Men, we will never get anywhere in life without discipline, and doubly so in spiritual matters. None of us is inherently righteous, so Paul's instructions regarding spiritual discipline in 1 Timothy 4:7-8 take on personal urgency: "Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." That word "train" comes from the Greek word from which we derive gymnasium. So, I invite you into God's Gym--to some pain and great gain! Discipline of Purity Sensuality is the biggest obstacle to godliness among Christian men. The fall of King David should not only instruct us but scare the sensuality right out of us! Fill yourself with God's Word--memorize passages like 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, Job 31:1, Proverbs 6:27, Ephesians 5:3-7, and 2 Timothy 2:22. Find someone who will help you keep your soul faithful to God. A pure mind is impossible if you mindlessly watch TV and movies or visit pornographic web sites (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7). Develop the divine awareness that sustained Joseph: "How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9). Discipline of Relationships To be all God wants you to be, put some holy sweat into your relationships! If you're married, you need to live out Ephesians 5:25-31: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (v. 25). For those who are fathers, God provides a workout in one pungent sentence: "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). Relationships are not optional (Hebrews 10:25); they enable us to develop into what God wants us to be and most effectively learn and live God's truth. Discipline of Mind The potential of possessing the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) introduces the scandal of today's church--Christians who do not think Christianly, leaving our minds undisciplined. The Apostle Paul understood this well: "...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Philippians 4:8). Each ingredient is a matter of personal choice. You can never have a Christian mind without reading the Scriptures regularly because you cannot be influenced by that which you do not know. Discipline of Devotion Reading God's Word is essential, but meditation internalizes the Word and responds, "I desire to do your will, O my God" (Psalm 40:8). Beyond instructions like Ephesians 6:18-20, there are two great reasons to pray. The more we expose our lives to the white-hot sun of Christ's righteous life, the more his image will be burned into our character. The second reason is that prayer bends our wills to God's will. Many men never have an effective devotional life because they never plan for it; they never expose their lives to his pure light. Discipline of Integrity We can hardly overstate the importance of integrity to a generation of believers so much like the world in ethical conduct. But integrity's benefits--character, a clear conscience, deep intimacy with God--argue its importance. We must let God's Word draw our lines of conduct. Our speech and actions must be intentionally true (Proverbs 12:22; Ephesians 4:15), backed by the courage to keep our word and stand up for our convictions (Psalm 15:4). An old saying sums it up: "Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny."(1) Discipline of Tongue "If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless" (James 1:26). The true test of a man's spirituality is not his ability to speak, but rather his ability to bridle his tongue! Offered to God on the altar, the tongue has awesome power for good. There must be an ongoing prayerfulness and resolve to discipline ourselves: "Who keeps the tongue doth keep his soul."(2) Discipline of Work We meet God, the Creator, as a worker in Genesis 1:1-2:2. Since "God created man in his own image" (1:27), the way we work will reveal how much we allow the image of God to develop in us. There is no secular/sacred distinction; all honest work ought to be done to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). We must recover the biblical truth that our vocation is a divine calling and thus be liberated to do it for the glory of God. Discipline of Perseverance Hebrews 12:1-3 presents a picture of perseverance in four commands. Divest! "Lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely" (v. 1a). That includes besetting sin, and anything else that hinders. Run! "...with endurance the race that is set before us" (v. 1b). Each of us can finish our race (see also 2 Timothy 4:7). Focus! "Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith" (v. 2). There never was a millisecond that he did not trust the Father. Consider! Our life is to be spent considering how Jesus lived (v. 3). Discipline of Church You don't have to go to church to be a Christian; you don't have to go home to be married. But in both cases if you do not, you will have a very poor relationship! You will never attain your full spiritual manhood, nor will your family reach its spiritual maturity without commitment to the church. Find a good church, join it, and commit yourself to it wholeheartedly. Your participation should include financial support, but it should also include giving your time, talents, expertise, and creativity to the glory of God. Discipline of Giving How can we escape the power of materialism? By giving from a heart overflowing with God's grace, like the believers in Macedonia who "gave themselves first to the Lord" (2 Corinthians 8:5): this is where grace giving must begin. Giving disarms the power of money. Though giving should be regular, it should also be spontaneous and responsive to needs. And it should be joyous--"God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). And Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). As we sweat out the disciplines of a godly man, remember, with Paul, what energizes us to live them out--"not I, but the grace of God that is with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10). The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, Second Edition, (London: Oxford UP, 1959), p. 405. James S. Hewitt, ed., Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1988), p. 475.

