5 Spiritual Disciplines to Deepen Your Love for Jesus
The primary assignment given to every believer is to glorify Jesus by loving Him will all our being. Only out of this relationship will we bear any fruit in our own lives or in the lives of others.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing (John 15:4, 5).
Keep in mind that loving God and experiencing His love is not to be thought of solely as a way to impact the world but actually as an end in itself. We do not merely use intimacy with Jesus as means to become more productive because connecting with the heart of God is the highest form of productivity in and of itself. There is no greater activity than to fully immerse oneself in the presence of the Lord.
Mother Teresa understood the vast importance of this time alone with Christ. In one of her letters she makes mention of her intent to be used first by the Lord before she made herself available to any human being. This purpose was necessary for her to be able to give all that she could in her ministry to the poor. Read how she practically made time with Jesus her first priority,
I make my holy hour with Jesus straight after Mass–so that I get the 2 hours with Jesus before people & Sisters start using me.–I let Him use me first. [1]
In all activities, secular or spiritual, there must be a desire to connect with the living God. The remainder of this article will focus on specific activities that are critical in maintaining a fervent relationship with the Lord. Listed below are disciplines that are absolutely necessary for Christians to stand strong in the faith and continue to fall deeper in love with Christ.[2]
Prayer and Fasting
Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart. ~ Luke 18:1
Storming the throne room of heaven has the potential to bring into existence that which once seemed impossible. In this conversation with God, power is released and faith is strengthened as we both labor and rest in the ministry of prayer.
We labor with our words and our diligent requests, but we rest in knowing that “if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him” (1 John 5:14, 15). Through words of adoration, thanksgiving, and intercession we display the great need for God in our life.
Another biblical discipline that goes right along with prayer is the act of fasting. This discipline, although largely left out of the contemporary teaching of the church, is a dynamic and powerful activity commanded by God.
Mike Bickle and Dana Chandler address the frequency and normality with which fasting was intended to assist the believer.
Regular fasting is part of the normal Christian life. It is Christianity 101. In Matthew 6:16, Jesus used the phrase, “When you fast” (not if you fast), implying that fasting was meant to occur in the normal course of any disciple’s life. Jesus promised that God would openly reward those who approach fasting with the right spirit (Matt. 6:18). Fasting is a grace that significantly increases our receptivity to the Lord’s voice and His Word. It allows us to enter into depths in our relationships with God that are beyond what we normally experience. We fast in order to encounter God more intimately and more profoundly and to change the world. [3]
When we combine the power of prayer and fasting together the results can be extraordinary. God has chosen to link these two disciplines so that one is a springboard for the other.
As I fast, I find myself able to enter the presence of the Lord more easily. This greatly affects my prayer life as I find myself open vulnerable, and willing to be bold and courageous in my supplications to God.
All the while I understand that the grace that I receive to begin and continue in a fast is greatly sustained by intercession. It wasn’t a coincidence that Jesus told His disciples how to exercise a malicious demon by instructing, “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21).
These dynamic disciplines offer us great hope for transformation. Through prayer and fasting we possess the power to connect and partner with God through cultivating love in our own hearts and in the world around us.
Meditation
This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success (Joshua 1:8).
Unfortunately, the art of meditation has been overlooked in our postmodern world. It has even been viewed by the church as dangerous because of its emphasis among eastern religions. My plea is that you would not fear this discipline for as noted in Joshua 1:8 above, meditation is a fruitful practice to be used in your daily walk with God.
Meditation is actually a very simple exercise. Some mistakenly believe it is outside their scope of possibility, reserved only for monks and the spiritual elite. This simply is not true. There are many different ways for the Christian to meditate but our concern with each must be in intimately communing with Jesus.
By taking time to still our mind and heart and put full concentration on the Creator of the universe, we can begin to experience greater depths of the Father’s love. It is in these times that the Lord releases deep revelations that have the power to transform our entire life.
A great resource concerning this topic is the first chapter of Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline. He goes into greater depths regarding misconceptions of meditation, preparing your mind to meditate, and most importantly he provides some great beginning exercises to start you on your meditation journey.
This is a practice that must be neglected no longer. Though it is simple it is not always easy. Let’s wrap this subject up with some encouragement from Foster himself.
You must not be discouraged if in the beginning your meditations have no meaning to you. You are learning an art for which you have received no training. Nor does our culture encourage you to develop these skills. You will be going against the tide, but take heart; your task is of immense worth. [4]
Scripture Reading, Studying, & Memorizing
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4).
