In a sense, the Keys for Discipline merely help you gain a clearer understanding of God's instructions for everyday life while reminding you of the negative outcomes of the lack thereof. Self-Discipline is necessary and vital in the life of every Believer. Because it's not always comfortable or easy, people resist it, pretend it's unnecessary, or avoid it all together. God is clear in His word about what happens when there is no discipline or self-control in our lives. God's instruction on discipline enables you to choose wisely followed by your actions, thoughts, and behaviors in order to accomplish a goal. It gives you the power to overcome those things that are hazardous or harmful to the Believers way of living including addictions, procrastination and laziness, and to follow through with whatever you do. This book covers various characteristics of spiritual self-discipline including the ability to reject instant gratification of the flesh and the subliminal messages from the devil and his crew. The Keys for Discipline is a unique approach of expressions for common sense living of a godly life skillfully in an ungodly world. These nuggets of truth fit in every arena of life --home, school, work, church, or traveling abroad. It's designed is to teach the Believer not only how to have self-discipline, but why we need it including the benefits thereof. Although most Believers acknowledge its importance, few do anything to strengthen it based on the Word of God leaving them with unpleasant and sometimes dangerous or deadly results.

KEYS FOR DISCIPLINE

Insight for Godly LivingBy Bernita Scott Weston

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2013 Bernita Scott Weston
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4817-0907-1

Contents

Acknowledgements.........................................ixDiscipline...............................................1A Message from the Author................................2Introduction.............................................6LOVE and the Spirit......................................73LUST and the FLESH.......................................74Disciplined Cooling Statements...........................87Grieving the Holy Spirit.................................95(Flesh) Behaviors to Avoid...............................96(Spirit) Behaviors to Embrace............................97Spiritual Rules and Gentle Reminders.....................116Personalized Prayers.....................................124Room 110.................................................132Leaving a Message for Mom in Heaven......................135Our Vision...............................................139Our Mission..............................................139Prayer of Salvation......................................140Prayer of Rededication...................................142

Introduction

Discipline starts with understanding the importance of the thing you need to subject to. You need to know why discipline is necessary and understand what the consequences are if you don't exercise discipline. For example, one of the most difficult things to control is the tongue. It is vital to our future that we understand the proper and improper uses of the tongue. The words of your mouth have control of your life, whether you like it or not. To control your mouth you must control your thinking. Discipline is reprograming your mind so that your thoughts don't cause your mouth to blurt out the first thing it feels.

Discipline is doing whatever necessary to bring you into subjection. In most cases this means being hard on yourself, being tough, standing strong and firm in the middle of your circumstances so that you are not tossed around with the wind and the waves. If you are unable to handle yourself in hardships, tests, trials, and challenges you are not living the life God intended you to live. This means, you will look like the rest of the world rather than God's special people.

To label yourself a Believer, a Christian, Born Again, and Holy Ghost filled means you rely on God and His word as your primary source. If you're the type of person who freaks out when something happens, people will began to see you as fake—a counterfeit in the kingdom, rejected and unapproved. You must live the life you preach; otherwise you will be looked at as a hypocrite. {See 1 Corinthians 9:27}

If you fold under pressure rather than trusting in God and holding fast to your faith, you are what the bible calls unstable, and an unstable man receives nothing from The Lord. Right now, stop, and open your mind and spirit to Jesus Christ our Lord and ask the Father to teach you His ways.

"If you are to be all that God has called you to be, discipline begins with oneself."—Bernita

Right and wrong thinking is the basis for controlling your words. If you think wrong you'll speak wrong, if you speak wrong, you'll have wrong results.

If you bless people with little, you will receive little blessings in return.

Strive to do more, learn more, and be more.

Excuses are like ugly sores, they come in all shapes and sizes and they smell, so don't bother having them around.

You cannot rise above what you allow yourself to think or say.

Trusting in The Lord means every decision you make is done with Him in mind.

Don't be a victim. Make the decision to be victorious!

