The Secret Weapon of the Faithful
Decision. Discipline. Determination.
Discipline is a powerful secret, hidden weapon to have. Something that we get to use and don’t need to tell anyone about it. It’s this power that we get to activate when no one knows where actively working on it, and that it’s revealed through our behavior. It always yield positive results. It’s not flashy, or always applauded, and certainly not always easy. But when put into practice, it becomes a secret tool for righteous living.
To me, discipline is more than just sticking to a routine or saying no to a cookie. It’s choosing to live with integrity. It’s living by truth, and controlling impulses. It’s what allows us to live in way a way that not only honors God, but says to self “I respect you”, even when no one’s watching.
A disciplined person it’s not a rule follower, it’s a person who lives by values. They can have $800,000 in the bank and only make $3,000 a month, but because they’re disciplined, they don’t touch what’s not meant for today. They don’t let desire override wisdom.
Someone without discipline might blow through all of it, because they haven’t learned how to lead themselves. This doesn’t mean they’re evil or necessarily reckless, however this may show that they have not valued the power of discipline and can’t lead themselves. That’s what discipline really is—it’s leadership of self. It’s stewardship of your time, your body, your money, your mind.
In a world where we want everything we see, everything we crave, everything we feel, and everything we believe we deserve or should have, we need discipline more than ever. It tells us what’s for us and what isn’t. What we should wait for and what we need to walk away from.
It reminds me of Jesus.
We like to think, Well, He was Jesus, of course He lived that way. But Jesus didn’t just drift into obedience, He chose it. He fasted. He prayed. He withdrew when He needed to. He stuck to the plan. If Jesus had not been a disciplined man, He could have easily given in to the flesh. But He didn’t, and because of that, we have new hope today.
Discipline is choosing not to give in to the flesh, even when it screams louder than your spirit. Let’s be honest, how often do we blame society, circumstances, or even God, when really, we’re avoiding our own responsibility?
A disciplined person has character. They’re proud of who they’re becoming, without the need to boast or behave arrogantly. Even when they’ve been through trauma or brokenness, they fight to remain focused because they are becoming the very person they never had the chance to be when they were younger.
And that my friend is what makes it beautiful.
Discipline does mean control others, but practices self-control, it’s healing. It’s about freedom. It’s saying, I choose who I am becoming, not what my past made me believe I could be.
Disciple is this inner power that says “I may stumble, I may stutter, but I still do what the Lord has told me to do, because I choose to be disciplined”. Trust me when you are faithful to yourself, you’ll be disciplined enough to be faithful to others. If you lack self-discipline and wonder how can you be consistent with separating the wants vs the should, ask God for help, and put yourself to practice. Then you can say if I am faithful to God, I’m learning how to be faithful to myself, and that means I can be faithful to others too.
Have a disciplined day ;)
©️2025 Denise Kilby New Hope MHCLC Assoc. All rights reserved.
