How do we train for godliness?( What are practical steps?)

[StarryEyedShoeGazer]

In all my years of being at church I have found that there is a tremendous emphasis on being godly - yet no one has bothered to tell me how to attain this elusive quality.
Can anyone help a sister out please?

 

[Call me Nic]

In all my years of being at church I have found that there is a tremendous emphasis on being godly - yet no one has bothered to tell me how to attain this elusive quality.
Can anyone help a sister out please?

That's a good question. I've personally discovered that the biggest and most underlying source to all godliness is consistently staying in touch with the Lord through Bible reading. If you stop reading the Bible consistently, it is inevitable that you cannot maintain a godly lifestyle. I found this out the hard way over the past year.

As for the question itself, I can recommend a book. It's called "Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster. It's a book that speaks about the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life, and how it allows God to righteously affect one's spirit to live more like him. I read through it a couple of years ago, and if I had applied the wisdom from it then, I'd be in a much different place spiritually-speaking right now.

 

[AllDayFaith]

Love God above all other gods and idols. And then love others as you love yourself.

 

[StarryEyedShoeGazer]

Love God above all other gods and idols. And then love others as you love yourself.

This is the law.It doesn't say how to go about it.

 

[StarryEyedShoeGazer]

That's a good question. I've personally discovered that the biggest and most underlying source to all godliness is consistently staying in touch with the Lord through Bible reading. If you stop reading the Bible consistently, it is inevitable that you cannot maintain a godly lifestyle. I found this out the hard way over the past year.

As for the question itself, I can recommend a book. It's called "Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster. It's a book that speaks about the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life, and how it allows God to righteously affect one's spirit to live more like him. I read through it a couple of years ago, and if I had applied the wisdom from it then, I'd be in a much different place spiritually-speaking right now.

Be aware that Richard Foster is a mystic.He may not be that doctrinally sound - so I would stay clear of him.

 

[AllDayFaith]

You love God by worshiping and praising Him. And you love others by caring for them. Can you do good to those that hate you. Can you pray for those that try to hurt you? It's easy to love the people who love you, but can you love people that are your adversaries.

 

[StarryEyedShoeGazer]

You love God by worshiping and praising Him. And you love others by caring for them. Can you do good to those that hate you. Can you pray for those that try to hurt you? It's easy to love the people who love you, but can you love people that are your adversaries.

Yes but that strikes me a DOING where as godliness strikes me as BEING.Am I wrong?

 

[AllDayFaith]

I think that by doing what is right, you are being godly.

 

[StarryEyedShoeGazer]

I think that by doing what is right, you are being godly.

How is that different to the ethical behaviour of the unbeliever?

 

[AllDayFaith]

Some unbelievers do what's right because it's socially acceptable. They don't want to go to jail for misbehaving.

 

[StarryEyedShoeGazer]

Some unbelievers do what's right because it's socially acceptable. They don't want to go to jail for misbehaving.

This is true.I suppose that there are many reasons for being godly too
...

 

[AllDayFaith]

God will reward you according to your deeds. We all reap what we sow. And we all eat our words, so choose them wisely.

 

[StarryEyedShoeGazer]

God will reward you according to your deeds. We all reap what we sow. And we all eat our words, so choose them wisely.

What are you inferring?

 

[Charlie24]

In all my years of being at church I have found that there is a tremendous emphasis on being godly - yet no one has bothered to tell me how to attain this elusive quality.
Can anyone help a sister out please?

Living a Godly life is being led by the Spirit and taking "self" out of the way.

Of course we communicate with God by reading his Word, listening to the preached Word, fellow-shipping with the brethren.

We set our minds to always do that which is right and honest according to His Word.

But the Godly life is far from our doing, we can't in any way do it, it is all Christ who lives in us and through us by the Spirit that we live a Godly life.

We must surrender to Him! Tell Him that we are no longer in charge of our lives, He is in control. This is when the Godly life will be lived, not of our doing but the allowing of Him to have total control.

This doesn't mean you deny your dreams in life. Whatever you choose to do in life is your choice. But whatever you do, do it to His Glory, acknowledging Him as your Saviour, and your guide through life.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

In all my years of being at church I have found that there is a tremendous emphasis on being godly - yet no one has bothered to tell me how to attain this elusive quality.
Can anyone help a sister out please?

... for me, being the existentialist that I am and have always been, the way that I keep myself open to God's leading and prompting toward godliness is to remember.......I'm going to die and, if Christianity is true (and I believe it is), then I have but one opportunity, one life in which to work out my faith with 'fear and trembling.'

So, once that's firmly in place, it's just a couple of hops on the hopscotch board to read God's Word, Pray, Fellowship with other Chrsitians, and realize that sin is sin and I need to do my best to let the World go and follow Jesus.