The Word of God is not up for negotiation.

Don't care which way God is going, just get on board, and go with Him.

Program your mind by the word of God. Know more about the word than the world.

Have confidence in God's word. It has been given to Believers to know the mysteries of Heaven and not to them (unbelievers). {See Matthew 13:11}

Take the Word of God and use it as a base on which you operate your mind.

Learn to cast down anything that tries to contradict the word of God. This must be done daily. {See 2 Corinthians 10:5}

Avoid blaming someone for your short comings, don't justify laziness, and stop the complaining before it begins.

Get into the habit of asking every thought that enters your mind if it lines up with the Scriptures. If it doesn't, dismiss it immediately. To do this successfully you must know the Scriptures.

Know more Scriptures than the devil, otherwise you're in trouble.

Never let a day pass without reading a passage from the bible.

Most people check texted messages and emails throughout the day. Find a way to check God's Word daily and throughout the day. Technology makes this possible so get creative.

Practice reading God's word out loud to your spirit and over time you'll become like His Word.

Thoughts are the father to the deed. The idea is to stop the thought before it has a chance to grow or produce negativity or sin inside of you.

Teach children how to be problem solvers instead of victims.

Train children to remove the word "Can't" from their vocabulary. Teach them that "Can't" is a bad word and should be avoided.

Our body is the house our spirit dwells in, when you don't take care of your health your body will began to depreciate and lose value.

Faith is believing what you can't see will come to pass. Fear is believing what you can't see will come to pass.

There once was a man who was angry with only having bananas to eat so he decided to end his life. Before he could hang himself he saw another man who came along to eat his banana peels. You are not the only one with issues and there is always someone worse off than you, so stay focused on God and His promises and give thanks always in all things.

As The Lord's servant, we must not dispute or get into verbal conflicts. We must be kind toward all, a good and patient teacher, who is gentle as we correct those we communicate with. {See 2 Timothy 2:24-26}

Forgetting about the rest of the world because we are comfortable in ours is a mistake we should not make. Give back to your community. Bless those who can't bless themselves. Do for those who can't do for themselves. Love those who feel unloved.

No matter who you meet, treat everyone with kindness and respect. You don't know what someone has gone through or where they've been. Sometimes we are more connected to perfect strangers than we think.

We are to be holy because God is holy. We are to think like God thinks, speak what God speaks, and do what God instructs us to do. This takes discipline, prayer, practice, commitment, and accountability. Our conduct and lifestyle must be holy. {See Leviticus 11:44, 45; 19:2 and 1 Peter 1:15-16}

Training makes the wise wiser but frustrates the fool and those who lack understanding. Make a habit of learning new things. When training is offered embrace it, don't resist it.

To seek and desire personal glory and honor is dishonor. If you love The Lord your God and live according to His ways glory and honor will find you. Let others praise you and you won't have to. {See Proverbs 25:27; 27:2}

Be careful when trying to set a trap for someone because you set a trap for two, one for them, and one for you. {See Proverbs 26:27}

Just because everyone is doing something doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

You are powerless when it comes to how people feel about you, but you are in complete control of how you feel about other people.

When you murmur and complain about all that is going wrong in your life God hears it. He sees the behavior you display, and it grieves Him when you don't trust Him. {See Genesis 6:5-6 and Malachi 2:7}

Every decision we make will always have an impact on someone else.

When evil happens in the world people want to blame God, they feel that He should do something about it. God sees and hears everything and everyone. It is man's responsibility to take care of the world God gave to him. Unfortunately for man that power was given over to the devil and he is now the "god" of this world. The good news is that his lease will be up soon. {See Malachi 3:12-15 and Romans 5:12 and Luke 4:6}

Doing the right thing based on what God has commanded is not always the popular choice. Truth be told, you may be one of the few doing things God's way. This will also make you unpopular. {See 2 Peter 2:4-9}

The majority chose to live wrong, do wrong, and speak wrong words. This is no excuse for the few to do the same. Stay righteous because God is watching us all. In the end His opinion is the only one that matter. {See 2 Peter 2:4-9}

To grow and learn means soliciting honest and constructive feedback. Not necessarily because we want it but because we need it.

