Discipline – Walking In Power with Nate Ortiz

Hey, I hope this finds you well today and I just want to share with you a word out of

Proverbs chapter 12 and the word that I want to focus on is discipline.

Now that is not a word that we often like to hear about our lives and sometimes we don't

put that in a spiritual practice, but the word discipline is something that we need in

our lives.

We need it in our mind, being in our body and we need it in our spirit and discipline

is something that we often have equated our mind to be something negative.

Like we've done something wrong, now we must be disciplined.

When really it's more of the thought of being disciplined, our actions, our convictions,

just in basing God's word, basing other areas of our lives, right?

Our mind, our body, and our spirit.

How are we disciplined in those areas?

If we're honest, there's areas where we're not as disciplined as we are in other areas.

And when we are learning to be disciplined, we are not just saying, do I feel like doing

something, but we are disciplining ourselves, our minds, our spirits, our bodies to be

an alignment to who we want to become.

Because there are times where you can want to be maybe a glutton, right?

You're eating bad, you're not great food, but you have to be able to say, no, my spirit

in my mind could be great, but I want all three of these to be aligned.

When you think about even raising kids, or you're raising kids, it'll test every part

of you, right?

And when you think about your kids, they can challenge you.

They'll sometimes just do things that you ask them not to do.

And there's an aspect of you're disciplining them, not saying, hey, just take a time out,

but you're helping instruct them, right?

We get this word discipline, we're from the word like discipleship, this idea, that

you can even tell your kids, say, listen, that's, I have to discipline you because you need

to make wise decisions and I'm going to disciple you, I'm going to shape you, and to the

best person that God has called you to be.

And so the same way our Heavenly Father does it to us, that the area is that He may say,

you need to be disciplined in this area greater than maybe someone else.

We can often want to compare ourselves to someone else's faith journey to feel like, well,

they don't have to do this and they get to do this.

But the reality is that God knows exactly what we need and we have to be faithful to follow

through on that.

And so probably chapter 12, the first three verses I want to focus on, but it says, whoever

loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

There are times that people are trying to give you good accountability, good wisdom, speak

some truth to you, but you instantly reject it because it feels like discipline, it feels

like a critique, it feels like they're not for you, but really they are for you, even in

that discipline, even in that sense of saying, I have some reproof for you, I have some

things to tell you, are you able to receive it?

And for all of us, there could be moments in our lives where you think, oh my gosh,

I was not living up to standard God had for me and someone really tried to help me but

you rejected it.

And that happens with every generation, they start getting older and they fly away.

I know what I'm doing, I know what's going on.

And if someone who's further along in their journey begins trying to help you and you reject

it, don't be afraid of discipline in your life.

You don't want to be a person who rejects, reproof, because the Bible says it will be stupid

if you do.

And no one wants to be that, but that's what happens when we're not really listening

to people around us who care for us.

So when you love discipline, that also means you love knowledge.

When you can quickly say, all right, that's not what I need.

I'm going to focus in on what God has for me.

Verse two says, a good man will obtain favor from the Lord, a good man, a good woman, but

he will condemn a man who devises evil.

If you want to obtain favor from the Lord, you have to be a person who is good.

Now, I'm not talking about your own definition of what you think good is, right?

You can ask on the street corner, what is good?

We believe in the word of God that God defines what good is.

And he is good.

It's his character.

It's not just something he does.

It's the very essence of who he is.

So the question I ask, are you a good person, according to God's standards?

Or do you set your own standards?

I think I'm good, or I think I'm doing pretty good compared to someone else.

But the standard is Jesus.

And for all of us, we have to be people that say, yeah, I was further than I was last year,

but I know God still has more for me.

I know that he's shaping me to be someone even better than I could ever think or imagine.

And that looks many different ways.

He'll do it with relationships.

He'll do it with trials in our lives.

But there's this, he doesn't just do it just to present it, but we live in this fallen

sinful world.

But there's this moment that we say, Lord, help me to obtain favor from you.

Help me a good, be a person that is pleasing to you, that my life reflects who you are.

That's what we should strive for.

To not just be a person who goes through ourselves, but we say, Lord, I want favor because I

want to live my life for you.

And I don't want anything else that's not you.

Going on to verse three, it says, I may not be established by wickedness, but by the

root of righteousness, but the root of righteousness will not be moved.

When you live your life in a righteousness, you have deep roots inside of you that no

enemy could ever pluck up.

And I want to encourage you with this.

I always say, all the time, right?

You can be right or you can be righteous.

And you want to be righteous in your life.

There's times where you can feel angry, you can feel bitter.

And you can be absolutely right about it.

God is not a collegeist that always just pours out his right, but he's caused to live

righteously.

And in his words, as we seek the kingdom of God first, all his righteousness will be

added unto us.

So when we think about our life, are we viewing through the lens of what the king is?

Are we viewing through the lens of saying, am I disciplined in my faith journey?

Am I disciplined in the areas of my life that maybe are struggles for me that maybe don't

feel like they're ten.

It's the really threes, but Jesus is helping.

Jesus is bringing people around you or Jesus is really bringing his world of life to you

in your life.

I never, I don't believe that it's too late for anyone who is willing and able to say,

I've let too much go.

I can't turn around.

I want to encourage you today.

You can.

Have the courage to do it.

Don't be afraid.

Don't be feeling like you've gone too far or you've done too much.

Jesus is here for you to help you, but you have to be a person that's open to him moving

your life to push things that maybe you once ran to and times of struggle pushed those

aside and run to him and all that you're doing.

Seek him for wisdom.

Seek him for the path that takes.

He will always guide you.

So I just pray this over you today that you would not just hold on to foolish teachings

or just all way of thinking, but you put those aside so that you can be able to be everything

that God has called you to be.

Even when there's discipline moments, it feels hard and difficult knowing that you are

becoming exactly who God has called you to be.