“The quality of our lives often depends on the quality of our habits” James Clear
The Holy Spirit also convicts us to make course corrections. When we come humbly before the Lord, we invite Him to direct and redirect our path. This not only gives Him permission to change our way of thinking but sets us up to expect His correction. Praying God’s word is liberating especially in this area. Our position of expectations should never be one of dread, but one of welcoming the Holy Spirit to author the adjustments needed in our lives.
We have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:9-11
If we really want to grow spiritually, we should become aggressive in our pursuit of Godly correction. This means we welcome His corrections and even pray for them. Praying for God’s discipline may confront our lack of self-discipline! Ouch! That hurts even to write about it, but I assure you correction is expedient. As the writer of Hebrews points out in the verses above discipline “produces a harvest of righteousness and peace” but we must be trained in it!
There have been seasons where God has worked on me in the area of self-discipline. Examples:
1. I was “trained” to leave my office straight, files filed and a to-do-list on my desk for the next day! It was a season.
2. I was “trained” to push my capacity to read beyond what was convenient. It changed everything. Great season.
3. I was “trained” to meet with God 5 to 6 mornings a week for hours over 6 months to write my book, SCATTERED.
Convictions in this area should become prayer and fellowship times with God. God is in the little things. His discipline reels us in from carelessness and nonchalant attitudes. The conviction for the above examples goes back to a conviction from Proverbs 25:28
“Like a city whose walls are broken is a man who lacks self-control!”
Studying the Book of Proverbs by daily reading the chapter that matches the day of the month is a game-changer. Convictions slowly evolve into a desire to make the adjustments the Holy Spirit is challenging us to make.
Praying God’s Word must become a habit that initiates course corrections not only in our thinking but in our living. Correction begins in our thinking but it authors change in our daily habits. Prayer is fellowshipping with the One who cares enough to confront us, convict us and transform us. Praying His correction accelerates our spiritual growth. I challenge you to let the Holy Spirit have full access to your growth and especially to your prayer life. That includes a level of fellowship with His training to produce in us a harvest of righteousness and peace!
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