Maintaining Spiritual Alertness Discipleship S.T.E.P.S.: Equip Scripture: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: – 1 Peter 5:8 Spiritual alertness is not rooted in paranoia, but in a sober understanding of the battle we are in. Peter warns us to be ‘vigilant’…
The Sovereignty of God Discipleship S.T.E.P.S.: Theology Scripture: But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. – Psalm 115:3 The sovereignty of God is the ultimate anchor for the believer’s soul. When we realize that our God is in the heavens and does whatever He pleases, we are freed…
Diligence Discipleship S.T.E.P.S.: SHAPE Scripture: He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. – Proverbs 10:4 Diligence is the steady, consistent application of effort toward a godly goal. While our culture prizes instant results, the book of Proverbs teaches that poverty of spirit—and often poverty of…
Worshiping with Expectation Discipleship S.T.E.P.S.: Worship God Scripture: My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. – Psalm 62:5 Many of us attend corporate worship as a weekly duty rather than an expectant encounter. But Psalm 62:5 teaches us to ‘wait only upon God’ with an active, holy expectation that…
Resting the Body Discipleship S.T.E.P.S.: Rest & Reflect Scripture: And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. – Mark 6:31 Even the disciples, in the midst of the most…
Disaster Relief Discipleship S.T.E.P.S.: Share Scripture: Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. – Proverbs 3:27 In the wake of disaster, the church is called to be the ‘hands and feet’ of Jesus, offering not just relief, but hope. Proverbs…
Praying the Scriptures Discipleship S.T.E.P.S.: Practice Scripture: For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12 We often…
Overcoming Spiritual Dryness Discipleship S.T.E.P.S.: Equip Scripture: O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; – Psalm 63:1 Spiritual dryness is not necessarily a sign of God’s absence; often, it is a…
The Wisdom of God Discipleship S.T.E.P.S.: Theology Scripture: O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! – Romans 11:33 We often labor under the burden of thinking we need to ‘figure everything out.’ We scrutinize our circumstances, trying…
Meekness Discipleship S.T.E.P.S.: SHAPE Scripture: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. – Matthew 5:5 The world often equates meekness with spinelessness or a lack of conviction, but biblical meekness is actually ‘power under control.’ It is the strength of a horse that has been broken—it has all the raw capability to…