Men need to be disciplined spiritually. Being disciplined spiritually is more profound than being disciplined physically. Paul said in 1 Timothy 4:7-8, "Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:7-8) In the book, "Disciplines Of A Godly Man" by Kent Hughes, the author teaches that men need to sweat and work hard spiritually. Men need to be disciplined. I quote him, "No manliness no maturity! No discipline no discipleship! No sweat no sainthood!" For sure, it is a practical book that speaks directly to men on all sorts of areas in life. The areas where men need to be disciplined in godliness, according to Kent Hughes, are: Purity, Marriage, Fatherhood, Friendship, Mind, Devotion, Prayer, Worship, Integrity, Tongue, Work, Perseverance, Church, Leadership, Giving, Witness, and Ministry. The last chapter of the book is titled, "Grace Of Discipline". Hughes remind us that spiritual discipline comes from an understanding of God's grace from the beginning until the end. (Read 1 Corinthians 15:10) We might want to consider some areas where Kent Hughes did not touch upon. Personally, I think it would also be biblical to speak about REST as a spiritual discipline. Nonetheless, this book is helpful in reminding me about the importance of spiritual discipline. This is a challenge for the Christian men out there to practice spiritual discipline. Spiritual discipline is not legalistic. Hughes says, "nothing could be farther from the truth if you understand what discipline and legalism are. The difference is one of motivation: legalism is self-centered; discipline is God-centered. The legalistic heart says, "I will do this thing to gain merit with God." The disciplined heart says, "I will do this thing because I love God and want to please Him."" Our world tells us what being a man is all about, but God's Word is counter-cultural to this idea of how to be a man. Mark Driscoll, a pastor at Mars Hill Church, leads a ministry where men are stepping up in leading the family and serving the church. Driscoll hates that the world is teaching male how to be men. Therefore, in one of his famous sermons on 1 Peter, he preached a sermon where he scolded the men in the church.
Prayer is an important spiritual discipline of the Christian faith. Most, if not all, of us have at least prayed once in our life. We ask God for toys when we were children. We ask God for more stuff in high school, such as a girlfriend, good grades, getting into the right university, and etc. We ask God to get into a good program once we're in university and hopefully we will get a career moving. We are taught that God answers prayer. "Answered Prayer" has become an ambiguous phrase. Sometimes we think "answered prayer" means God says, "yes I will give it to you." However, when our prayers are not answered, sometimes we think God neither heard us nor responded to us. How should we respond biblically when prayers go unanswered? In James 4:3, people do not get what they receive because God says, "no". Why does he say, "no", to prayers? It is because people ask wrongly. Also, people seek after self-centered passions when they pray. When you read James 4, these people fight and quarrel because they don't have the stuff they want. They don't have the stuff they want because they never asked for them. That's true. But when you read a little further down, you see that God doesn't always answer prayers. God doesn't always give you what you want. Not only that, God doesn't always listen to or isn't always attentive to people's prayers. Here are some reasons:
James 1:5-8 says that if we doubt when we ask God for wisdom, then we're not going to receive anything.
James 4, what we just read, says that if we have a wrong motive in asking God, then we're not going to get anything.
1 Peter 3:7 says that if a husband does not respect/honor his wife in an understanding way, then his prayer will be hindered.
Isaiah 58 says that if we don't care for the poor even though we fast and pray, then he's not going to listen.
Isaiah 1:12-17 says that God doesn't even want to hear our prayers because our hands are full of blood and we fail to seek justice for the fatherless and the widow.
Amos 5:21-24 says that God doesn't even want to receive our worship unless there is justice and righteousness.
