So exam season is over and I’m back in business :). God truly gives strength, exams are not fun as many of you know. However, here’s my problem. After months of focusing so much on exams, my head feels a little empty. It is weird for me to wake up and not get ready to go library. There was one morning I woke up and I thought ‘Ahh need to read over that thing’. At that point my exams had finished a few days ago.
In the past, my summer holidays have been time wasting days. Honestly, sleeping was my hobby. Just chilling being so unproductive. Last summer, I told myself ‘ No, I’m going to remember this summer, I need to do stuff’. Lo and behold, I worked, visited new places, and went out on numerous occasions with friends and family. I do remember what I did.
Looking back it got me thinking. I made a goal, kept my focus on it and achieved it by God’s grace. So, if I can do that with a few weeks of summer, how about my whole life?
We all have things we want to do in life. My two questions are: Are you willing to put in what it takes to achieve those goals?
Do you even have the right goals in place? (This second question I will address in part II of this message).
The importance of DISCIPLINE
Dedicated
Implemented
Strategies (and)
Continually
Instilled
Practices
Let
Important
Necessities
Emerge
To break it down: Putting in the work consistently will bring about what you need to succeed.
Let’s bring in a more practical example. So Average Joe wants to buy a car. To do so, he needs to put £500 aside every month. For the first few months, he’s doing well. A month comes around where Joe wants to buy a suit and a pair of shoes. Just because he ‘feels’ like it. However Joe has his strategy to implement. Whenever he gets these urges, he walks the long way around to work rather than take the shorter route through the high street. That requires discipline. Who ever wants to walk a longer distance when there is a short cut?
This is the principle of discipline ladies and gentlemen, suffer today enjoy tomorrow. Sometimes in life you have to do things just because you have to not because you feel like doing it.
Do you have discipline in your walks with Christ? Are you disciplining yourselves to do what is necessary? Prayer is necessary, do you do that regularly or just when you feel like it?
There could be a situation that requires you to really pray. I’m not talking common 5 minute, Hi God, Bye God thing. I mean you need to spend at least an hour on it. Your so busy in the day so when do you find time to pray?
Are you going to wake up earlier in the morning and sacrifice sleep to do so? I hope so. You definitely should. Are you going to be jumping for joy that you are getting out your comfy warm bed? Of course not, but the point is you have to do so. You have the need to do so. God sees your efforts and will reward. Persist.
I want to experience spiritual growth. That’s not going to come easy. I need to spend time with God, more regular and consistent time with Him. So I do need to wake up earlier. Waking up early for me is such a struggle. Going from sleeping being a hobby to now forcing myself to get up early is not my idea of fun.
Suffer today, enjoy tomorrow.
Discipline is a key principle we need to have:
‘ 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: 11
Harvest of righteousness is the end result you wanted,however it is also the faith you build, the forming and shaping of character through the process, the impact you had on others as they see your discipline. Many thing comes about from discipline. It is a beautiful process.
‘ We do not want you to become lazy. but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised ‘. Hebrews 6: 12
Discipline doesn’t have to be a lone process. You’re not alone. Maybe you know a friend who is a morning person and can wake up early. Ask them to be your personal alarm for a while until your body gets used to it. Maybe you have a friend who is really encouraging. Ask them to pray with you in the mornings. You have the ability to make it seem like less of a hardship by focusing on the end results.
Start taking action ladies and gentlemen….
Blossom into…
Long term victory after short term struggle,
Gina 🙂 x
BLOSSOMING INTO... 