11 Spiritual Disciplines: How to Grow in Your Walk With Christ

It’s tempting to believe once you become a Christian, you will automatically know how to live a Christian life. 

However, this is far from the truth. Like most things in life, you have to be taught and trained on how to walk with God and live as his disciple. 

In 1 Corinthians 9: 25 the Apostle Paul says,”

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

If you want to finish the race, you must follow Paul’s advice and start training. 

That’s where the spiritual disciplines come in.

What are spiritual disciplines and why are they important?

Before we can discuss what a spiritual discipline is, we need to clarify what the word discipline means. When you hear the word discipline, what do you think of?

Punishment? Obedience? School? All of those words can be associated with the word discipline. 

Discipline means to train and be instructed in the ways of the Lord. A spiritual discipline is any habit, practice, or routine that teaches you and helps you grow in your spiritual walk with Christ.

No one wakes up one day and decides they will run in the Boston Marathon on the day of the race. You may do alright for the first mile or two, but your body will revolt against you and you won’t finish. 

You need to train and slowly build up to running 26 miles. It’s the same principle in your walk with Christ.

Your old sinful nature is not going to give up without a fight. You have to constantly train your flesh to follow Christ and obey the Holy Spirit. 

Not your heart, feelings, or the culture of the world. We must learn to obey Christ and follow the word of God. That’s why it’s important to engage in spiritual disciplines or exercises consistently. 

Note that Paul said he went into strict training, which means he was consistent in engaging in various spiritual disciplines. 

 Consistently engaging in the spiritual disciplines will help you:

• learn what’s right and wrong according to God’s word.
• help you grow in your walk and relationship with God.
• teach you how you are to interact with God and others. 
• help you to replace your current worldview with a biblical worldview. 

These habits and practices will make you a better Christian and ambassador for Christ.

What are the spiritual disciplines for the Christian life?

 First, let’s set the record straight there is no list in the bible called spiritual disciplines. 

However, we can create a list of practices to follow based on the life of Christ, the disciples, and the early church. 

The 11 Spiritual Disciplines in the Bible

The most common spiritual disciplines are:

• Reading & Studying the Word of God
• Prayer
• Fasting
• Praise and Worship
• Fellowship
• Service
• Evangelism & Discipleship

Most Christians agree that these 7 spiritual disciplines are key to living a godly life. 

Each of them helps to develop your spiritual muscles by providing an intimate fellowship with God, fellow believers, and the rest of the world. 

In my research for this post, I discovered a few more spiritual disciplines that many of you might be unfamiliar with:  

• Confession & Repentance
• Submission
• Silence
• Solitude

Over the next few weeks, we will dive into these 11 spiritual disciplines. 

We’ll discuss what they are, why they’re important and practical ways to use them to help you grow in your walk with Christ. 

Which spiritual discipline(s) do you already take part in? Which one(s) are you excited to learn more about? Share your thoughts with me in the comment section. 

As always, remember to keep Jesus in the center of everything you do. 

Your Sister in Christ, 

Eboni