A helpful way to examine your own prayer is this: is your prayer self-seeking or self-centered? If so, it is possible that God has already said "no" to your prayer. God can answer prayers with a "no" even if it's not self-centered, and Christians can still be faithful to God and trust His plans. What if God does not heal your cancer or disease? What if God closes the door for that career opportunity or school opportunity that you are pursuing for? What if God closes the womb? These questions are tough to swallow. If it is according to God's will, then let His will be done. Our response should always lead us to trust and place our faith in God - His way is infinitely better than ours. And, do not cease from prayer. (Luke 18:1-8)
"The boneless tongue, so small and weak, Can crush and kill," declares the Greek, "The tongue destroys a greater horde," The Turk asserts, "than does the sword." The Persian proverb wisely saith, "A lengthy tongue - an early death!" Or sometimes takes this form instead, "Do not let your tongue cut off your head." "The tongue can speak a word whose speed," Say the Chinese, "outstrips the steed." The Arab sages said in part, "The tongue's great storehouse is the heart." From Hebrew was the maxim sprung, "Thy feet should slip, but ne'er the tongue." The sacred writer crowns the whole, "Who keeps the tongue doth keep his soul." - James S. Hewitt, ed., Illustrations Unlimited.
This is an excerpt from Kevin DeYoung. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some traditions use set prayers. Others rely on extemporaneous prayers. Both have their place. But I believe what our congregations need most are studied prayers, well prepared, well expressed. These prayers may or may not be read, but will be thought through ahead of time. Publicly leading a church in prayer deserves thoughtful preparation. 1.) Use forms with freedom. Learn from The Valley of Vision or Hughes Oliphant Old or the Book of Common Prayer. But suit their prayers to your own purposes. The Didache, after laying down set prayers for Communion, also allows "the prophets to give thanks however they wish." 2.) Pray Scripture. Don't just ask God for what we want. Let him teach us what we should want. 3.) Don't footnote. Charles Spurgeon: "It is not necessary in prayer to string a selection of texts of Scripture together, and quote David, and Daniel, and Job, and Paul, and Peter, and every other body, under the title of "thy servant of old"".The Lord already knows who said everything, so don't tell him again in your prayers. 4.) Leave the preaching for the sermon. Don't exhort. Don't explain texts. don't unpack complex theology. Spurgeon again: "Long prayers either consist of repetitions, or else of unnecessary explanations which God does not require; or else they degenerate into downright preaching, so that there is no difference between the praying and the preaching, except that in the one the minister has his eyes shut, and in the other he keeps them open. It is not necessary in prayer to rehearse the Westminster Assesembly's Catechism. 5.) Share some details of congregational life, but not all. A good shepherd will often mention by name various sheep that need special care. But don't try to cover every engagement in the last three months or surreptitiously announce the youth retreat in your prayer ("Lord, be with our young people gathering this Friday at 5:00pm with their Bibles and a sleeping bag"). Spurgeon once more: "There is no need to make the public prayer a gazette of the week's events, or a register of the births, deaths, and marriages of your people, but the general moments that have taken place in the congregation should be noted by the minister's careful heart."" 6.) Pray so that others can follow you easily. The goal is edification (1 Corinthians 14:17). So don't let your sentences get too long, too flowery, too ornate. If you write our your prayers, write for the ear not for the eye. On the other hand, don't use distracting colloquialism like, "Lord, you're so sweet." 7.) Keep it relatively brief. Better to e too short than too long. Five minutes is plenty in most North American churches. Seven to ten minutes is possible if you are experienced and have trained your people well. 8.) Remember you are praying with and on behalf of others. Use "we" and "our" (as in the Lord's Prayer). This is not the time to confess your personal sins or recount your personal experiences. 9.) Order your prayer. Make sure there is a flow and direction. Don't get too wordy. Keep a good pace. It often makes sense to work from inside out, praying first for concerns of the congregation and then moving out to the community, the global church, and the world. 10.) Beware of verbal ticks. For example: popping your p's, smacking your lips, sighing, ums, mindless repetition of the divine name, overuse of "just" and "like," an over-reliance on the phrase "we pray" or "we would pray" instead of simply praying. 11.) Show proper reverence, confidence, and emotion. Pray like you mean it. After all, God is God, and he really hears us! 12.) Pray before you pray. Ask God for help as you prepare, and for humility and grace as you go up to pray.
