Responses to DB - A Blog Series - The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Disciplines

This topic is so difficult for me. I find myself faced with a very undisciplined life in regards to following traditional disciplines. Fasting, devotions, Bible memorization, etc. All of these are difficult for me to say that I do them on a regular basis. I like to use the excuse that it is because of my busy-ness in college and all the other extracurricular activities that I participate in, I am unable to sustain a consistent, disciplined life. And this is not healthy to me. I know this. I "put my faith in Him and trust in His Spirit to guide me." And yet, I do not allow for that spirit to give me sustenance each and every day.

I have recently begun to work out and spend that twenty minutes, attempting to be a decent steward of the temple that He has entrusted me with. And I have tried to continue to rise in the morning at a decent time (although this has been a major challenge as I near the end of my time with those that are closest to me). However, these are meager attempts to discipline myself into a lifestyle that will allow me to be most productive and still be poured into by His Spirit.

I feel that this is most difficult for me because it was never a part of my life earlier than my college years. I'm 23 years old and let's face it. That's not old by any means, however, I have established myself in some habits that i simply cannot break easily; Healthy and unhealthy. However, it is by the Spirit that I have realized the desperate need for spiritual disciplines to be present in my life if I am to effectively lead people on a "Spirit-guided" path.

So because of this, I have devoted myself to spending some time fasting, each week; spending some time reading Scripture, each day; spending time in prayer, and not just speaking to God, but listening for God, each day. I feel that by devoting myself to this, I have allowed Him to push me to a new level of devotion and dedication to His cause.

How can I seek His heart each day if I don't even know what His Heart looks like?
How can I seek His heart each day if I don't know where to look?
How can I seek His heart each day if I don't allow Him to guide me?
How can I know what His Love truly is unless I depend on Him for life?