Spiritual Growth through Various Spiritual Disciplines

From beat immemorial, weird evolution has strengthen the faith of beli of all times and has helped them rick close-set(prenominal) and made them believe more than than in their religious dogma. This is in asset evident in Christianity. From the time of Jerusalems height, discip p atomic number 18ntage has always found a tell apart in Christian beliefs and in strengthening the faith of the congregation. Over the years, people have well-educated that particular pleasings of cracks when practiced help them keep the connection between beau ideal and themselves open and help keep alive their passion towards divinity.It is worth noning earlier on that these sacred mightilys atomic number 18 non the surest way to heaven and that thither is no concrete account that they sight even sword you a saintly some unitary. On the new(prenominal) hand, being capable to practice religious refine sack heighten your desire, awargonness, and love of immortal by denudation down the barriers that you countersink up within yourself and other barriers that others have created for you that cramp you from being closer to deity (Benner, 2002). A practice or practise can be considered a phantasmal discipline when it borrows a circumstantial part of your way of vivification and turns it toward idol.A spiritual discipline is, when practiced reliably and regularly, a habit or regular pattern in your life that repeatedly provides you the opportunity to become closer to graven image, opens the practitioners watch to theology and bring ins one m all in alleable and open to spiritual guidance and opinion. Christian devotional practice is centered primarily on the holy triple Jesus Christ, God the Father and the Holy Spirit (Foster, 1998). In this airfield, we put special(a) heed on a comprehensive analysis of spiritual growth with the practice of six kinds of discipline and how these are able to contribute to spiritual growth.In the succeeding parts of the paper, we go forth cerebrate our study on spiritual disciplines such as supposition, entreaty, temperance, study, dish and repose. We will in like manner provide a discussion of these particular disciplines and how they are able to make people grow closer to a perfection of alliance with Christ. The commencement part of the study is dedicated to a discussion of spiritual growth thru surmise. Essentially, meditation is subdivided into three parts Concentration, Meditation and Contemplation. The first part of meditation is concentration.Concentration is being able to take special economic aid on a legitimate point, topic or area. It entails 100% of taking special attendance on a single thought, in our case 100% tension to God. Meditation can be achieved by being able to lightsome ones mind of un infallible opinions and distractions as this can make it easier for people to be more connected to God. Concentration brings people to another(prenominal) level o f consciousness that promotes for clearer thought and a heightened sense of feelings. This precursor must be achieved in fellowship for people to become in a wistful state. The second stage of meditation is actually meditation itself.The regular flow of ones Attention, then, is Meditation. By being fixated in a single object, a mortals thought is totally concentrate on that object. This is the clearest and most key aspect of meditation. With this, the comminutedst opinions and feelings are released between the psyche and God. Through meditation, God has a true and clear connection with the person that helps provide a clear and uninterrupted line of communication. Spiritual meditation creates for a very clear communication between God and the person, which promotes for get somewhat get winding of God and a first hand experience of Gods presence.This is overly evident in order religious orders such as Buddhism that takes special attention on intense meditation to cleanse the mind and body of evil and wrongdoing. Through continuous Meditation, one becomes one with the object of ones Concentration. The third level is contemplation. By fashion of meditation one is able to acquire a lot of pure experiences that has to reflect on and analyzed. Contemplation is a method that helps people distinctly explain and analyze the events that had transpired during meditation.Contemplation lots takes more time than the meditation itself, as it is important to clearly understand what the victor has communicated to the person (Keating n. d. ). This can be in forge of a group with a facilitator or contemplating alone. At any case, what is important is the resulting decision made that is important, regardless of contemplative medium. matchless can meditate by government agency of study. In studying, one is in a meditative state that is focused on the holy scriptures of God. With study, we are encapsulated within the scriptures of Gods word.In studying the word of God, we are take to deeper meditative state and we can gain more knowledge and be closer to God through his word (Beers, 2006). It has been give tongue to that pure mankind can only be experienced when the mind becomes purely at ease with the environment he/she is in. In order for us to be truly one with God, we have to imbibe into our daily routine a portion of meditation in order to experience, even a tiny at the very least, pure existence and a unbroken line of communication with God in order to go on develop our spiritism and relationship with God.With pure meditation, it is really hard to understand the words of God. Our opinions and speculations are like a veil covering our true Nature. In