.  However, he may answer with a very clear no.  It is when we perceive no answer at all that we have the most trouble.  At those times it feels as if God is not present. When it seems God is not answering our prayers, we must keep praying until clarity is reach one way or another.  Perhaps he is just wanting us to wait because we are not yet ready for the answer.  Whatever you do, though, never lose heart and stop praying.

Third, prayer is expected and commanded.   When you begin to understand more about God, it is possible that you might find yourself having a bit of a crisis about the purpose of your prayer life.  Consider this:

God is omniscient –he knows all things.

God knows all of our needs before we cab even ask them.

God has promised to take care of our needs - whether we ask for them or not.

God’s will prevails in all things.

 

If all those things are true, what exactly is the point of prayer?  We may find ourselves asking the question “why pray at all?”  The answer is simply this.  We are commanded to pray. In Matthew 6, Jesus says three different times “when you pray” – assuming that prayer would be an expected part of your spiritual life.  The fact that God already knows our needs is not meant to dissuade us from praying about those needs, it is meant to dissuade us from worrying about those needs.  We still should pray about them.

In Luke 11, Jesus says to Ask, Seek, and Knock – we are commanded to lay out our petitions to God – even though he already knows about them. 

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Paul says to pray without ceasing.

In Philippians 4:6 Paul says to let our requests be known to God.

Throughout all of his writings, Paul gives examples of his prayer life and encourages his readers to pray.

Why?  Why is it so important to pray?  Prayer is important because as a Spiritual Discipline, prayer is for our benefit not God’s.  Think of these four results of prayer as the benefits you receive through prayer.

a.     To give us an outlet for our deep, intimate burdens.  There is great spiritual and emotional relief when we give our burdens to Jesus.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28-30 to give him our burdens because his yoke is easy and his burden is light.  This is accomplished with prayer.

b.     To build our faith.  It is an undeniable truth that when our prayers get answered, it builds our faith.  God is gracious to do this for us.

c.      To bring our will into conformance with his will.  Sometimes, despite our own personal desires, the answer to our prayers is no.  We pray persistently like the widow in Luke 18, but God keeps saying no.  Sometimes, when we pray for something long enough, our will – which may have been out of line with God’s will – starts to change and, as a result, our prayers change along with it.  Eventually, our will comes in line with His will, and His will becomes our desire. The idea is not that we are denied what we desire, but rather that our desires are transformed.  One of the goals of our prayers, therefore, should always be to conform our will to His will.  That is why the Lord’s prayer says “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Obviously, this takes time and persistence – yet another reason to make prayer a consistent discipline.

d.     To give us a blessing. The truth of the matter is that it is a huge blessing to realize that God wants to use our prayers in order to bring about his will on earth.  With or without us, his will shall always be accomplished, but to be able to participate in making that happen through our prayers can be one of the most amazing things we experience in life.

 

At the end of the day, our prayers are more about drawing us closer to God, building our faith, and allowing God to use us to accomplish his will than it is about having God meet our needs or desires.

 

 

Worship

 

Worship may in fact be one of the most misunderstood aspects of the Christian life.   Worship is not a gathering of believers on Sunday – although worship takes place when we gather together on Sundays.  Worship is not singing praise songs – although singing praise songs can be worship.  Worship is a spiritual discipline  - one we practice regularly on Sundays, but one we ought to practice every day.

Worship is nothing more than giving back to God the worth that he deserves.  God is truly worthy, as many of our praise songs declare, but it is the act of giving back and acknowledging that worth that constitutes true worship. 

There are many ways to worship God.  In fact, we can – and should - worship God in everything that we do.  However, in the context of Spiritual Disciplines, the word worship can include the following.

·      Giving God Praise – This can be accomplished through singing, prayer, giving of offerings, reading of praise scriptures such as the Psalms, or just about any way that a believer can imagine, so long as the intent is to lift up the name of God.