Reading, studying, and memorizing the Bible are crucial activities in living a life which pleases God. This is an activity that needs to be sought on a daily basis. The best way for us to determine God’s will for our life is by dwelling on the words of Scripture. This literally is His love letter to humanity. In this text we can clearly see what great love the Father has for us (1 John 3:1).
Studying the Scripture is crucial to our ultimate growth in God, but we must take care to do this in the correct manner. Getting up at 4 am every morning to read the Bible for an hour is only worthwhile if it is pursued with a legitimate heart attitude.
The Pharisees of Jesus’ time were extremely well versed in Scripture to the point where they would commit the entire Torah to memory.[5] But Jesus Himself rebuked them not because of the knowledge in their head but because of the attitude of their heart.
When we read the Scripture with the right heart disposition, we give permission to the Holy Spirit to move mightily in our lives. Examining our motivation behind reading the Bible is a crucial aspect in taking full advantage of its power.
Worship
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in holy array. ~ Psalm 29:2
There is something spectacular that transpires in our heart when we worship the Lord. It is as if we begin to realize the purpose behind our creation. If our ultimate purpose in this life is to glorify God, then one of the greatest demonstrations of this is in exalting the King of Kings through our worship and praise.
It is during this ministering to the Lord that we often experience our greatest breakthroughs and our most intimate experiences with Him. As we worship we are able to leave the business and anxiety of the world and get caught up in a place of union and satisfaction with our Maker.
When I say worship, I am aware that many people’s first thought goes to the singing portion of the Sunday morning church service. This is no doubt an example of worship and one that must not be neglected. There is something truly special about praising the Lord amongst other born-again believers.
But I also want to bring to your attention another form of worship. This style could be called “worshiping in the secret place.” When worshipping in this manner one normally finds a place of solitude to be alone with God. In this place there is an interweaving of worship, meditation, and prayer as we focus on intimately connecting with the Lord.
I personally have experienced amazing moments of affection with Jesus as I shut out the world around me and search His heart in the secret place. This fashion of worship has an amazing potential to soften our hearts and transform our minds as we pour out our love on the Savior.
A very practical measure to begin cultivating this habit in your daily life is to find a “prayer closet” or a place where you can be alone without the risk of interruptions. For some, this may be hard to find, but I believe that solitude is a key ingredient in this style of worship.
Another great tool will be discovering what music really stirs your heart. Now to be clear it is not the music that works on our hearts but instead the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Anointed worship music accompanied by our praise is a gateway to experiencing divine intimacy. [6]
Fellowship & Service
Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near (Hebrews 10:25).
Here is a fundamental area deserving much more time than I can devote in this brief section. When I use the word fellowship, I am really referring to relationships. This would include family relationships, friendships, mentor/disciple relationships, and relationships with those who don’t know God. Neglecting this area of our life is extremely dangerous.
Unfortunately, for the highly motivated, task-oriented individual, it is quite easy to disregard other people in an attempt to pursue our “mission” in life. What we as Christians must conclude is that people are the mission.
In fact, only behind our personal pursuit of God comes the pursuit to pour out our life sacrificially in relationships with others. Jesus was asked,
‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:36-40).
It is through people and our relationship with them that we are able to greatly change the world around us. We will inevitably draw closer to the heart of God and glorify Him the more we pursue deep, holy, and transparent relationships with one another.
God has such a heart for relationships that they are even a part of His very make-up. The Trinity operates together as one, in a unity of intimate love. The mysterious one in three and three in one abide in relationship with each other as they sovereignly rule the universe.
As we come to the end of this article remember that relationship is at the center of our existence. We were made for relationship. Listen to Christ’s intimate prayer to the Father which highlights this divine truth:
I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me (John 17:20-23).
[1] Mother Teresa, Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the “Saint of Calcutta” ed. Brian Kolodiejchuk (New York: Doubleday, 2007), 270.
[2] For a more in depth look at disciplines that position a person for a holy life see the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster.
[3] Mike Bickle with Dana Candler. “The Rewards of Fasting: Experiencing the Power and Affections of God” (Kansas City: Forerunner Books, 2005), Electronic Version, 6.
[4] Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1978) 28-29.
[5] Marc La Porte, “Consider This,” Deurpost Blog, February 11, 2010, accessed January 27, 2016 https://deurpost.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/consider-this/.
[6] I suggest listening to the Kansas City International House of Prayer’s live webstream. You can visit www.ihopkc.org/prayerroom/ to hear anointed live worship and prayer sets 24 hours a day.