Spiritual Disciplines: Learning to Put the Ways of Jesus Into PracticeSýnishorn

Spiritual Disciplines Through the Eyes of Dallas Willard

God has given the Spiritual Disciplines to ordinary people like you and me as a means of receiving His grace so that we might be transformed more and more into His image.

With that foundational truth etched in our minds, let's spend the remainder of this reading plan looking at some examples of the disciplines through two different vantage points.

Here is the first:

In The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard organized his list of classical disciplines into two categories: abstinence and engagement.

His list of disciplines of abstinence included solitude, silence, fasting, frugality, chastity, secrecy, and sacrifice.

Elaborating on the disciplines of abstinence, Willard wrote, "we abstain to some degree and for some time from the satisfaction of what we generally regard as normal and legitimate desires... keep in mind that the practice of abstinence doesn't imply that there is anything essentially wrong with these desires as such. But in today's distorted condition of humanity, it is these basic desires that have been allowed to run a rebellious and harmful course, ultimately serving as the primary hosts of sin in our personalities."

Reflecting on Willard's words, I have found it helpful to regularly lean into disciplines of abstinence as a way of training my mind and body to abstain "from the desires of the flesh that wage war against [my] soul (See 1 Peter 2:11). For example, I have found the practice of fasting from food to be especially helpful. Fasting creates space for me to posture my mind and body before God, allowing Him to produce new levels of self-control in the area of food and beyond.

On the other hand, Willard's list of disciplines of engagement provides a necessary counterbalance to the disciplines of abstinence. These include study, worship, celebration, service, prayer, fellowship, confession, and submission. Apprentices of Jesus, down through the ages, have found the disciplines of engagement helpful when attempting to overcome inward-facing sins that are far less obvious to those around us. The kind of sin where we intentionally avoid doing what we know in our heart God has called us to do.

Some examples of these sins of omission might be not sharing our testimony when we know God has called us to speak up, not offering an encouraging word to a friend in need when the Spirit prompts us to do so, or procrastinating visiting the sick in the hospital.

Take some time today to get alone with Jesus in a quiet place. As you do, ask Him to reveal one or two disciplines from Willard's lists above that He wants you to focus on in the coming weeks. Ask Jesus to show you how He wants to use these disciplines to help you progress in overcoming the sin patterns in your life where you currently find yourself stuck.