Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

An in-depth study of the disciplines we need to incorporate into our character!

This book is great. I read the revised and updated version as I listened to it, and I must say that it is truly worth reading the newer version. He has refined both his writing style and his arguments in the newer version. Regardless, this book is great for giving you a framework for thinking about personal spirituality/holiness/growth in godliness.

I bought this book in a bundle with Family Worship and Praying the Bible. Those two offered insights but not much depth and really felt like they weren't worth the money so I was feeling down when I turned to this one. The title and cover hadn't drawn me so really I only got the book because it was pared with the other two. I tried to read some reviews first to see what I was getting into, but my husband was annoyed by my lack of attention so I gave up look and just decided to start listening on my drive the next day. By the time I got to work, I realized that this book is the gold-winner of the group. Donald S Whitley always provides good scriptural support for why you should have certain practices, and this book has that plus basically an elaborate workout list for a wanna-be godly Christian. This answers the question, "How do you exercise yourself toward godliness." I loved every minute of it. Even the diciplines I felt I was already good at had some insights and tips for better application and faithfulness with them. I love audiobooks because I can make the most of my time, but the negative is, I'm driving so I can't take notes. I'm going to have to try to look up an outline for this book so I can focus on balancing my practices with these disciplines, but I'm very excited to have the guidance this book offers.

The disciplines that it addresses (from my memory): Scripture Reading (covering the whole Bible with one method or another to ensure you've at least been exposed to what God wants all his followers to know), studying (to grasp the meaning of the scriptures so you can make proper application of them), memorizing (to have them readily available when you need them--it makes your case to others and your discussions so much better when you can quote a scripture word-for-word rather than saying, "I know it says in the Bible somewhere that...", meditation (because you need to think about the scriptures to let them sink in and sometimes you should read less to meditate more), evangelizing (one of my weak areas, but seriously Jesus left the world telling us our calling is to go and make disciples of all nations so if we aren't thinking of how to share his truth with others, we're ignoring his commands--and thinking should just be the start; there needs to be some action too); fasting (one my church has always shy-ed away from or practiced just once, but the Bible talks about more than it talks about giving so yeah, it should be important! I've always been curious about fasting & while this book didn't give me a confident knowledge, it showed me the various methods, time frames, and motives in scripture--that I can work with), letting God speak in silence, journaling, fellowship (which sadly, many in the church trade out for socializing), learning. I'm so elated that I've come by this book. I've learned so much and I'm pleased to start putting these to practice. This knowledge makes me feel empowered and yes, Donald S. Whitney shared scriptures as guidance for each one. I'm certain I'll be revisiting this book to gather those scriptures or to gain from it's clear, concise points on these efforts.