Through a series of podcasts and blog-posts, Fred Gladney has shepherded us through a series on Christian growth and discipline, focusing on important practices like fasting, prayer, worship, studying the Bible, how we manage our time, money and more. We rounded up five of our favorites here, and we encourage you to spend some time this week exploring these important Christian growth disciplines.
Discipline of Stewardship of Money
“Today we’re going to talk about some principles that will help us to be good stewards of our money. Somebody said if you want to really know where someone stands with God, take a look at their calendar and their checkbook. What we do with our time and our money tells all about our priorities and our hearts.” Keep reading here.
Discipline of Fasting (Podcast)
Lots of people fasted in the Bible, including Jesus. But today, the subject of fasting is surrounded by a lot of fear or legalism. Is fasting a radical practice? No. It is biblical and is mentioned in the Bible more than 77 times. Fred Gladney leads us through a proper perspective on biblical fasting. Find the podcast here.
Discipline of Hearing, Reading and Studying God’s Word
“We can’t know God apart from his Word. Let’s exercise ourselves for the purpose of godliness. Our flesh doesn’t want to exercise in God’s gym and become more spiritually healthy. Our flesh doesn’t want habits that are godly to take the place of deeply embedded sinful habits, but we have to get to gym.” Keep reading here.
Discipline of Prayer (Podcast)
“Prayer is simply communicating with God. The Word of God commands us to pray all the time (Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Ephesians 6:18). Prayer is an opportunity to come boldly into the presence of God. Fred Gladney warns us against the danger of being too lazy, busy or even blessed to pray. He gives us a few quick tips on making prayer a priority, how to pray, and what to do to enjoy effective communication with God.” You can access the podcast here.
Discipline of Worship
“Today, we’re going to look at the Key of Focus: God must be the center point of our worship. The one who created that stunning sunset, the one who told the ocean to stop at the shoreline, the one who commanded the creation of a billion galaxies with the power of his Word, the one who sent his only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for the forgiveness of our sins, and the one who made it possible for us to live forever with him. He must be the focus of our worship.” Keep reading here.
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