Tag: discipline

Bible Verses About Discipline

The Bible is a text based on the fundamentals of discipline and delayed gratification.

Through the lens of the Bible, life is nothing more than a huge delayed gratification experiment.

Can the human being deny physical pleasures for physical reward? That is our story. It is the tale of you and me.

Can we be people who give up some [not all] pleasures in this world in exchange for eternal life?

God knows it is possible. He didn’t build an impossible system. He built a system that you and I can follow to the best of our ability.

Needless to say, discipline is required of us to keep that system.

Let’s explore some of the key biblical texts surrounding the idea of discipline.

The Race of Faith

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore, I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Several times in scripture the path of spiritual discipline is compared to a race. Anyone who has competed in any sports knows there are moments when your flesh is screaming at you to give in. But in those moments you learn that you are capable of pushing through. You learn that the pain does not last forever.

Those are key lessons.

In the Biblical path of faith, there are hundreds upon hundreds of moments when we want to give in. But through discipline, we overlook the temporary discomfort and focus on the enduring reward.

Lesson of Discipline 1

Look to the long-term benefit of what you are doing. Invest in discipline and it will pay you higher dividends than any stock.

“Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.”

Proverbs 25:28

If environmental control is 80% of discipline, emotional control is the remaining 20%.

When you give in to urges, temptations, and cravings, it is because your desire to avoid pain defeats your discipline. The craving defeated discipline because you couldn’t control your emotions regarding the pain.

We fail when we tell ourselves:

  • “I can’t do it”
  • “This is too much for me”
  • “I can’t take any more of this pain”
  • “Why Bother?”

The teaching of this Proverb is that we have to start with emotional discipline. Control your thoughts if you want to control your emotions. After all, your emotions are just the lagging measures of your thoughts.


Lesson 2

Control your emotions by disciplining your thoughts. By doing so you rule your spirit.

“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Hebrews 12:11

Some discipline comes from God. We can never prove that we are being disciplined by God. But rest assured He disciplines us. We know this because He said He has. But you’ll never know for sure if He is disciplining you at any time. Anyone who claims to know what the God of heaven and earth is doing at any given time is a fool.

Though we may never know precisely when it happens, we can rest assured that God disciplines us.

He does this out of love to bring us into a more self-disciplined lifestyle.


Lesson 3

Accept the discipline of God with humility.

Allow yourself to be made better through difficult circumstances.

“He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray.”

Proverbs 10:17

We learn in the beginning by what we are taught by parents and leaders. After we are grown we have to subject ourselves to self-education or we stagnate. We have to avoid this otherwise we will be old me who knows nothing.

Just because someone is old doesn’t mean they are wise. It is possible to live a whole life and learn nothing.

Keep the valuable instruction and discard what was worthless. Not everything we learn from older generations has practical value. Respectfully thank the older generation for trying to make you better – but recognize that not everything they say is valuable.

Put everything to the fire of intellectual judgment.


Lesson 4

Gain instruction from older generations.
Critically analyze their lessons.
Continue to educate yourself.
Discipline yourself based on this instruction.

“The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.”

Proverbs 13:4

The elements of human nature don’t change. The people in Solomon’s day were the same that exist today.

Some discipline themselves and succeed.

Others do nothing and claim that every successful person cheated to get where they are. There is no honor in this behavior.

Proverbs will teach us multiple times that the pathway to success of any kind is through simple disciplines.

Sometimes discipline is easy.
Somethings it’s moderately difficult.
Sometimes it’s incredibly hard.

The effort we exert each day exists on a spectrum.

But the easy way to get ahead of 99% of the people in the world is to just start taking action. Just get started, you will figure it out along the way.


Lesson 5

Get started in the smallest possible way. Go beyond your desire and be the diligent soul who earns what’s his.

“But hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled.”

Titus 1:8

The qualifications of leadership are being discussed here. Specifically the leadership position of the leadership in a church. If a man does not demonstrate discipline [which is self-control] then he is not fit for leadership.

What an incredible teaching that is!

The lesson is clear, if you want to be a leader, you have to be self-controlled. If you want to evaluate current leaders, just examine their level of self-control.


Lesson 6

Develop self-control to improve your leadership qualities.

Scrutinize and analyze current leaders based on their leadership ability.

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”

2 Peter 1:5-7

Self-control is found in this laundry list of good personal qualities that we should have. It is not far-fetched to suggest that self-control is the foundational characteristic necessary for any and every avenue of life.

If we cannot stop ourselves from taking actions we shouldn’t, and also push ourselves to do the work we need to do, how can we do anything?

We can’t.

Being able to push ourselves to do what’s necessary despite our emotional sensations at the time is key.


