“For the time being no discipline brings joy but seems sad and painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness right standing with God and a lifestyle and attitude that seeks conformity to God’s will and purpose.” Hebrews 12:11 AMP

Chapter 12 of the book of Hebrews opens with an exhortation to the believer to “run the race” and to discard anything that may be a hindrance to their walk. Life is a race that must be run with endurance. The very context of this concept points to a need for discipline. Jesus then is presented as the pioneer, who for the joy set before Him, endured” the cross. He then is the example for the believer not to lose courage in the battle! 

The word “discipline” used here is the Greek word denoting the handling of the child which is growing up to maturity, and which needs direction, teaching, instruction and correction in the form of discipline or even chastisement. The word is used to describe both the process of initial learning and reinforcement of that which has been learned. In essence, discipline is the process of training our bodies to do that which we not, not what it wants! The Apostle Paul described it this way.

“But like a boxer I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached the gospel] to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified as unfit for service.” 1 Corinthians 9:27 AMP

Being a boxer isn’t an easy profession. You must be in top physical condition and able to take the blows of the opponent and not lose sight of the win! The Greek culture was obsessed with physical conditioning and sports. Training and discipline were a mark of true manhood. Just as the Greek strove to be in his best physical condition, we must also remember that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that we are the priest of this temple. It is our responsibility to keep our bodies in the best condition possible. Now, we also have the responsibility of keeping our Spiritual self in prime and ready condition. Faith is like a muscle, it needs exercise.

Faith is the gift of God. It is not of ourselves; we receive it from Him. It is the special work of the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to who Jesus is and to show us our need of Him and to create within us the capacity to trust Him. He gives you a new heart, the gift of faith. That is the foundation upon which we now grow in our relationship with Him. Many of us know the stories of the great exploits of the men of God in the Bible. We long for that kind of experience yet, are we willing to pay the price to see it? There is no walking on the water without a storm! There is no victory without being in the battle! I have heard it said that everyone wants a great testimony but no one want the test to prove it! 

Christ calls us out of our depth. He invites us to launch out into the deep. The storm may be raging, but if you are where Christ has called you to be, and you are doing what He called you to do, He will bring you through it by faith. James out it this way;

“Be assured that the testing of your faith through experience produces endurance leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace.” James 1:3 AMP

There is no short cut to growth. James is right saying, “faith through experience produces endurance.” How has your faith-exercise schedule been lately? Are you eating the meat of the Word or have you been nibbling on snacks? Is your faith becoming flabby and flimsy or is it becoming strong and steadfast? Take time today be intentional about your exercise time in His Word! Have a blessed day