Just as every athlete must train to win, every Christian must make their faith strong through spiritual disciplines. Nobody can sit on the couch eating Cheetos for months and hope to compete.

The best athletes are intensely disciplined. They follow strict diet and exercise regiments to beat their body into peak physical condition, so when the game is on the line, they are ready.

We know this is true for our physical condition, but there’s a disconnect with how we think about our spiritual condition.

The sad reality is that many Christians are unfit because they are undisciplined.

Nobody drifts into discipline. Just as the undisciplined body becomes sluggish and fat, the undisciplined spirit becomes weak.

This is why Paul coaches Timothy: “Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim 4:7-8).

This verse is the cornerstone of the spiritual disciplines because it spells out their purpose—training for godliness.

There is no consensus list of spiritual disciplines. The Bible does not include a set list. So different authors list different disciplines—some more biblical than others.

Below are several resources to assist you in discerning and developing spiritual practices.