Lesson 7

Discipline is the foundation of all behavioral and spiritual traits.

Exercise your will in small areas before moving on to larger ones.

Push slightly beyond what your emotions are trying to tell you to do.

“He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.”

Proverbs 15:32

When discipline comes from an outside source. It pays to listen.

Even if you disagree in the end, give the information the chance to be heard.

Neither accept nor reject and idea before you have had time to think about it.

Do not react emotionally to outside discipline. Otherwise you will miss the point the lesson is trying to teach you. And by doing so you will rob yourself of a chance to grow.

Don’t rob yourself.


Lesson 8

Calmly accept outside discipline.

Analyze lessons with your own mind before accepting them.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

Spiritual fundamentals are rooted in self-discipline. This is the ability to do what you are supposed to do despite how you are feeling at any given moment.

And in fact if you act with discipline you will find your emotions fall in line. They will then be your allies.

If you start acting depiste how you feel, in a moment you will feel like acting.

The root of spiritual discipline is self-discipline.


Lesson 9

To be spiritual is to physical do what is required of you despite how you feel.

Just get started and your emotions will soon come to your aid.

“Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.”

Proverbs 12:1

To hate being corrected is to hate learning. The Bible equivocate these two.

To be corrected is to learn.

You are on an incorrect path one moment, and the next you are on the right path thanks to correction from an outside source. Whether a teacher, parent, book or article – the source doesn’t matter. All that matters is you take new information and you change your current course of action to something better.

That is how to be corrected with grace and use it to improve yourself.


Lesson 10

Take new information and change your course of action.

Resist the urge to become emotional about being corrected.

“Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge.”

Proverbs 23:12

Want to know what most people aren’t doing right now?

Learning.
Gaining knowledge.
Improving their lives.

Good for you for reading this right now. Pat yourself on the back.

A man’s second occupation must be learning, for it makes him better at his primary occupation and all the things he does in life.


Lesson 11

Be a perpetual Learner. Apply your heart to the continual acquisition of knowledge.

“But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”

1 Timothy 4:7-8



When you look to the Biblical text to learn discipline, take the lessons and apply them.

Christianity and Self-Discipline

Self-discipline is a virtue that is highly valued in many religious traditions, including Christianity. It involves the ability to control one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions in order to achieve a desired goal or to live in accordance with a set of values or beliefs.

In the Christian faith, self-discipline is seen as an important aspect of spiritual growth and maturity, as it helps believers to resist temptation, overcome sin, and live a life that is pleasing to God.

There are many biblical passages that speak to the importance of self-discipline in the Christian life. One such passage is 1 Timothy 4:7-8, which states:

“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.”

This verse emphasizes the importance of cultivating self-discipline in order to live a godly life, both now and in the future.

Another biblical passage that highlights the importance of self-discipline is Romans 12:1-2, which says:

“I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

This passage encourages believers to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice to God and to renew their minds in order to better understand and follow God’s will. This requires a significant amount of self-discipline, as it involves resisting the temptation to conform to the ways of the world and instead seeking to live in accordance with God’s will.

Self-discipline is also closely related to the concept of self-control, which is one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. According to this passage, the Spirit produces self-control in the lives of believers as they grow in their faith. This self-control enables believers to resist temptation and make choices that are in accordance with God’s will.

self-discipline

In addition to the biblical emphasis on self-discipline, there are also many practical ways in which self-discipline can benefit Christians in their daily lives.

For example, self-discipline can help us manage our time more effectively, allowing us to prioritize our responsibilities and make the most of our days. It can also help believers to develop healthy habits, such as regular exercise and a healthy diet, which can improve their physical and mental well-being.

Self-discipline can also help us to overcome bad habits or destructive behaviors that may be hindering our spiritual growth. For example, if a believer struggles with a particular sin, such as anger or gossip, self-discipline can help them to overcome this sin and to replace it with more positive behaviors. This can lead to greater spiritual growth and a deeper relationship with God.

One way that believers can cultivate self-discipline in their lives is through the practice of spiritual disciplines.

Spiritual disciplines are activities that believers engage in on a regular basis in order to grow closer to God and to cultivate spiritual maturity. Some common spiritual disciplines include prayer, Bible study, fasting, and worship. These practices can help believers to develop self-discipline by strengthening their spiritual muscles and helping them to resist temptation.

Determination – Discipline Maintained

The mind must be firmly centered on the goal. The thoughts must be focused on what we are aiming to achieve. We are trying to live as Men of principle and integrity and this is not going to happen magically or passively. We must be determined to be the type of men who can be respected and looked up to in the community. This takes an investment of work and energy and a focused purpose of mind. 

