What are spiritual disciplines? Why are they important?
Simply put, spiritual disciplines are habits and practices rooted in God’s Word which support spiritual growth. They are activities we incorporate into our everyday lives to help us experience God and grow to be more like Christ. “Discipline” can be a difficult word for us to digest sometimes, but in this context, we can think of spiritual disciplines as opportunities for us as followers of Christ; they enable us to encounter God, grow in our faith, and become strong disciples of Jesus.
We should practice spiritual disciplines and implement them in our lives because they allow us to encounter God. Some of these activities are individual and some are intended to be carried out corporately, but their collective aim is to help us experience a deeper relationship with God.
40 Days of Prayer 2021 is intended to introduce you to a variety of spiritual disciplines so you can learn about and experience them for yourself and determine which disciplines you will incorporate into your life on a daily or seasonal basis. While there are numerous spiritual disciplines, we will focus on the following throughout 40 Days of Prayer: fasting, simplicity, prayer, journaling, worship, confession, study, meditation/contemplation, service, stewardship, silence/solitude, submission, gratitude, and evangelism.