January 02 2026

Friday January 02

Practicing the Spiritual Disciplines

1 Timothy 4:7-9

“But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.”

Welcome to Pastor’s Chat. This is a new year, and you can have a new start. Don’t just make New Year’s resolutions—surrender your life to Jesus Christ. Do what you ought to do by the grace of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, every single day. Obedience is the only way to truly do the will of God. When you are obedient to the Holy Spirit, He gives you the strength, the wisdom, and the grace to do what you should be doing. It is Christ living in you and through you.

Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you can ask what you will, and it will be done for you.” We are talking about living a life that is blessed—not just happy, but blessed. A life of influence. A life that makes a difference in your family, among the people you work with, and in the culture around you as you live a godly life—a God-like life.

That is what we have been emphasizing over the past few days: the importance of living this kind of life and the necessity of having a daily quiet time—spending time with God. It is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure as you make yourself available to Him. You put yourself in the pathway of grace by practicing certain spiritual disciplines, such as reading your Bible and spending time in prayer.

There is another discipline I began early as a brand-new believer, now some 54 years ago—and that is memorizing Scripture. Take at least one verse a week. Memorize that verse throughout the week. That’s 52 verses a year. I did much more than that over the years, but I want to tell you something: if there is one regret I have, it is that I did not memorize even more Scripture.

You can never memorize too much of God’s Word. You may say, “I can’t remember those verses later.” That doesn’t matter. They are inside of you. The Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance what you have hidden in your heart. It’s there, even if you don’t consciously recall it at the moment. God will use it.

Another discipline I have practiced over many years is reading good devotional books. At the top of my list, of course, is Oswald Chambers, ‘My Utmost for His Highest’. He has several other excellent devotionals, such as ‘Daily Thoughts for Disciples’. Over the years, I have probably read 20 or 30 different devotional books, by different authors, sometimes reading several each day for months at a time, simply to ensure that I was walking with wise men.

Scripture tells us, “He that walks with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20). I thought to myself, who can I walk with that is wise? Many of those people don’t have time for me personally—but I can walk with them through their writings. They left their life and wisdom in their books.

There are wise men and women such as Oswald Chambers, A. W. Tozer, E. M. Bounds, Andrew Murray, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and Mrs. Charles Cowman, whose book, “Streams in the Desert’ has been a great blessing. I can spend a few minutes with each of these authors—people who knew God, walked with God, and had God-given wisdom concerning spiritual life and the world around us.

I want to make special mention of Henry Blackaby’s ‘Experiencing God Day by Day’. I post that devotional on my website, (https://www.pmiministries.org/), and on Facebook every day. Another one I post daily is Dr. Elmer Towns, ‘365 Ways to Know God’. I strongly encourage you to read it. I wish I had started reading it years ago. Dr. Towns was my theology professor for four years at Liberty University, back when it was Lynchburg Baptist College. I can tell you, you will learn about God and come to know Him in a more intimate way. Then you can practice what you are learning about God. Dr. Towns used to say, “Theology that doesn’t teach you how to daily live for God is not good theology.” I have never forgotten that.

I also recommend Andrew Murray’s ‘God’s Best Secrets’, a book God has used greatly in my life, along with works associated with Watchman Nee, such as ‘The Joyful Heart’ and ‘Table in the Wilderness’. E. M. Bounds also has a one-minute devotional, ‘The Power of Prayer’, that is excellent for daily reading—I still use it today.

In addition, I take time to read Robert J. Morgan’s ‘On This Day’. It highlights something that happened on that particular day in history—often involving a giant of the faith, someone God used mightily, or someone who even gave their life as a martyr for Christ. Reading their stories encourages me and strengthens my faith.

My friend, we need all the help we can get in a world that is constantly bombarding us with lies. We need the truth. We need time with wise men and women—and we can do that through the books they have left behind. They have poured their lives, their faith, and their thoughts into those pages for us.

God bless you. I encourage you to have a blessed year as you put the Lord first every day of your life.

Have a wonderful, wonderful day.