This resource will help families establish and practice regular family devotions because it is realistic in its aims, it has a clear plan and direction, and it stimulates interaction with Scripture and prayer.

In this inspiring topical Bible study for women, Navigator author and best-selling Bible teacher Cynthia Heald offers a much more realistic perspective for today's Christian woman. You'll see yourself in Cynthia's personal struggles to walk in faith and trust, and you will learn and grow from her special insights on character and maturity from God's Word. In the book's 11 sessions, you'll develop a life of worship, surrender, and patience as you deepen your relationship with God and become more like Jesus. If using in a group, personal study is needed between meetings.

Could you spare five minutes per day to get acquainted with some truly fascinating people and events? If so, you'll love "The Christian History Devotional," where each day you'll learn more about your "spiritual family," people who are as much a part of the rich Christian heritage as the people of the Bible.

In these 365 vignettes you'll meet some names that will be familiar: Billy Graham, Martin Luther, C. S. Lewis, John Wesley, Mother Teresa, Francis of Assisi, Augustine, Corrie ten Boom. You'll also meet Christian athletes (Olympic runner Eric Liddell), scientists (George Washington Carver, Johannes Kepler), authors (G. K. Chesterton, John Milton, Anne Bradstreet), statesmen (William Gladstone, William Jennings Bryan), missionaries (Gladys Aylward, William Carey, Francis Xavier), evangelists (Billy Sunday, Dwight L. Moody, "Gypsy" Smith), artists (Rembrandt, Michelangelo), social reformers (William Wilberforce, Josephine Butler), soldiers ("Stonewall" Jackson, Oliver Cromwell), and many others, from the first century to the present, a diverse cast of truly amazing people.

Turn to August 12, the day in 1973 when political "hatchet man" Chuck Colson gave his life to Christ. March 21, read about devout composer Johann Sebastian Bach, born on that date in 1685. April 1, learn about Communist-spy-turned-Christian Whittaker Chambers, born in 1901. October 15, meet evangelist Sam Jones, for whom the Ryman Auditorium (Grand Ole Opry) was built. October 31, discover what led Martin Luther to launch the Reformation in 1517.

Whether you're a history buff or someone who always thought history was boring, here's a book to enlarge your spiritual family and teach you valuable lessons about life and faith. Here is history with a heart.

Viewed as antiquated and remote, the Old Testament is frequently neglected in the preaching and teaching ministry of the church. But contrary to the prevailing attitude, might the Old Testament contain relevant and meaningful application for today? Renowned author and scholar Walter Kaiser shows why the Old Testament deserves equal attention with the New Testament and offers a helpful guide on how preachers and teachers can give it the full attention it deserves.
Growing out of his teaching material from the last decade, "Preaching and Teaching from the Old Testament "demonstrates Kaiser's celebrated straightforward exposition. Offering an apologetic for the Christian use of the Old Testament, the opening chapters deal with the value, problem, and task of preaching from it. Following a discussion of the role of expository preaching, Kaiser provides a practical focus by examining preaching and teaching from the texts of various genres. A final chapter explores the relevance of the Old Testament in speaking to a contemporary audience.
Bible teachers, pastors, seminary students, and professors will appreciate Kaiser's practical focus and relevant applications. Additional helps include a glossary and suggested outlines and worksheets for expository preaching.

