Discipline is an essential element to success and is something that everyone believes they have, but do we really have it? Do we really understand discipline and what is required of it? Many people ‘tune’ their discipline to their convenience thus actually making discipline… non existent.
Today I am going to talk about discipline and what it really means to be disciplined, through the perspective of both a Christian and a young person with big dreams.
So what IS discipline?
1. Setting boundaries and having self-control: these two elements are very much interlinked and this is because though it is great to have boundaries, without self control this cannot be achieved and without boundaries, there is nothing to be in control of to begin with
2. Discipline is possessing a mission in the pursuit of life: having a mission in life is to have a permanent vision of what you want in life and from there, that is where a cultivating 'goal system' comes into place. It is when you have these goals that you will be business-minded and unmoved in your pursuit, with the mindset that you cannot afford to fail. In the same vein, when you know God’s plan and purpose for you, you will not want to fail him.
3. Operating as commanded, not as convenient: In 1 Corinthians 6:12, Apostle Paul says (which I love so much) “I have the right to do anything...but not everything is beneficial”. There are things in life that you cannot attain until you deny yourself -our fleeting desires- which many people struggle with because we are disciplined within the realm of our comfort zone. However, if we are swayed by our desires, which are constantly changing according to society (which is also ever-changing), discipline will only be something we can dream for. It is just like how you cannot be partially honest, being partially disciplined is in the same calibre as not being disciplined.
- We must also understand that discipline is a choice, not a gift, therefore we must strive to possess it and propose it in our hearts
Why is it important to have discipline?
Plainly speaking, without it, “man is a piece of bread” and someone once told me that life is a life of continued progress and without progress, which is achieved through discipline, life is a burden
Take the story of Samson and Delilah in the bible: for those who don’t know, Samson was the world’s strongest man and his power laid in his hair, which was cut after Delilah had found out his secret. In the book of Judges, you will find that Samson’s weakness was the love of women, which Delilah (the enemy) had both discovered and exploited. She began to ask him about his strength and the first 3 times she had asked, he had initially lied to her.
Like Samson, when people set a goal, they are geared up and are able to follow this goal- AT FIRST. After a while, due to the lack of discipline, they become like that of what I call a 'new year resolutioner': the people who are the reason why your gym is so full in the beginning of the year but empty the next month.
Consequently, Delilah began to pester Samson. Finally, he told her and his enemies came to cut his hair and chained him up. The reason this was able to happen was firstly, Samson was not disciplined in his love of woman and because (going back to the definitions) he acted not as commanded, but as convenient and he neglected his great purpose in life, it was out of his sight.
The enemy (or trials in our life) will bring opportunities for you to fail and manipulate our weak points, that is why we must be disciplined.
Galatians 4:1 says, “as long as an heir is underage (LACKS DISCIPLINE), he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate”. What this is saying is that though we are destined, moulded, crafted, created and shaped for greatness, because of lack of discipline, people fail to manifest this in their lives.
It could be that you have all the laws of success and you are practising it, but this one key element that you lack is why life cannot move according to your will or even why God cannot move you.
Things we need to be disciplined over
1. Physical needs
- Food: (goes without saying)
- Sleep: as you have probably been told many times, if you sleep 8 hours a day for 75 years, that will constitute for 25 years of your life wasted. A lot of the greatest people on Earth will tell you that they are early risers and it makes sense, as when you are sleeping your are not doing great things- you are not aware of the things around you and the world is moving and advancing whilst you are being left behind. Moreover, when we do not give our goals time, we are left with no option but to compromise on that goal and when you compromise, it will leave you feeling guilty, condemned, anxious, the list goes on.
This is the same with sleeping spiritually and figuratively: Proverbs 10:5 says, “he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son”- If we are sleepy in times when we should be working and when we should be alert, thus lacking discipline, it is all the more easier for things, for our visions, for our goals, to slip out of our hands
2. Our time
- It is important to be disciplined in our time because our life is measured in time, so for every second, every minute, every hour that passes by, so does one’s life
- As cliche as it sounds, every person has 24 hours a day and no one can reserve this time.
In the same vein, someone who is failing and someone who is succeeding all have the same time: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and it what you do with it that distinguishes you from the next person
So to conclude, Proverbs 25:28 says, “like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control”. In other words, every person is great, but what makes the difference between an idle and stagnate person and a high achiever is discipline. Discipline is the catalyst that will bring about the manifestation of every person’s dream.
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(Inspiration and foundation of blog: Winners' Chapel Worldwide Ministries, 'Next Level Banquet Sermon', which is hyperlinked)
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