Break FreeSample

There are two parallel stories that show how powerful a life of discipline is as it relates to following our encounter with God. I call it “A Tale of Two Sauls.” One is a king, another is a Pharisee. One goes to Ramah to kill David, another goes to Damascus to kill Christians. Both think they are doing what is right. Both encounter God in a powerful and unusual way. King Saul prophesied naked all day and night. Saul from Tarsus was blind for three days.

The result of these two encounters is so different. King Saul becomes an apostate; Saul of Tarsus becomes an apostle. Both had incredible experiences, but one chose to go back to his old life. The other turned around completely and gave up his old life and embraced a new life which was the opposite of what it was before. One Saul died committing suicide, known as a murderer of priests; the other Saul died as a martyr, who chose to follow God’s will until the end.

As powerful as your deliverance might have been, it has to be followed with a life fully dedicated to God, or else your powerful experience will do absolutely nothing in the long term. I love awesome encounters with God, conference experiences, and camp revivals, but all of that is given to us to spark a fire that will keep on burning. There is more. Your spiritual life is a walk, not a spiritual jump. We must learn to live in discipline, not just have leaps of crazy experiences that lead back to our old ways.

Deliverance gets the Devil out, but the life of discipline keeps him out. Deliverance is what God does for us, discipline is what He does for us.

Why is discipline so important? Because we have three enemies, which we face all the time and at times at the same time. Our enemies are the world (our outside enemy), the Devil (our invisible enemy), and the flesh (our inward enemy).

The Devil is overcome when fought by using God's Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The world is overcome by fleeing as Joseph did from the scene of temptation. We flee from people and places that pull us down into our old paths.

The flesh is our worst enemy because we cannot cast it out. Even after it is crucified by self-denial, it gets resurrected the next day. Feeding our spirit by fasting for the purpose of seeking God, helps us to overcome the flesh.

Want to know the Holy Spirit more? Check out my new book called "Host the Holy Ghost."