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Purpose begins with improving ourselves before we ever attempt to improve or coach anyone else. We cannot teach others what we ourselves do not know, and no one would listen to us even if we did know. No one listens to a nutritionist who is obese, or a music teacher who cannot read sheet music. Everyone must first prove that they practice what they are trying to teach before people will listen to what they have to say. The same principle applies to determination. If we are not determined in our own lives, we cannot help people be determined in theirs.

Determination rejects fatigue, weariness and lack of focus.

It obliterates laziness and weakness of the will. Determination is a function of how well defined your visions and goals are. Without crystal clear goals for the improvement of the self, you cannot hope to be consistently determined. You might be able to stay focused for an hour, a day or a year, but eventually you will falter because your vision is not clear enough. This must be changed, men must have goals from which they derive their determination.

Determination is also a form of grit that allows us to progress even in dire circumstances. It keeps us moving when our emotions tell us that we deserve some rest. You deserve nothing. You must earn everything. Determination is a mindset that results in aggressive action taken in the pursuit of our goals. Without a firm determination, we fall off the path of discipline and we lose the grounding of focus that we have in our minds. 

Mantra

My goal is before me, and I will achieve it at all costs. 

Determination. Determined

Application

What is your vision for your life? How determined you are depends on the clarity of that vision. How clear are your goals? The ability to stay disciplined in your life depends on how rock solid your goals are. Therefore, the first step to a determined and rock hard, determined  personality is to establish goals and a vision for your life. It is hard to improve when you do not know where you want to go. 

Focus your mind intensely on your goals and dreams. 

The vision creates the motivation and discipline. 

The motivation creates the action. 

And the discipline maintains the action. 

We continue on this path until we accomplish our goals. Once our goals are achieved, we must instantly make new goals or we will become complacent and begin to decay. Continuing to add new goals and visions allows us to maintain our determination. Determination creates progress, and progress creates happiness and a form of satisfaction in life. 

Create your vision. 

Form your goals. 

Construct a character of impeccable architecture. 

Conduct yourselves like men. 

Force-Feeding

What do you do on days that you don’t want to read your Bible? What about the days where you would rather vomit than stick to your daily disciplines? You force feed the Word anyways. You force the discipline by applying the heat of aggression. Force yourself to take the right actions and impose your will upon your own weak body. You eliminate the need for emotional motivation. You cannot wait for the stars to align, or for the perfect motivation cocktail to swell within you, you must be able to force yourself to be disciplined at all times.

“In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.”

1 Timothy 4:6-10
Take an example:

Two men read the Word of God. One man is excited and energetic, the other is unmotivated, exhausted, perhaps even bored with his daily discipline, yet they both put in their designated chapters of reading. If they each maintain the discipline, who profits more? The man who was bored profits the most. Because even though they both read, the one who read when he was bored and unmotivated created more sweat-equity of discipline within himself. He had to force feed the Word, but it profits him nonetheless.

The man who maintained discipline is mentally better and stronger than the man who has “all the right emotions” for his Bible reading.

There is profit in doing things when you are motivated, or even when you only feel average, but there is much more profit when you maintain the discipline even though you do not feel like it. The forcing of the body and mind to be disciplined where all the profit rests. You gain equity within yourself, establishing dominance of your mind over the body. You command the body and it has no choice but to respond to your authoritarian law.

This self-discipline is more important than anything else: the ability to override your personal weakness and execute discipline every day. It is more important than any emotionalistic, effeminate pseudo-motivation you hear from liberals. It is more important than the mechanically liturgic ideology propagated by conservatives. Self-discipline goes far beyond labels and chunks of ideals. This discipline is the ability to force yourself to study the Word of God every day without fail. Vomit out your emotions and command your mind with a focused discipline that is unparallelled. 

There will be many, many days where the “feeling is not in you”.

You just don’t feel like reading the Bible and memorizing scripture, but you do it anyway, and you come out the other side of that discipline much better for it. It is more profitable to take difficult action when you are not motivated than to take action when you have all the motivation in the world. The only way to build the character of an individual is to endure difficulties or small trials that you would rather not go through (Almost everything we endure is “small”, we are too soft as men and think everything is difficult).

You must force feed the Word of God at times if you ever want to grow.

Mantra

I am forcing my body into submission to my mind.

force feed

Application

If a bodybuilder is trying to grow muscular size, he must eat multiple meals every day that add up to an absurd amount of calories. Many bodybuilders eat upwards of eight meals per day. Do you think they are hungry and excited to eat every one? Nope. Some of the meals are bland. The 7th and 8th meal are ridiculously difficult to eat because they are already stuffed. But they force those meals down every single day without fail. 

