Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/444908
prayer & praisE >> Call to the Inner Life COLONEL JANICE A. HOWARD We call Salvationists worldwide to enter the new millennium with a renewal of faithful, disciplined, and persistent prayer; to study God's word consistently and to seek God's will earnestly; to deny self and to live a lifestyle of simplicity in a spirit of trust and thankfulness. We affirm that the consistent cultivation of the inner life is essential for our faith life and for our fighting fitness. The dis- ciplines of the inner life include solitude, prayer, meditation, study, and self–denial. Practicing solitude, spending time alone with God, we discover the importance of silence, learn to listen to God, and discover our true selves. Praying, we en- gage in a unique dialog that encompasses adoration and confession, petition and intercession. As we meditate, we attend to God's transforming word. As we study, we train our minds towards Christlikeness, allowing the word of God to shape our thinking. Practicing self–denial, we focus on God and grow in spiritual perception. We expose how our appetites can control us, and draw closer in experience, em- pathy, and action to those who live with deprivation and scarcity. "The disciplines of the inner life, when applied, help us to discover what God wants to give us and make us. They can draw us closer to him, make us more aware of him, and improve our perspec- tive on life." —Called to Be God's People This is the yearning of many Christians. The dif- ficulty in this equation is discipline. We discipline ourselves to bathe, to eat, to go to work or to school, and to pay our bills. Why is it difficult to discipline ourselves in the areas that speak to our inner lives, especially when we desire to be more like Christ? Could it be that we view prayer, Bible reading, and a host of other spiritual disciplines as a chore in- stead of as part of a loving relationship? John 17 reveals that, long before we were born, Jesus prayed for each of us. In that scripture, Jesus prays for Himself, His disciples, and all believers. Jesus prays for "those who will believe in me through their [disciples] message, that all of them may be one" (v 20–21). Amazing! Jesus taught the disciples how to pray. Jesus modeled prayer as He spoke to His Father, as He invited His disciples to pray in His name, as He asked Bartimeus what he wanted and then He healed him. That same resource is available to us today. May we pray for the desire to pray and to commune with the Lord. "The Call to the Inner Life" is a call to consistently study God's word, which will help our prayers to be grounded in the values of God. This is part of a love relationship; studying God's word assists us to know God and His ways. This Call mentions several other disciplines, which are of benefit to our inner life. They include but are not limited to solitude, spending time alone with God; silence, listening to the Lord; self–denial, forgo- ing nonessentials in order to focus on the Lord; fasting, doing without to be in the presence of God; mentoring, obtain- ing spiritual assistance from another Christian for spiritual development; and spiritual retreats, providing a means to draw closer to God and to other people. Why spend time developing our in- ner lives? We are in a love relationship where we desire to be more like Christ; the disciplines provide a means for that to take place. For a continuation of this article in- cluding related scripture and questions, please go to www.armyonitsknees.org. —Colonel Janice Howard is the Territorial Secretary for Spiritual Life Development. vantage point >> Cultivate! CHRIS STOKER Have the roots of your being firmly and deeply planted in Him …. —Colossians 2:7 C ultivate is a one–year (February 2015 thru January 2016), online spiritual life development course for soldiers and officers. If you are hun- gering for more of what the Lord has to do in you and through you, Cultivate will help you fulfill this desire. The course, which includes a 4–day retreat in October for 20 students, is designed to facilitate the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2), the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16), the role of spiritual disciplines (Romans 12:1), being part of community (1 Corinthians 12), and living out our faith for the sake of others (Mat- thew 28:18–20). Course instructors include Colonel Janice A. Howard, assistant chief sec- retary and secretary for spiritual life development; Major Lauren H. Hodgson, assistant secretary for spiritual life devel- opment; and Major Young Sung Kim, ter- ritorial ambassador for holiness. Colonel Howard and Major Hodgson each have backgrounds in spiritual development and personal spiritual formation. Major Kim has taught two holiness modules. —The Cultivate program is a service of the Eastern Territory's Spiritual Life Development Department. For further information,potential cohort members can call (845) 620–7676 or go to saconnects.org/cultivate 4 January 2015