Take the right path in life; it is the hardest path to take. Choose to do the right thing, live the right life, and speak the right words. The "in" crowd will choose the path of least resistance. Not many are on the path to good. Stay the course because in the end, God's got you covered.

Encouraging someone else encourages you.

The lazy person spends their time making excuses and finding reasons why they are unable to do something. The diligent person spends their time making things happen and focuses on getting results. {See Proverbs 10:4; 12:24}

Stay away from foolish and wicked people. They have absolutely nothing to teach you accept their way of doing things. {See Proverbs 14:7}

Never argue with a fool, it confuses people because they won't know who the fool is.

The world got it wrong. The number one best seller is the Bible. The number one best saving Author is the Holy Spirit.

Do to others what you would like to be done to you. Treat people the way you would like to be treated. Talk to people the way you want to be talked to. Give people the respect that you want to have. Help people the way you want to be helped. Love people the way you want to be loved. Support people the way you want to be supported. Love The Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. The way you live your life, conduct your business, treat others, and the words you speak should reflect that you're a Saint, not the symbol on your car.

The Lord sees everything that happens. He has front row seats to every life on earth. He is watching everything and everyone. He is watching the good and the evil, the right and the wrong, the rich and the poor, the president and the janitor, the teacher and the transient, the preacher and the prisoner. If for nothing else let this be the reason you care about others and choose to do what's right. {See Proverbs 15:3}

Don't just make a living make a difference. Be all that God has called you to be.

God says that if we would fear Him and always keep His commandments, (His way of doing things, instructions, directions, and laws) it will be well with us and our children forever. You will never know this to be true until you are willing to obey this command.

A sign of good success is recognizing God as the reason for your wealth. Anything else—simply put, is just success. {See Deuteronomy 8:18}

Some people ruin their reputations by their own actions and try to blame someone else. Take responsibility for you. Pay attention to your behavior, admit your fault, repent, and start again.

Sorrow is trying to tell your kids the outcome for what you know will happen based on personal experiences, and they choose not to listen. Sadness is hearing your kids trying to tell their kids the same things you tried to tell them, and they choose not to listen.

When you refuse to listen or receive correction, constructive criticism, or feedback, you are headed for self-destruction. This behavior is known as professional sabotage. {See Proverbs 19:25, 27}

Spiritual maturity is moving past the point of name calling and playing "get back" games. Be empowered to be more mature than the one who attacks you. There is no reason for you both to look immature.

Jesus gives us authority over our thinking, but we have to take authority, and stay in authority. This power is in your hands.

With all the technology available, knowledge and information is abundant. But without understanding it's like being stranded on an island with nothing to drink but the sea. If you don't search for fresh water (get understanding), you will die of thirst (be destroyed for lack of knowledge). {See Proverbs 1:5}

The devil wants to plant doubt in the minds of people about God's Word. The truth about God's Word is what sets you free, not what man has to say. The enemy wants you to doubt, disobey, discount, rule out, or bend the truth. Don't give him the satisfaction.

Be careful who you complain to about something you despise or hate, it may be their idea or suggestion you are mocking or putting down.

Most people can attest to their strengths, their good deeds, and give themselves a pat on the back. What most people don't know is what others say about them. The experience you give someone reveals how they truly see you; this is what they will share with others. Leave people better than you find them.

Speaking harshly to someone makes them fearful of speaking the truth about you to your face. Because of your response they may feel pressured to tell you something that's untrue. This displeases God.

