Victory Leadership Podcast - Spiritual Disciplines

Summary

In this episode of the Victory Leadership Podcast, Pastor CJ Nuna interviews Bishop Manny Carlos on the importance of spiritual disciplines. They discuss how practices like prayer, Bible reading, fasting, and generosity help deepen one's relationship with God. Bishop Manny emphasizes that these disciplines are not about earning God's love but positioning oneself to receive His grace. He shares personal insights and practical tips on maintaining these habits, highlighting their role in effective leadership and personal spiritual growth.

Takeaways

• 🎙️ The podcast aims to equip listeners to be leaders honoring God and making disciples.
• 📖 Spiritual disciplines are habits designed to help grow in a relationship with God, similar to physical exercises for bodily health.
• 🙏 Common spiritual disciplines include reading the Bible, praying, meditating on God's word, fasting, worshiping, and giving generously.
• 📜 Spiritual disciplines do not earn God's love but position us to receive His grace and grow in our love for Him.
• ⏳ Consistent practice of spiritual disciplines over time is essential for personal growth and effective leadership.
• 📅 Spiritual disciplines are particularly important for leaders as they can only minister from their own spiritual overflow.
• 💡 Practical tips for developing spiritual disciplines include learning from others, using Bible reading guides, and journaling what God speaks to you.
• 🕰️ Seeking God early in the morning is beneficial as it sets the course for the day and prioritizes one's relationship with God.
• 🍽️ Fasting is a posture of humility before God, demonstrating a willingness to forego personal pleasures for God's purposes.
• 💖 Generosity reflects God's nature and is more than a discipline; it is an expression of becoming more like God.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the Victory Leadership Podcast?

The podcast is designed to equip listeners to be the leaders God has called them to be, as they honor Him and make disciples.

Who is Bishop Manny Carlos?

Bishop Manny Carlos is the chairman of Victory and leads the apostolic team.

What are spiritual disciplines?

Spiritual disciplines are habits or practices that help you grow in your relationship with God.

What does 1 Timothy 4:8 say about spiritual training?

It compares spiritual training to physical training, highlighting that godliness holds value in every way, for both the present life and the life to come.

How do spiritual disciplines relate to grace?

Spiritual disciplines are a means of grace that help position you to receive God's grace, rather than being about earning spirituality.

How have spiritual disciplines impacted Bishop Manny's personal walk with God?

They have helped him grow in his relationship with God, learn to hear from Him, and sense God's call on his life.

Why are spiritual disciplines important for leaders?

Leaders can only minister from their overflow; they need to practice spiritual disciplines to effectively teach and lead others.

How can leaders develop spiritual disciplines in their lives?

By practicing consistently over time, as people are creatures of habit and can develop these practices into daily routines.

What role does fasting play in spiritual disciplines?

Fasting is a posture of humility before God, showing desperation for God's purposes and breakthroughs.

How can generosity be developed as a habit?

Generosity is an expression of wanting to become more like God, who is generous and demonstrated His love through giving.

Outlines

00:00

📖 Introduction to Spiritual Disciplines

CJ Nuna introduces the Victory Leadership Podcast, designed to equip leaders. Bishop Manny Carlos joins to discuss spiritual disciplines, which are habits or practices that help grow one's relationship with God. Bishop Manny references 1 Timothy 4:8, emphasizing the importance of training in godliness as akin to physical training. He clarifies that spiritual disciplines are means of grace and not a measure of righteousness.

05:02

🙏 Personal Spiritual Disciplines of a Leader

Bishop Manny reflects on his 30-year journey with Christ, stating that the same spiritual disciplines he learned early on are still practiced today, such as daily Bible reading, meditation, prayer, worship, fasting, and generosity. These practices have been crucial in hearing God's call and receiving His grace. He emphasizes that leaders can only minister effectively from their overflow and must consistently practice these disciplines.

10:03

⏰ Developing Consistent Spiritual Habits

CJ Nuna and Bishop Manny discuss the challenges and importance of developing spiritual disciplines. Bishop Manny advises consistency over time, making these practices habitual. He shares insights on fasting, describing it as a posture of humility before God. Generosity is highlighted as an expression of God's nature. Bishop Manny encourages leaders to teach their groups to pray, read the Bible, and share their faith, stressing that consistent daily devotion prepares one for greater things.

🕒 Allocating Time for Spiritual Practices

The discussion turns to the best times for spiritual practices. Bishop Manny suggests the morning as ideal for dedicating time to God, aligning with biblical examples. He highlights the importance of journaling God's words and experiences. While any time of day is valid for seeking God, prioritizing Him in the morning can consecrate and set the course for the day.

