To some people, the word “discipline” can be a bit off-putting. It can sound harsh, a bit demanding. Even worse than that, talking about spiritual disciplines has the potential to induce a lot of guilt. Most Christians already feel like they need to be praying more, they don’t read their Bibles enough. And in this series, we’ve come along and talked about a host of other spiritual disciplines, things like generosity and solitude and so on. And some might be thinking, “Great, now I realize that I’m not doing enough in all of these other areas, too. Thanks, Jason.”

That’s why it’s important to say this about the spiritual disciplines: the disciplines aren’t really about trying harder. Many of us are trying as hard as we can anyway. The problem with the “trying harder” mentality is that it puts the focus on human effort. It keeps the focus on me and what I’m doing (or not doing). And that’s the wrong point of emphasis. These spiritual disciplines are practices God uses to grow our souls — with the proper emphasis being on what God is doing, not on what I am doing.

I’ve benefitted from something I heard John Ortberg say: “The spiritual disciplines are not about trying, they’re about training.” It’s vitally important that we shift away from a “trying harder” mentality toward a “training” mentality.

Here is a passage that emphasizes this point:

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 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. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Paul uses this example of athletes running in a race. If you’re going to compete in a race, do you have to try hard? Well, yes, I suppose that’s a given. But if you just get up off of your couch and walk to the starting line of the Rocket City Marathon, it doesn’t matter how hard you try — you’re not going to finish the race. Trying hard will only take you so far. You have to train.

That’s the point Paul is emphasizing in this text — and that’s where the spiritual disciplines come in. Look again at v25: “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it [go into strict training] to get a crown that will not last; but we do it [go into strict training] to get a crown that will last forever.” Paul pictures the spiritual life as a race with an eternal goal, an everlasting crown. And just as physical training is required for a physical race, our spiritual race requires spiritual training.

Athletes follow the training regimen set out by their coaches as they prepare for the grind of a physical race. In like fashion, God uses these spiritual practices (the spiritual disciplines) as part of our training. He “coaches” us in these spiritual practices. We could even say that the spiritual disciplines are the way that God (the coach) runs His practices.

Is that a helpful way to think of the disciplines?

When I think of the disciplines as simply trying harder, that keeps the focus on me — as if it’s all about human effort. “Just try harder and you’ll grow your spiritual life.” If it only worked that way.

The better way of thinking about this is to see the spiritual disciplines as training — as practices God uses to grow us at the soul level.

Paul gives further example of this in verses 26-27: “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Training for our spiritual race includes certain physical elements. Paul says he beats his body to make it his slave, to gain mastery over his body. Paul is clearly saying that the spiritual race requires a certain amount of bodily discipline.

• One of the great temptations in life is to allow your body to become your master. This happens when bodily desires become the controlling principle of your life. The body will seek to call the shots if you let it.
• Since the so called “Sexual Revolution” in the 1960s, people have elevated their sexual desires to the highest place, giving bodily desire complete mastery over their identities.
• For thousands of years, sexual activity was understood just as that: as activity, as behavior. But in our day, a person’s sexuality has become his / her identity. This categorical shift is one of the core ideas behind the LGBTQ movement. To speak out against sinful behavior has become — at least according to the common way of thinking today — an assault on this person’s whole identity.
• But the Bible is clear that the body isn’t intended to be your master. The great spiritual struggle is to gain mastery over the body and its desires, to make it your slave as Paul says.
• And certainly there are plenty of applications beyond sexuality. You could make this same point in terms of gluttony or drunkenness or some other form of addiction. The body is not meant to be your master.

I think Dallas Willard has a helpful way of thinking of the spiritual disciplines. He groups them into two categories: disciplines of engagement (study, service, prayer, etc.) and disciplines of abstinence (fasting, solitude, etc.). Basically, it’s a way of thinking of the disciplines in terms of “things we do” and “things we don’t do” for a period of time. And these disciplines of abstinence are particularly helpful in gaining mastery over the body and its appetites.

God uses these disciplines as training while He grows our souls.