·      Giving Thanksgiving to God – just as the ways in which we praise God are virtually limitless, so are the ways in which we can give thanks to God.

·      Meditation on God and his greatness – just simply taking the time to be still and know that he is God (Psalms 46:10) can be worship.

 

In other words, there is almost no limit to the ways in which we can worship God.  If our options for worshipping God are so broad, therefore, why would worship be considered a Spiritual Discipline?

The answer lies in the fact that through worship, we draw close to God and we experience the goodness and faithfulness of God.  More importantly, worship is preparing us for that time in eternity when we will be worshipping God forever. Given that, there are a number of things we should consider about how we worship.

First and foremost, worship requires a response to God.  Ask yourself this question: how will you respond when you see God in all of his glory in heaven?  Each of us will respond in some way – it will be automatic.  Will you lift your hands in praise? Will you cry? Will you fall on your face? Will you say “Holy, Holy, Holy”?  In truth, the only reason we don’t have the same response in our worship here on earth is that we have not yet seen God for who he really is.  Our goal in worship here on earth should be to respond to God in the same way we expect to respond to him when we get to heaven.  This requires us to get to know him and see him more clearly.  As we learn, experience, acknowledge, and recognize God for who he is, we appropriately respond to God.

This can only happen if we place a greater focus on God while we are here on earth.  Worship, therefore, requires a proper focus on God.  The more we focus on God, the more we recognize his overwhelming greatness and therefore are able to give him the worth he deserves and will respond to him appropriately.  The book of Colossians teaches us about the preeminence of Christ.  In chapter 3, Paul tells us to set our minds on and to seek the things that are above – where Christ is.  We can get so caught up in the daily process of the pursuit of our desires – or in the struggle for survival - that we forget to focus on God.  When that happens, it becomes difficult to worship him.

Finally, we need to remember that worship is both corporate and personal.  Corporate worship – worshipping with other believers – is what we do when we gather together. Many Christians think worship only happens on Sundays or Wednesdays as part of a gathering of the whole congregation.  Personal worship, however, may actually be more important than corporate worship. Even when we are worshipping corporately, though, worship can be a very personal and private thing.  Corporate worship is “our” response to God.  Personal worship, however, is your response to God.  Therefore, be sure to make a habit of worshipping God while you are alone as well as when you are at church.

 

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52 IMPORTANT BIBLE MEMORY VERSES

One Per Week for a Year

 

God

 

1.    Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 

2.    Isaiah 40:28
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

 

3.    Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

 

Salvation

 

4.    John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

 

5.    Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

 

6.    Romans 5:8

But God demonstrated his love for us in this, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

7.    Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

8.    Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

 

9.    John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.”

 

10. Ephesians 2:8,9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

 

11. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

 

Assurance

 

12. Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

 

13. Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

 

14. Isaiah 40:30-31
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

 

15. Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

16. Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart ,and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

 

17. Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

 

18. Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

 

19. Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

 

20. 2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

 

21. Lamentations 3:22-23
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

22. 2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

 

Christian Life

 

23. 2 Corinthians 4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

 

24. Psalm 37:4,5
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will do this.

 

25. Proverbs 3:5,6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

 

26. Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

 

27. Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 

28. James 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

 

29. Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

 

30. 1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

 

31. James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

 

32. Luke 16:13
No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

 

33. 1 John 4:7,8
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

34. Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

 

35. Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

36. Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

 

37. Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 

 

Prayer

 

38. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

 

39. Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

 

40. Philippians 4:6,7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

Scripture

 

41. 2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.

 

42. Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

 

43. Psalm 119:11
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

 

Confession/Temptation

 

44. Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

 

45. 1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

 

46. James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

 

47. 1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out, so that you can stand up under it.

 

Mission

 

48. Micah 6:8
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

 

49. Matthew 25:40
The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

 

50. Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

 

51. Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

 

52. Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

 

 

Taken from: http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2011/01/50-most-important-bible-verses-to/