Discipline Tip

Feb 22, 2021

On New Years Day of my sophomore year of high school, I made a resolution to do a devotion every single day of that upcoming year. I had just come off of a Christmas break where I had spent more alone time with the Lord than I ever had.

 

The Lord definitely sparked some curiosity. I was determined to explore that feeling and not let it go away once school started back up. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I made the decision to be determined. 

 

(Before we go any further, I just want to remind everyone that the Gospel has nothing to do with how good YOU are, but how good Jesus is. You cannot do enough good to be considered good enough for Heaven. The tip I mention later on is just something that helped me stay motivated in my discipline to become more like Jesus. It was not something that I believed would shift my faith/salvation as a whole or affect how the Lord viewed me.)

 

Anyways, I had come to a place where I was sick and tired of feeling like an observer of everyone else who seemed to have their own personal God stories. I desired to have stories of my own but I never actually did anything about it. 

 

Well now I was ready to become someone who had my own stories, and I knew that the only way this would happen would be by pursuing God and allowing Him to become personal and real to me. All I could think about was how much I didn’t want to let the enemy persuade me into just staying in the state that I had always been in.

 

I decided to have faith that it was all going to be worth it. 

 

I was ready to know Jesus as MY Lord, not my parents, but my own. I almost felt competitive about it. I wanted Satan to lose this spiritual battle.

 

Since as long as I can remember, I have always been pretty competitive. I played competitive volleyball for 7 years and can specifically remember times when I would dive on the gym floor, miss the ball, and smack both of my hands on the ground so hard that if I think about it long enough, I can still feel the sting in both of my hands to this day...

 

I loved the adrenaline of trying to win. Even more than that, I loved the feeling of giving it my all and being rewarded with the victory afterwards.

 

THE TIP:

 

Imagine a scoreboard in your head. One team is titled “Satan” and the other is titled “Jesus.” Anytime you are faced with a choice, you have one of two options as to who gets "the point."

 

GET COMPETITIVE!

 

You can either give the point to Satan or to Jesus. Simple as that, but oh so powerful! Anytime I didn’t feel like doing a little Bible study or praying, I would envision that scoreboard and think, “Who do I want to give the point to today?” 

 

YOU CAN DO IT!

 

Everyone who has accepted Jesus as their Savior has His Holy Spirit inside of them. He is a gift to you from God, meant to help you, guide you, encourage you, and so much more.

 

With Him, you CAN make tough choices. With Him you CAN be disciplined. With Him you CAN get through anything, even if you feel like you’re the only one.

 

He is ALWAYS there, and get this…. He even knows who you decide to give the point to. This isn’t to guilt you, but to motivate you. And if you do fail, because as humans we do in fact fail, He will be right there welcoming you back into His arms with grace and mercy.

 

As believers, our ultimate desire should be to please Christ above all else, and I believe that this tip can motivate our minds to practice that mindset in everything we do. 

 

As I practiced this more, I found myself using this thought process for more things than just my personal quiet time. I caught myself saying no to certain invitations and making more mature decisions all because I desired to "give Jesus the point" over anyone else. 

 

The strategy of our opponent:

 

Satan's goal on this earth is to steer any follower of Christ away from their full potential. He literally is trying to destroy all of your hopes and dreams without you even noticing.

 

Our enemy is trying to persuade you into thinking that if you follow Jesus you will miss out on everything fun and exciting, but the reality is, if you fall into his trap you will be missing out on more than you could ever imagine.

 

He is very slick. I know that might sound dramatic, but I’m serious! If you don’t believe me, here’s a verse for ya. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” That someone he is seeking to devour includes you! 

 

BUT WHY SHOULD WE BE DISCIPLINED?

 

The last thing I want you to believe is that you must be perfect or that you have to give Jesus the point or else, but I do encourage you to not be easy prey for the enemy. Make it difficult for him. 

 

I want to restate that the goal of the points is not to strive for perfection! The goal/motivation of this tip is the fact that each "point" you give to Jesus, is a step that leads you closer and closer to Him! You will look back one day and be so thankful for how far the Lord has brought you. 

 

You can do this!

 

And for anyone who is curious… through determination and help from the Holy Spirit, I did in fact do a devotion every day that year :)

 

- Crystal Horton

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