I heard a funny story about a pastor preaching from his pulpit. As he raised his hands, he was hit by a spinning ceiling fan. He instinctively shouted, “Sango o!” (a Yoruba invocation of the thunder god). His congregation was surprised and disappointed. The pastor realized he had reverted to his cultural upbringing, revealing a discipline that had become his default.
Friend, your discipline is what determines your default (1 Timothy 4:13-16). You cannot suddenly call on Jesus in public when you don’t call Him in private. This was the undoing of the sons of Sceva. They attempted calling on a Jesus they did not know (Acts 19:13-17). They copied a man of intimacy when they lacked intimacy themselves.
One of the reasons why you must have a private discipline is to coordinate your response during emergencies (Luke 4:1-4). What you do daily and consistently automatically becomes a part of you. It is what you would bring out by default. Like the pastor in our opening message, some people only have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5).
What are your private disciplines and practices (Mark 1:35)? These are things that would keep you stayed and steady in the midst of contradictions and oppositions. For Daniel, his private discipline of prayers was what sustained him when the test and trials came in Babylon (Daniel 6:10). He could not be stopped from praying as his custom was.
Don’t just be a church goer. Be a Bible practitioner (John 8:31-32). Don’t confuse attending church with knowing Jesus. Don’t confuse being in ministry with being a Christian. Christianity is first about having a relationship with Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, and fellowshipping with Him in His word, prayer, worship, and the gathering of the Saints (Acts 2:41-47).
What have you practised? What have you mastered? It was the same stone and catapult that David had mastered that became his default when faced with Goliath (1 Samuel 17:49-50). He had so mastered it in private that it became easier to use in public. Unlike the sons of Sceva, he escaped a public embarrassment. You cannot depend on an untested weapon on the day of battle.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria