The NEED FOR SELF-DISCIPLINE.

You’re going to need discipline in your walk with Jesus. You’re really going to need it. In day-to-day life, if we want to be ahead of the curve, if we want to be successful and not mediocre, one trait we must develop is self-discipline. Practically speaking, the majority of people who are ahead of the curve are more disciplined than the average person. They know how to push beyond their feelings. They are the kind of people who will wake up for a morning run when it’s cold and freezing outside, when the bed is warmer than usual, and when the rest of the population is still asleep. They know how to show up and do what needs to be done to push themselves further whether they feel motivated or not.

In the Scriptures, Paul uses the example of an athlete who trains with strict discipline to win an earthly prize: “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 9:25, ESV) These athletes endure hard, repetitive tasks—running many miles every day, keeping strict diets, and pushing their limits all to win a medal that will fade away. How much more, then, should we who are running the race set before us to receive an eternal reward live disciplined lives as we walk with Jesus? Let’s face it: the flesh will often be weak. Even Jesus experienced physical weakness in His humanity. (Not sin, Jesus had no sin nature (also called the flesh), but the frailty of the human body.)

In Matthew 26:41 Jesus says: “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” There will be times when you don’t feel like praying, regardless, push through it. There will be times when you don’t feel like reading the Word of God regardless push through it. There will be times when you don’t feel like going to church, despite that, push through it. Be like Paul, who wrote: “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27, NKJV)

Discipline helps us push beyond our feelings and the weakness of the flesh in order to walk by faith. “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) Remember: discipline itself is not the goal. It is the tool that draws us into the presence of God. Once you press in, it gets easier. It’s like trying to rotate a bicycle pedal whose back wheel is not touching the ground. It takes effort at first, but once momentum builds, it becomes smooth and natural. Once you’ve drawn near to God, the resistance of the flesh weakens. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8) So embrace discipline—not as a burden, but as a key that helps you step into fellowship with the Lord. Especially in those days when your flesh is weak.