We recently concluded a Marriage Enrichment Day at our church that was loaded with humorous yet touching facts and truths about how husbands and wives can make their marriages work even though we seem to be from completely different planets! The seminar was planned with the primary purpose of helping men and women understand - and accept - themselves and each other and to work through some very basic issues which can avoid or lessen the many typical yet unnecessary arguments couples have - usually over nothing. There was not a single person who did not enjoy our time together that day and many went home with a renewed hope that, like wine, our marriages are destined to better with age. Nevertheless, we had to remind every couple that, no matter how enthusiastic they were at the end of that day, the real results were yet to be seen and that if they really wanted to be successful... well, that's exactly it - they needed to WANT it to be successful.
Desire is where it all starts. Without it, success has no firm footing. Many people think that because we've had so many success stories with turning young lives around that we can "magically" repeat the same with every and any troubled teen. That's an incorrect perception. Firstly it's only God by His Spirit who can truly touch hearts and turn lives around and we give Him all the glory for every success story. But equally important, for success to even be remotely possible let alone probable, is for that young person to want - or desire - change! Without it, no matter who or how much help is given, that youth will go back to the life he or she came from. Why?! It is simply because they haven't left it to begin with. There was no real desire or will for change.
While desire is so important for dreams to come through and true, it's not enough. Discipline is what's desperately needed next - and this is where most of us fail. Too many of us live by our emotions and feelings instead of purpose and priorities. We're not accountable for how we spend our days and we don't know where our time has gone to. That's why many don't get to see what they've set out to accomplish nor are they any closer to living their dreams even as each year draws to a close. We still desire but we haven't really moved from desire. We started well but we didn't really continue. And that's the key - to continue! It's said of the early disciples that they continued in the apostles’ doctrine, in fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer...and the rest is history.
In fact that's what disciples do (and why they're called disciples in the first place). They follow a discipline - daily. And because of that daily discipline - the people in Antioch looked at the consistency of their lives and had no other more fitting name than to call these disciples Christians - after the One they so faithfully followed after. That's what faithfulness is - doing something you believe in over and over again - no matter what - even - and especially - in times when it gets really boring or burdensome - and when every emotion in your body tells you to give up! It's a little rough and tough to say the next sentence but I think we need a challenge...If we can't discipline our lives, we can't truly be called disciples.
"If we can't discipline our lives, we can't truly be called disciples."
A disciplined life is one that speaks clearly of purpose, power (will power), passion and priority. It is, I believe, for many of us, that one key ingredient that will position us for prosperity. Above all, I believe discipline ultimately defines the person and it can be said that a person without discipline is also a person without purpose, power, passion or priorities. Are you looking for answers to your breakthrough?! Try discipline today - and keep at it - everyday - no matter what or how you feel. Now that's true commitment and I guarantee you're going to see the change you've desired. Just do it!
But make sure you don't worship discipline. Discipline must be our servant and never the other way round. It must be a means to an end and not the end itself. This is where delight comes in. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you (form in you) the desires of your heart". If discipline is "have to" then delight is "want to" and while we may need to start the process towards success today by committing our lives to a list of "have to's", the aim is to grow to a place of "want to's". Like losing weight for example. Many of us desire to but don't have the discipline to. But once we commit to a daily routine of proper exercise and healthy eating habits, we start to experience the change we've always desired...and more! Even our stamina improves - along with our confidence! Then like many of us, including talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, especially after some drastic improvements, we start to waver and return slowly but surely to our old habits. Why?! Maybe because the change was too rapid and instead of learning to enjoy your new lifestyle, you just wanted to fit into that new dress or impress that new girl at campus. Mostly, it's because we didn't move from discipline to delight - or list to lifestyle - and never really gave ourselves a chance to really like what we were doing. That goes for marriage as well as ministry...and everything else in between. It's also the reason why prayer, fasting... and evangelism have become items for yearly projects and programmes instead of an all-round lifestyle of purpose and passion. "Anag" is the Hebrew word for delight and it means to be soft and pliable.
As we desire and discipline ourselves today towards the godly goals that we've set for our lives, may we also succeed in being completely changed from the inside out as we learn daily to delight in the God that created us and in all that we do.
Desire, Discipline and Delight.
Here's wishing you a significant, successful and stress-free life - all year round!
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