Why? Because that is how they grow. They ingest more and more food in order to integrate it into the various structures of the body. This same principle applies to spiritual growth. You consume the Word of God everyday, and you do so even when you are “full” and do not want to read. 

This is the mistake most people make: they assume that if they are not feeling like reading or if they are not super motivated to read then they would be irreverent in trying to force themselves to do so.

This is idiocy. There is nothing in life that we will feel like doing all the time, but we must do it anyways, and in doing so we establish mental dominance over ourselves. The same applies to reading and studying the scriptures. You must adjust your perspective about what it is to be a student of the Word of God – it will require you to work through boredom and frustration in order to grow. 

You must read the word of God every single day without fail. Pick a set amount of chapters or verses and you stick to it, never missing a day. Only weak men miss days of reading. A good starting place is 10 verses. This does not seem like a large amount, but reading huge amounts of the Bible at first is not the first goal you should set for yourself. You must first become the type of man who reads his Bible daily without fail. 10 verses per day is sustainable even for someone who completely lacks any form of self-discipline, so you must start there. 

You must win. 

Force your will over yourself. 

Read constantly. 

Memorize the Word. 

Strengthen your will. 

Fortify your discipline. 

Conduct Yourselves like Men.

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Discipline II – Take Action

What trait of a disciple is more important than discipline? There is none better. Discipline is the ability to take the actions you must take regardless of how you feel about that action in the present moment.

“But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

1 Corinthians 9:27

“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”

Proverbs 25:28

What trait of a disciple is more important than discipline? There is none better. Discipline is the ability to take the actions you must take regardless of how you feel about that action in the present moment. Emotions mean nothing here, so cast them aside. This faith is all about your actions. The second you start thinking that you need to be motivated or that you need to be “In the mood” your faith begins to decay. Very few men are always in the mood to do what is right. The right choice is usually inconvenient, does not promote survival directly and usually takes willpower to act on. The fuel to take these difficult actions in discipline.

Discipline is what kicks you out of bed on time immediately after your alarm clock goes off. Weakness hits the snooze button.

Discipline is what brings you to church on Sunday even though you would rather be in bed or doing something else on one of the only two days you have to get away from the workplace. By using discipline you read scripture and pray daily, without fail, and with no excuses if you do fail. 

The church under-values discipline because they overvalue the idea of feeling like doing the right thing. The church does not preach about the fact that most days you are going to want to reject what is right and do what caters to your own lusts. This is the nature of the human being, and the church has a responsibility to teach people about their true nature. In this way religious leaders are falling short continually. 

Through discipline you reject your lusts. Discipline says that it does not matter how you feel, you must do what is right. The religious world promotes the romanticized view of Christians that suggests they are smiling through every inconvenience they face. Maybe some, but they are the few. Few people in the world admire those types of Christians anyways. The men who are admired are the Christians who do what is right despite how difficult and inconvenient it is. 

At the close of the day, it does not matter how happy you are, or how long you can paint on a smile, it only matters if you can take the right actions or not. Plenty of people feel great about their religion and they do not take on single action for the sake of it. That is the fate of most people. Reprogram your mind to see the vast importance of discipline, and the extreme unimportance of emotions. 

Mantra

“Discipline equals Freedom” ~Jocko Willink, retired US Navy SEAL

Take Action. Discipline.

Application

Take up your cross. This is an action, not a feeling. The cross is heavy and difficult to bear. If it isn’t, we should take some time to examine our faith and ask, “Am I really doing work for the Lord, or am I a loser?”

When you don’t feel like taking action, you act anyways. How do you take action? By taking action. The question of “how do you do it” is a loaded question because what the person is really asking is, “How do I find the motivation to take this action?” or “How do I get to a point where I am feeling like taking this action”. The question is all wrong, because you are not going to feel like it. If anything, the motivation and good feelings will come after you have taken disciplined action. You don’t feel like training, but you train anyways, then afterward you are filled with a sense of pride in the accomplishment.

Now you feel like it. 

You have to overcome the lack of motivation with discipline knowing you will be rewarded in the long run for your action. Stop attempting to base all your actions on how you feel in the present moment. Find the actions you know to be good, and start taking them. There is no secret here. Discipline will eventually begin to take over. Taking the good actions will be a habit that you need less motivation for each time. Eventually you can run on pure habit and discipline. So grow some nuts. Get to work. Be a Man.

  1. Identify a desired behavior (Physical training)
  2. Break it into small subunits (sets, reps, running distance)
  3. Take the smallest possible action (put your shoes on/put on your gym clothes/warm up) and the motivation will follow later. 

Conduct Yourselves Like Men.

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