addition to this, a most serious problem is when we identify with a certain mind-structure, the personality or ego, and the body. nevertheless even with so more of this demystifying our meditative state, meditation is used to unveil our true Nature and relationship with the ennobl e, we mightiness still appease to cling to this false personality and fear its diarrhea (Foster, 1978).Since we cannot simply order the mind to be still, we give it something to hang on to. This is to facilitate effective meditation that would help us greatly in commencement a pure line of communication with the Lord. Words intentional for that propose are called mantras. In Christianitys case, a mantra can be of the form of a supplicateer or Christian ritual. The application of mantras during meditation is called transcendental meditation. Mantras are repeated rationally for the sole purpose to equanimity the mind, remove inhibitions and clear out any unnecessary opinions (Beers, 2006).By continually driveway out unnecessary thought can the mind be all silent and only when the mind comes to a complete standstill are we alterd to identify with the silent observer. Spiritual meditation is essentially a mental exercise that drives the mind to take special attention on the L ord in order to remove all opinions not relevant to the Lord and create a connection between him for effective communication and to further our relationship with the Lord. The next kind of spiritual discipline that is closely united to meditation is invocation. The second discipline is prayer.Spiritual discipline is not spiritual discipline if there is no prayer, of course, is much more than a spiritual discipline it is a way of life. However it should be noted that prayer, as with all spiritual disciplines, should never be taken only as a discipline and nothing more. It would be a rather low-voltage spiritual life in which prayer was chiefly undertaken as a discipline. On one hand, prayer is a very potent practice for opening our lives to God (Catechism of the Catholic Church n. d. ). In present times, it is very important to practice prayer as a discipline.In our culture to solar day, a significant margin of Christians attention span is severely impaired. In prayer we realise our minds to God, and all too often that attention lasts for a few seconds. We whitethorn be starting off with professing our faith by means of saying the Lords Prayer but it is not pine before our minds tend to wander off and we start to forget who we had turn to in the first place (Thompson 2005). It is for this antecedent that we must undertake prayer as a spiritual discipline in order to enable ourselves to attain the single-mindedness necessary to attend to the God-who-is-present.It is also vital for us to understand that prayer, beneficial as every other discipline, is a learning process. We will find ourselves distracted. We will notice our minds wandering among the countless concerns of the day. However, as we continue in the paths of prayer, our meanders will be shorter and less frequent. Prayer is conversation or communication with God. It involves both speaking and comprehend. So often we pray as if it were a monologue. But prayer is so much more than a one-way commu nication towards God.As a matter of fact, the most diligent person that practices the discipline of prayer knows that prayer is more well-nigh just perceiveing towards God rather than talking to him. In addition, prayer is also about being open to God for change. Prayer is recognition that God is God and we are not, and so in prayer we yield our desires to Gods. As much as people might say it is, prayer is not at all complicated. Prayer is not just about saying the right combination of words and thought but it is the right orientation of our expectation towards God.In addition, prayers do not need to be flowery. Those kinds of prayers are either said in order to impress others or just to manipulate God. A prayer is not something that is done during mealtime, in times of church service or in times of distress. It is not just about fore our heads, clasping our hands together, and closing our eyes. If we really consider the definition of prayer as something that is really paying att ention to God, we really can conduct the discipline of prayer without actually stopping.What is important is that in whatever thing we do, we do it with the awareness that God is always there beside us (Thompson 2005). With that in mind, we can take special attention all of what we do and offer it to him. To pray without ceasing means that wherever we go and in whatever we are doing, we go and do with the awareness that God is always watching whatever we do. We listen through prayer and meditation for his opinion on everything that we do in our lives. We look at others and ourselves through His eyes.We ask God to show us the right path and the right decision for whatever we do. In prayer God invites us to join him in his community and wants us to select our lives in his ways. The third part of the spiritual discipline is fasting. Biblically, fasting is abstaining from food, drink, intermission or sex to take special attention on a period of spiritual growth. Specifically, we humbl y deny something of the flesh to glorify God, recruit our spirit, and go deeper in our prayer life. Christian fasting isnt some kind of a work thats commanded by Christ or required by Scripture.On the other hand, it doesnt imply that fasting isnt suggested to be part of our spiritual growth. Fasting is often linked to prayer and meditation as well. in addition often, the focus of fasting is on the lack of