The Lord is calling for first-time obedience and quick discipline. He is giving believers instructions, and He is giving us orders to accomplish them. But what are we doing with the revelation He is releasing?
As I've been receiving this word over the last week, I have felt it is in many areas for believers such as finances, eating, physical fitness, health ailments, deliverance and ministry launching.
The Lord has given instructions on the ministry you should release, how to have entrepreneurial income streams, how to pray and manifest your healing and even how much time people should spend in the Word of God and prayer daily.
There are distractions in our lives. A lack of discipline is manifesting to prevent people from activating the instructions the Lord has released. This lack of discipline and distractions are destiny destroyers and prevent prophetic words from releasing and breakthrough from happening.
Discipline is defined as self-control in the 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit (see Gal. 5:22-23). The New King James uses the word "temperance" instead of self-control. When we look at the word temperance, Webster defines it as "moderation in action, thought or feeling: restraint." Restraint is defined by Webster as "a control over the expression of one's emotions or thoughts."
I've been hearing the Lord repeatedly say the word discipline. As I've been preaching and speaking to others in the body of Christ, currently they too are hearing the Lord say the word discipline. We are in a season where the Lord wants us to be disciplined and for those who are disciplined to tighten it up, step it up and walk in even more discipline.
As Jesus disciplined Himself all the way to the cross, the Father is calling us to discipline our flesh. The Spirit of the Lord is calling us to cast down our flesh and walk in the Spirit. "I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. These are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please" (Gal. 5:16-17).
He is calling us to get disciplined in not just the little or big things but all things. First-time obedience is what He requires with no ifs, ands or buts. He's not looking for us to justify or give excuses but to answer the call and instructions with no hesitation and fleshly argument. The day of excuses and procrastination are over. He needs you equipped, armed up and battle-ready now for what He has in store for you!
Discipline and Obedience
Discipline isn't an option in our spiritual walk. As I was contemplating this word the other day and began to preach prophetically on it, the Spirit showed me how if we all were disciplined as He desires us to be, we would eliminate many of the challenges we face and the world encounters. Our destinies are delayed and distraction enters through the lack of discipline we manifest.
I used to think I was very obedient to the Lord. However, I discovered over the years there is a difference between obedience and discipline. Obedient is defined in the 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language as "Submissive to authority; yielding compliance with commands, orders or injunctions; performing what is required, or abstaining from what is forbid."
Remember, discipline is self-control. Both involve action and accomplishing the end goal. Still, we can be obedient and eventually achieve the goal without being disciplined and making it an instant response and reaction to what the Spirit of the Lord instructed or of which He has convicted us. Discipline and self-control are both flesh operations in which we can choose to obey or abstain.
However, looking back at Galatians 5:16-17, are we going to choose to walk in the flesh and fulfill the lusts of the flesh, what we want and our own agenda? Are we going to continue to justify our excuses as to why we can't transition to our spirit man and the response He desires us to manifest? Or are we going to have discipline and obedience in both our flesh and our spirit man?
Discipline is saying no when everyone else is screaming yes. It is to fear the Lord and desire what the Lord wants for you more than what you want for yourself or what other people want for you. I like to say, "Be you. Everyone else is taken." Being you means choosing not to participate or saying no when everyone else says yes or thinks it is okay. Discipline isn't just in the flesh, spiritual or natural. It is in all three. We must choose to be emotionally, spiritually and physically disciplined.
The Lord is calling believers in this season to be disciplined in their eating, physical fitness and weight loss. He is calling them to get their private devotional times and prayer habits in order. He is calling believers to implement the plans strategically He has given you for ministry. He is preparing us for something, and the question is, when that something happens: Are you going to be ready? Be obedient, be disciplined, cast down the flesh and fear the Lord enough to listen and act upon His instructions.
Kathy DeGraw
