Hi everyone, welcome to Living Supernaturally. Thank you once again for giving us this opportunity to spend time in God’s word and pray together. This week, we will talk about transformation through discipline. 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verses 24 through 27, ‘Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.’ We have talked about discipline and it is defined as training, expectant to produce a specific character or a pattern of behavior. Discipline is not part of the sin nature but is a natural component of a Christian life. From the Greek word discipline, we derive our English word, gymnasium, the place where exercise happens. Just as we need physical exercise to maintain our physical bodies, we need spiritual exercise such as prayer, study of God’s word, solitude and simplicity to keep in shape spiritually. The mere thought of discipline is not very popular today. We are impulsive, sometimes pleasure seekers, living for the moment, living for instant gratification without any restraints. The word discipline has become a dirty word. The alternate for discipline is disaster. Living without discipline is living without exercise. Our prayers are a spiritual communion with God through means of thanksgiving, adoration, supplication, petition and confession. The wonderful thing about prayer is that God meets us where we are. He comes alongside, He leads us to a deeper, meaningful relationship with Him. Prayer changes us, prayer changes lives, prayer changes history. Our knowing God really makes us want to conform to Jesus and to His will. Of course, one of the major outcomes of disciplined prayer is answered prayer. Discipline and training stretch us to overcome obstacles. Imagine this, what would a violin sound like if its strings were not stretched tight and exercised? Discipline and training produce results that will last. Only disciplined training in God’s gymnasium will prepare us for challenges ahead. Let us pray, Father, we thank you for your word, we thank you that even as you are transforming us as your children, you empower and teach us to walk in a disciplined way. I pray that each one of us will choose to be disciplined in our lives because discipline will bring transformation in our lives. I pray that you will enable and empower us during those challenging, difficult seasons, help us to look to you and know that you are a God who is with us, transforming us into your likeness day after day. We give you all the praise and glory, in Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.

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