The premise of this award-winning inspirational novel is that we cannot be truly happy if we are not clear on what is meaningful for each of us and we are not pursuing a purpose that reflects this meaning. Coming from the experience of a practicing psychiatrist, this novel takes the reader on a journey to answer the three questions that most of us struggle with: Who am I? What am I here to do? What is holding me back from pursuing what I am here to do? While winning awards in both 'Inspirational fiction' and 'Visionary Fiction' categories, The Way of The Quest might be best called a 'motivational, self-help novel'. Inspired in equal parts by the tales of King Arthur and Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, it was written by Dr George Blair-West as a fun, engaging story set as the era of the chivalrous knight is drawing to a close. As a practicing psychotherapist, Dr Blair-West wrote the book to go a step further than The Alchemist and look at the practical 'how to' of finding and following one's purpose while managing the fear that holds us back. It follows the life of a sixteen-year-old boy leaving his home in England and travelling to the magical Mont St Michel in search of both adventure and himself. Coming from wealth and privilege, instead of staying in Paris as instructed by Queen Elizabeth, he takes off to Mont St Michel to train under the greatest knight of all time. Francis Bacon, a real life figure, is no ordinary young man. Later in life he will be acclaimed as one of the geniuses of his age as he will go on to forever change the worlds of law, science and literature. When you meet him, however, he is a confused 16-year-old trying to find his way. This book follows the course of his fascinating life as meets the great teachers on The Mont who set him on his path ... and the woman he falls for who inspires him to follow it. "This magnificent and magical tale, while taking me to far off lands, helped me back into my own heart and soul. This is a captivating and delicious reminder that we, like the Knights of old, have the right to defend the truth of our own being with courage, honour, love and wisdom. This story will light your journey with some long forgotten truths about who we are, what we are capable of, the importance of finding our meaning and the immense and adventurous journey that life is supposed to be." Krista Fuller, Writer & Editor

A short reading for every day. Spurgeon wrote this selection of readings to encourage believers to enter into the full provision that their relationship to Jesus entitled them to realise, on a daily basis. He explains we have to present the promises of Scripture to God in prayer and faith, anticipating that he will honour what he has said. Beautiful volume in burgundy leather.

Written by an evangelism expert who has served in the ministry for more than twenty years, this series of one-month, daily devotionals are practical guides for discipleship and evangelism. Encouraging daily reflection and meditation, each book offers simple yet essential truths for Christian living that will help readers revitalize their lives for Christ and share the Good News with others.

Check out Dr. Moyer's and EvanTell's latest project act111.org

Down through the years, those who have been close to God have met with him daily. The Quiet Time Companion can help you begin and make the most of your own daily meetings with God. Offering a fresh approach to Bible study each week (with eleven different approachs in all), this book will help keep your quiet times stimulating and challenging. You'll learn a variety of Bible study skills that will last a lifetime With The Quiet Time Companion you'll gain a thorough overview of the whole Bible as you move through two years of structured and unstructured meetings with God. Each week you'll find five Bible studies designed to occupy about twenty minutes daily. These include whole book studies overviewing major themes detailed studies of short passages topical studies on important aspects of the Christian life character studies of fascinating people in the Bible word studies of key biblical concepts You'll also find suggestions for activities and projects to give you a change of pace each weekend. Divided into eight sessions of thirteen weeks each, The Quiet Time Companion can also be used easily by small groups and Sunday school classes. Here is a great opportunity to get started meeting with God every day.

Talk of 'spirituality' and 'individual religion' is proliferating both in popular discourse and scholarly works. Increasingly people claim to be 'spiritual but not religious, ' or to prefer 'individual religion' to 'organized religion.' Scholars have for decades noted the phenomenon - primarily within the middle class - of individuals picking and choosing elements from among various religious traditions, forming their own religion or spirituality for themselves. While the topics of 'spirituality' and 'individual religion' are regularly treated as self-evident by the media and even some scholars of religion, "Capitalizing Religion" provides one of the first critical analyses of the phenomenon, arguing that these recent forms of spirituality are in many cases linked to capitalist ideology and consumer practices. Examining cases such as Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now," and Karen Berg's "God Wears Lipstick," Craig Martin ultimately argues that so-called 'individual religion' is a religion of the status quo or, more critically, 'an opiate of the bourgeoisie.'"Capitalizing Religion: Ideology and Opiate of the Bourgeoisie" is a landmark publication in critical religious studies.