When you lie because you're afraid of telling someone the truth—no matter what the reason, this says that you fear them more than God. God hates the tongue of a liar. {See Matthew 10:28 and Proverbs 6:17}

A lie doesn't come in shapes, sizes, or colors. Any lie makes you a liar. All liars will have their place in the lake that burns in fire and brimstone. In layman's terms, this means liars will go to hades! {See Revelation 21:8}

Loudness, rebellion, disrespect, cursing, and evil speaking are all signs and symptoms of a fool. When you hear and see these things, steer clear.

If you think you can do nothing, you can't do anything.

Regardless of how it looks on the outside, exercise your will to think positive.

No matter what the reason, being afraid for your life is not a "free pass" to tell a lie. God hates a lying tongue. He never said He hates a lying tongue unless someone is afraid and their life's in danger. All liars will have their place in the lake that burns in fire and brimstone! {See Proverbs 6:17; 12:22 and Revelation 21:8}

If a requirement of your job is to lie, take a pledge to tell the truth or quit! Nothing in this world is worth going to hades for. God hates a lying tongue. {See Mark 8:36-37 and Proverbs 6:17; 12:22}

Changing the title of a lie doesn't change its meaning. God hates a lying tongue. {See Proverbs 6:17; 12:22}

Learn to prize silence. Embrace and appreciate stillness. Sometimes you hear more when you speak less.

Do not despise hard work, technology, training, or obstacles. These will prepare you for what's to come.

When asked for your opinion values or views on what the world deems as acceptable, your answer should be based on God's Word. If you are unsure of what the word says, don't give an answer until you can find out. Stay away from people with peculiar opinions about God and the bible; He has given Saint's the ability to know the mysteries of the kingdom, not unbelievers. {See Galatians 5:20 AMP}

The wisest, richest, most influential king that ever was says that power, popularity, prestige, and pleasure cannot fill the God shaped void in man's life, but God Himself. No matter how much you have gained, trying to be happy apart from God is impossible.

When we're in right standing with God, He surrounds us with favor. There is no need to manipulate anyone for personal gain or advantage.

Do everything without complaining or arguing with others, so that you are blameless and without fault. {See Philippians 2:14}

Adults should lead by example. Children have a lot to offer. They are not contaminated by this world—for now at least. Being naive makes them bold, fearless, and safe.

Just like a parent knows what their kid can handle and at what age, so does your Heavenly Father know when and how much to answer prayers. He doesn't give us more or less than we can handle.

God never said for us to meet Him half way, just that we had to go through His Son to get to Him. {See John 14:6}

Train up your child the way that they should go or someone else will and you will get the blame. {See Proverbs 22:6}

Life of a Saint should be lived based on instructions commands and laws outlined in God's word. We are not to conduct our lives based on the world's standard for sin and unacceptable behaviors. God is not a "politically correct" God, He does not "sugar coat" His word for anyone. He's just God.

With God, it is more important how you feel about others rather than how they feel about you. You are responsible for your own heart and actions, not someone else's.

Don't feel badly when a thief is caught, and don't fall for his sob story. A thief is not sorry or even ashamed until he has been found out. {See Jeremiah 2:26}

Ask God for practical wisdom before you need it.

There is no honor respect or loyalty among gangs and criminals. Trusting a thief is like allowing a cobra into your home. He will strike the first chance he gets and blame it on his nature, and you'll suffer greatly for it.

It takes discipline to hold tight to God and to trust in Him when things don't look to be in your favor. Look to Him; fix your mind on Him. The tighter you hold on to The Lord the smaller your circumstances will seem to be.

As long as God gives you breath, your lips should never say anything evil, and your tongue should never tell a lie. {See Job 27:3-4}

When praising and worshipping The Lord your mind may start to drift and wonder. Don't just pray and worship Him with lip service; don't just go through the motions. Discipline your mind to stay fixated on The Lord. Concentrate on Him and give God all of your focus and attention. {See Isaiah 29:13 and Matthew 15:8}

(Continues...)

Excerpted from KEYS FOR DISCIPLINEby Bernita Scott Weston Copyright © 2013 by Bernita Scott Weston. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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