There's not much more to it all than that, at least, not for me.

 

[StarryEyedShoeGazer]

Living a Godly life is being led by the Spirit and taking "self" out of the way.

Of course we communicate with God by reading his Word, listening to the preached Word, fellow-shipping with the brethren.

We set our minds to always do that which is right and honest according to His Word.

But the Godly life is far from our doing, we can't in any way do it, it is all Christ who lives in us and through us by the Spirit that we live a Godly life.

We must surrender to Him! Tell Him that we are no longer in charge of our lives, He is in control. This is when the Godly life will be lived, not of our doing but the allowing of Him to have total control.

This doesn't mean you deny your dreams in life. Whatever you choose to do in life is your choice. But whatever you do, do it to His Glory, acknowledging Him as your Saviour, and your guide through life.

This is the best answer so far and I appreciate the spirit it was written in.Thank you!

 

[Josheb]

In all my years of being at church I have found that there is a tremendous emphasis on being godly - yet no one has bothered to tell me how to attain this elusive quality.
Can anyone help a sister out please?

2 Peter 1:3-9

"3His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins."​

I'm a big fan of principle over particular. If we know the principles of something then the specifics of that things are easier to recall and apply. Knowing that love is patient, kind, and forbearing is an easy list to memorize but becoming a person who is by disposition patient, kind, and forbearing feeds on itself and begets more of the same. We're even more empowered when we realize "love" is simply a word we use to describe value. I value you. I value this person so much that I will be patient and kind, hopeful and trusting with the, I do so because I value them as more significant even more than myself (Php. 2:3).

I think one of the best ways of developing this disposition is the practice of "spiritual disciplines." There are several good books on the topic. Richard Foster's "Celebration of Discipline" is a classic. If you like the Quaker approach to spiritual disciplines you'll enjoy Foster's book. A more evangelical tome is Donald Whitney's "Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life." It's a little more concrete than Foster's book. Since you're a woman you might consider Barbra Hughes' "Disciplines of a Godly Woman," although it is written for married women. She may have a volume written for the younge woman. If you're interested in something more theological then "Knowing God" by J. I. Packer is a must read. I've read all these books more than once and highly recommend them. For the men reading this post R. Kent Hughes' book, "Disciplines for the Godly Man" is also highly recommended.


Something else I'd like you to consider: if you're not out and about acting like the world then you're already godly whether you feel it or not.

 

[StarryEyedShoeGazer]

2 Peter 1:3-9

"3His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins."​

I'm a big fan of principle over particular. If we know the principles of something then the specifics of that things are easier to recall and apply. Knowing that love is patient, kind, and forbearing is an easy list to memorize but becoming a person who is by disposition patient, kind, and forbearing feeds on itself and begets more of the same. We're even more empowered when we realize "love" is simply a word we use to describe value. I value you. I value this person so much that I will be patient and kind, hopeful and trusting with the, I do so because I value them as more significant even more than myself (Php. 2:3).

I think one of the best ways of developing this disposition is the practice of "spiritual disciplines." There are several good books on the topic. Richard Foster's "Celebration of Discipline" is a classic. If you like the Quaker approach to spiritual disciplines you'll enjoy Foster's book. A more evangelical tome is Donald Whitney's "Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life." It's a little more concrete than Foster's book. Since you're a woman you might consider Barbra Hughes' "Disciplines of a Godly Woman," although it is written for married women. She may have a volume written for the younge woman. If you're interested in something more theological then "Knowing God" by J. I. Packer is a must read. I've read all these books more than once and highly recommend them. For the men reading this post R. Kent Hughes' book, "Disciplines for the Godly Man" is also highly recommended.


Something else I'd like you to consider: if you're not out and about acting like the world then you're already godly whether you feel it or not.

Thanks ,brother.I love,love,love that portion of scripture.I would like to commit it to memory.

I have read Jim's ," Knowing God" and I own Barbara's book that you mentioned.

I appreciate your encouragement too.
Let's keep on spurring each other on to love and good works!

 

[Josheb]

Thanks ,brother.I love,love,love that portion of scripture.I would like to commit it to memory.

I have read Jim's ," Knowing God" and I own Barbara's book that you mentioned.

I appreciate your encouragement too.
Let's keep on spurring each other on to love and good works!

If you've read Packer's book (and appreciated it) then I recommend Francis Schaeffer's trilogy. I think those two should be required reading.

 

[StarryEyedShoeGazer]

If you've read Packer's book (and appreciated it) then I recommend Francis Schaeffer's trilogy. I think those two should be required reading.

Excellent.Will do!