We all have doubts that challenge our faith. We wonder whether the Bible still matters, or whether God is truly as loving and personal as we hope.
Everyday life can be demanding; it's easy to become distracted by so many things that seem important. But in order to lead a fulfilling life, you have to make time daily for what's most important--your relationship with God. A Christian must discipline oneself to live a distinctly Christian life. There are spiritual disciplines for godliness purposes. They don't save us, and they don't make God love us any more. They're the means that God uses to conform us to the image of Christ. "The desperate requirement today is not for a higher number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but deep people." (Richard J. Foster)
What are the practices that might be considered spiritual disciplines? Spiritual disciplines are routines, practices, and experiences that are developed to establish, grow, and reinforce certain qualities of spirit and to develop the "muscles" of one's character and expand the breadth of one's inner life. They structure the "exercises" which train the soul. Some spiritual disciplines are personal, inward workouts that are practiced alone; others need social relationships and are practiced in the community. Spiritual disciplines are those personal and social activities given by God in the Bible as the adequate means to be used by believers in Jesus Christ in the pursuit of godliness, that is, closeness to Christ and conformity to Christ, filled with the Spirit.