food. On the other hand, the purpose of fasting is to take our eyes off the things of this world and instead take special attention on God. Fasting is a way to base to God and to ourselves that we are serious about our relationship with Him. Although fasting in Scripture is almost always a fasting from food, there are other ways to fast.It can actually be as unaccented as giving up something temporarily so that you can bettor focus on God can actually be considered fasting. It is recommended that fasting be limited to a given period of time, more so when food is part of the fa sting. It is important to note that fasting is never mean to punish the flesh but to let we take special attention on God (Catechism of the Catholic Church n. d. ). In addition, fasting harmonize to scripture is not a prerequisite. However it is highly recommended. The only reason indicated within Holy Scripture to fast is to develop a deeper relationship with God.Christian fasting is more than just not letting ourselves eat or deny ourselves of some kind of passion or thing that we request for but it is a sacrifice of something that we hold dear in order to offer it to the Lord. Fasting imbibes humility and loosens us from the chains of worldly materials and needs. This innovation of fasting is not a one-day thing it is a lifestyle of handmaiden living for God and others. The next kind of spiritual discipline that is the focus of our study is simplicity. Simplicity, as many people would have it, is not alone having less stress in life and having more fun and recreation.But, simplicity is a spiritual discipline that when practiced moves us closer to God and removes us from the chains of worldly possessions. Some people turn to God in order to simplify their lives. In some cases, this can bechance but this would entirely depend on what Gods plans for you (Boa, 2001). But all too often, God makes our lives more complicated. God continually tests us in order to determine our faith and love in him. As we are continually tested, Gods love then calls us to act. Part of what makes a Christian spirituality simple is that is has a single attention Christ.All else radiates from there or is to be set aside. Spiritual discipline trains us to stay on course when our lives are rocked out of normality. But if we do not stay steady and stay the course, we lose our connection and ourselves to God. Christian spirituality helps make life simpler and happy to live. When we chase a smashed life style, we thread a very difficult and often devilish affair the standards kee p on changing day in and day out, and our anxiety never ceases. That is why Christian contemplatives and mystics speak so often of detachment.By taking away the direction on acquiring and amassing wealth, we have more of ourselves made free in order to direct ourselves to take special attention on learning to love correctly, to meditate towards God, to provide the necessary aid to those that need it, to learn more about our Lord through scripture or learning how to depend on the Spirit. Simplicity guides to so many other spiritual disciplines such as giving time to others service. By means of simplicity, you are actually attuned more to the needs of others and can actually help them, as you are not preoccupied with other material things in life.Service can also be a form of simplicity as you provide help to others. With service, you are closer to God as you fulfill one of the very tenets of Christianity, and that is not to just be closer to God but more importantly be closer and be in a communal relationship with the people around you (Ortberg 2004). In life, you cannot have everything. You always have to choose between something. You cant deliver the goods Christ and chase wealth. Most of the time these two paths go in extremely opposite directions. The simple life, the contented life, means that we have erudite to trust God rather than worldly possessions.People currently worry so much about money that they forget the essential things in life. We think that money will take away all our worries but in reality money will only produce more and more worries. Take for instance the people that win the lottery and just go bankrupt. Riches and abundance are like a wolf in sheeps clothing. They come in reeling in the bait, they are clad as sheeps clothing pretending to be security against anxieties and they then become the object of anxiety that in the first place they try to remove.Worldly possessions not only take away our concentration towards God but also make us closer to evil (Mcknight 2004). In conclusion, prayer, meditation, study of the holy scripture, service to ones fellow men, simplicity and fasting all guide people who do these spiritual disciplines closer to God. Each on its own can contribute to making this person closer to God. It is also evident that each spiritual discipline leads to the other moreover, everything is intertwined and every part of each spiritual discipline is founded on another kind of discipline.This is powerfully apparent in existing studies and prescriptions that it is important to practice not just only one but many of these spiritual disciplines if one were to get to become closer to God. As a concluding remark, these disciplines are not made in order to be just followed and it will logically guide to being saved from eternal damnation. Instead, these are carried out in order to be a guide for us to be ever closer to God. We use these disciplines as tools to make us closer to God but inevitably, it wil l all redound to the choice we make whether or not we would want to authentically accept God in our lives.