Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

by Donald S. Whitney

Drawn from a rich heritage, "Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life" will guide you through a carefully selected array of disciplines, including:

Scripture reading
Prayer
Worship
Scripture meditation
Evangelism
Serving
Stewardship of time and money
Scripture application
Fasting
Silence and solitude
Journaling
Learning

By illustrating why the disciplines are important, showing how each one will help you grow in godliness, and offering practical suggestions for cultivating them, "Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life" will provide you with a refreshing opportunity to become more like Christ and grow in character and maturity.

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Paperback, 272 pages

Published June 15th 1991 by NavPress Publishing Group (first published 1991)

tags: theology, spirituality, prayer, faith, christianity, religion, nonfiction, christian living, discipleship, christian

Book Quotes

“But don’t stop worshiping. Never give up in the desert. You don’t know how wide it is, and you may be almost across.”

― Donald S. Whitney

“I’ve seen Christians who are faithful to the church of God, who frequently demonstrate genuine enthusiasm for the things of God, and who are committed to the preaching of the Word of God, yet who trivialize their effectiveness for the kingdom of God through lack of discipline.”

― Donald S. Whitney

“Elisabeth Elliot is more precise when she explains that “freedom and discipline have come to be regarded as mutually exclusive, when in fact freedom is not at all the opposite, but the final reward, of discipline.”

― Donald S. Whitney

“Andrew Murray comments boldly, but I think rightly, on Christ’s pledge: “Ask and you shall receive; everyone that asks, receives.” This is the fixed eternal law of the kingdom: if you ask and receive not, it must be because there is something amiss or wanting in the prayer. Hold on; let the Word and Spirit teach you to pray aright, but do not let go the confidence He seeks to waken: Everyone who asks receives. . . . Let every learner in the school of Christ therefore take the Master’s word in all simplicity. . . . Let us beware of weakening the Word with our human wisdom.[18] Because God answers prayer, when we “ask and receive not” we must consider the possibility that there is “something amiss or wanting” in our prayer. Perhaps God has indeed answered, but not in an obvious way. And possibly our prayers show nothing amiss, but we don’t yet see the answer only because God intends for us to persevere in praying about the matter awhile longer. Still, we must learn to examine our prayers. Are we asking for things outside the will of God or that would not glorify Him? Are we praying with selfish motives? Are we failing to deal with the kind of blatant sin that causes God to put all our prayers on hold? Despite what we see in response to our prayers, however, let’s not become so accustomed to our shortcomings in prayer and to the perception of asking without receiving that our faith in the force of Jesus’ promise is diminished. Prayer is answered.”

― Donald S. Whitney

“Si usted desea ser transformado, si quiere ser más semejante a Jesucristo, disciplínese para leer la Biblia.”

― Donald S. Whitney

“The end —that is, the purpose of practicing the Disciplines —is godliness. I define godliness as both closeness to Christ and conformity to Christ, a conformity that’s both inward and outward, a growing conformity to both the heart of Christ and the life of Christ. This Christlikeness is the goal, the reason we should practice the Disciplines. Without this purpose in our practice, the performance of Spiritual Disciplines —no matter how consistent or vigorous —is vain and nothing more than an empty husk of godliness. Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (p. 9). NavPress. Kindle Edition.”

― Donald S. Whitney

topics: Faith Quotes

“meditaba en Hebreos 12:29: «Porque nuestro Dios es un fuego que todo lo consume».”

― Donald S. Whitney

“In most Christian circles you will rarely hear fasting mentioned, and few will have read anything about it. And yet it’s mentioned in Scripture more times even than something as important as baptism (about seventy-seven times for fasting to seventy-five for baptism).”

― Donald S. Whitney

“You might think of praying without ceasing as communicating with God on one line while also taking calls on another. Even while you are talking on the other line, you never lose your awareness of the need to return your attention to the Lord. So praying without ceasing means you never really stop conversing with God; you simply have frequent interruptions.”

― Donald S. Whitney

“Es crucial, crucial, entender que no es nuestra búsqueda de la santidad lo que nos habilita para ver al Señor. Más bien, el Señor mismo es el que nos habilita para ver al Señor, no las cosas buenas que hacemos.”

― Donald S. Whitney

“Debido a que Dios inspiró las Escrituras, crea que lo que lee fue destinado para usted, al menos de alguna manera que se asocia con Cristo, así como para los primeros que recibieron el mensaje. Sin esa actitud, rara vez percibirá la aplicación de un pasaje de las Escrituras a su situación personal.”

― Donald S. Whitney

“Prayerful people become godly people, for prayerfulness with God cultivates godliness in all of life.”

― Donald S. Whitney

“Porque mientras mejor entendamos la Biblia, más preparados estaremos para aplicarla”

― Donald S. Whitney

“Freedom through discipline is the idea behind what has become known as “the ten-thousand-hour rule.”[9]”

― Donald S. Whitney

“FASTING IS EXPECTED To those unfamiliar with fasting, the most surprising part of this chapter may be the discovery that Jesus expected His followers would fast. Notice Jesus’ words at the beginning of Matthew 6:16-17: “And when you fast. . . . But when you fast . . .” (emphasis added). By giving us instructions on what to do and what not to do when we fast, Jesus assumes that we will fast. This expectation is even more obvious when we compare these words with His statements in that same passage—Matthew 6:2-3—about giving: “Thus, when you give. . . . But when you give . . .” (emphasis added). Compare also His words in the same section—Matthew 6:5-7—about praying: “And when you pray. . . . But when you pray. . . . And when you pray . . .” (emphasis added). No one doubts that we are to give and to pray. In fact, Christians commonly use this passage to teach Jesus’ principles on giving and praying. And since there is nothing here or elsewhere in Scripture indicating that we no longer need to fast, and since we know that Christians in the book of Acts fasted (see 9:9; 13:2; 14:23), we may conclude that Jesus still expects His followers to fast today.”

― Donald S. Whitney

“The word discipline has disappeared from our minds, our mouths, our pulpits, and our culture. We hardly know what discipline means in modern American society. And yet, there is no other way to attain godliness; discipline is the path to godliness. JAY ADAMS”

― Donald S. Whitney

“From biblical times to our time, godly people have always been spiritually disciplined people.”

― Donald S. Whitney

“«Donde los sentimientos por Dios están muertos, la adoración está muerta»”

― Donald S. Whitney

“La lectura sin la meditación es infructuosa; la meditación sin la lectura es dañina; meditar y leer sin orar por ambas no da bendición[14].”

― Donald S. Whitney

“Godliness requires disciplined worship.”

― Donald S. Whitney

Donald S. Whitney

Don grew up in Osceola, Arkansas, where he came to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He was active in sports throughout high school and college, and worked in the radio station his dad managed.

After graduating from Arkansas State University, Don planned to finish law school and pursue a career in sportscasting. While at the University of Arkansas School of Law, he sensed God's call to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He then enrolled at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in 1979. In 1987, Don completed a Doctor of Ministry degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. Currently, he is completing his Doctor of Theology with Specialization in Christian Spirituality at the University of South Africa.

Prior to his ministry as a seminary professor, Don was pastor of Glenfield Baptist Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), for almost fifteen years. Altogether, he has served local churches in pastoral ministry for twenty-four years. He is the author of several books.

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