Go into Strict Training
The message of today is…, “Go into strict training!”
Every Christian that confesses Jesus as Lord and repents of their sin becomes His disciple. Now, a disciple is one who follows and learns from their master throughout the rest of their life, which for us as Christians, that would be the Lord Jesus Christ.
Which means, every disciple must go into strict training so that they can become holy, serve the Lord, and become a witness of His truth. Every disciple must discipline themselves in their faith by mimicking the life of their master, Jesus Christ. Every disciple must lose their life, which means to surrender and submit themselves to Christ and to live for Him. Some ways we can discipline ourselves includes:
1). Make a commitment in your heart to follow Jesus. Without a consistent and dedicated commitment, you can’t go into strict training and become the disciple Jesus truly wants you to become.
2). Confess and repent of whatever prevented you beforehand of staying true to your commitment to God. Remember, the conviction you will experience in your heart of your shortcomings are intended to bring a Godly sorrow that would compel your confession to God. Whatever you do, do NOT harden your heart when you hear this conviction of the Lord, but respond in repentance by asking the Lord for forgiveness.
3). Pray for the help of the Holy Spirit to enable you to apply your faith, to help you go into strict training, and to discipline yourself to remain committed no matter what life throws at you. This is one the reasons why God poured out His Spirit under the New Covenant of Jesus’ blood, to sanctify the believer’s heart for God.
4). Meditate on God’s Word day and night. And I don’t mean just brush over God’s Word, but chew on it slowly as if you were savoring one of your favorite meals. Discover its context, look up the original language, understand the historical background, cross reference other verses of Scripture, etc.
5). Get a “mature” accountability partner who is going to encourage your path of discipleship and who is going to oppress your flesh. Don’t link up with someone who is going to give you a pass! Our relationship with God is 24/7, 365! Connect with a disciple that’s going to treat their relationship with God as such!
6). Get connected and involved with your church. Find small ways to serve and to contribute to the mission of the local body of Christ. Servitude is a great weapon against spiritual idleness and complacency!
7). Use conflict and adversity to your advantage!! The devil will throw all kinds of obstacles to hinder your relationship with God and His Will for your life! So whenever you encounter any adversity, approach it as an opportunity to grow in the application of your faith. This is where you really should desire the fruit of the Holy Spirit to show His face!!! This is where you pray, take a deep breath, trust God, and be Holy as our Father in Heaven is HOLY!!!
Last but not least, NEVER LOSE sight of the spiritual battle!! Put on your whole armor! To go into strict training means to always be prepared, to always be ready to respond “accordingly” to the multiple tests we will encounter throughout our mortal life! And if you ever find yourself struggling with any test you encounter in life, revert back to point number 5. Reach out to your accountability partner, reach out to someone in your church. The church is there to support each and every one of you on your journey of discipleship, in Jesus name, Amen!
The time to go into strict training is NOW!! We have no time for complacency!!! God has equipped us with everything we need to run our race with perseverance!! ✝️