✨ Final Thoughts on Spiritual Disciplines

Bishop Manny concludes by emphasizing the joy and privilege of having a relationship with God. Spiritual disciplines are means to receive grace and deepen this relationship. He encourages viewers to seek God consistently, ensuring their actions are free from condemnation and focused on receiving God's love and grace. The episode ends with CJ Nuna thanking Bishop Manny and the viewers.

Keywords

💡Spiritual Disciplines

Spiritual disciplines are habits or practices designed to help individuals grow in their relationship with God. These include activities like prayer, Bible reading, fasting, and worship. In the video, Bishop Manny explains that these practices are essential for receiving God's grace and becoming spiritually strong.

💡Grace

Grace is the unearned favor and love of God towards humanity. It is central to the Christian faith, emphasizing that righteousness and salvation come through faith in Christ rather than human efforts. Bishop Manny highlights that spiritual disciplines are a means of grace, helping believers to position themselves to receive God's grace.

💡Prayer

Prayer is a spiritual discipline involving communication with God. It includes thanksgiving, confession, supplication, and intercession. Bishop Manny underscores its importance by comparing it to physical exercise, necessary for spiritual strength and growth.

💡Bible Reading

Bible reading is the practice of regularly reading and meditating on the Scriptures. It is a fundamental spiritual discipline for Christians, as it helps them understand God's will and grow in faith. Bishop Manny advises using Bible reading guides and emphasizes meditation on the Word for deeper spiritual insight.

💡Fasting

Fasting is the voluntary abstention from food (or other activities) for a spiritual purpose. It is a discipline that fosters humility and dependence on God. Bishop Manny discusses the mystery and spiritual benefits of fasting, highlighting its role in seeking God's breakthrough and kingdom purposes.

💡Generosity

Generosity is the act of giving freely, often highlighted as a reflection of God's own generosity. It is a spiritual discipline that combats selfishness and expresses God's love to others. Bishop Manny explains that generosity becomes a natural desire to imitate God's character in the life of a believer.

💡Meditation

Meditation, in a spiritual context, involves deeply reflecting on God's Word to gain spiritual nourishment and insight. Bishop Manny likens it to a cow ruminating, emphasizing the importance of slowing down to reflect on Scripture, allowing God to speak through it.

💡Leadership

Leadership, particularly in a spiritual context, involves guiding and mentoring others in their faith journey. Bishop Manny explains that effective spiritual leadership stems from personal spiritual disciplines, as leaders can only minister from their own spiritual overflow.

💡Consistency

Consistency refers to the regular and persistent practice of spiritual disciplines. Bishop Manny stresses that spiritual growth and strength come from consistently engaging in practices like prayer, Bible reading, and fasting, making them integral habits over time.

💡Devotional Life

Devotional life encompasses regular activities like prayer, Bible reading, and worship aimed at fostering a personal relationship with God. Bishop Manny underscores its importance, sharing how his own consistent devotional practices prepared him for leadership and helped him hear God's call.

Highlights

This podcast is designed to equip you to be the leaders God has called you to be, as we honor him and make disciples.

Spiritual disciplines are habits or practices that are designed to help you grow in your relationship with God.

The goal of spiritual disciplines is to help you grow in your relationship with God.

Spiritual disciplines are a means of grace; starting point is our righteousness through faith in Christ, not our good works.

Praying and reading the Bible puts you in a position to receive God's grace, not to make you more spiritual.

The same spiritual disciplines learned early on are still practiced: reading the Bible, meditating on God's Word, praying, worshiping, fasting, and giving generously.

You can only minister from your overflow; you cannot give what you don't have.

Consistent daily devotional time with God is essential for effective ministry and leadership.

Developing spiritual disciplines requires consistent practice over time.

Fasting is a posture of humility before God, demonstrating desperation for God's breakthrough.

Generosity becomes an expression of a desire to imitate God's nature.

As a Victory group leader, teaching others to pray, read the Bible, and share the gospel is fundamental.

The best way to learn spiritual disciplines is through discipleship and community, such as Victory groups.

Reading the Bible should lead to meditating on God's Word, allowing for reflection and hearing from God.

Seeking God early in the morning sets the course for your day and signifies prioritizing your relationship with Him.

Spiritual disciplines are means to connect with God and receive His grace, emphasizing a personal relationship with Him.

Transcripts

[Music]

hello everyone I'm CJ nuna I'm one of

the pastor's in victory and you're

watching the victory leadership podcast

this podcast is designed to equip you to

be the leaders God has called you to be

as we honor him and make disciples so

today we have with us

Bishop Manny Carlos and he's the

chairman of victory leading our

apostolic team Bishop Manny

welcome to the victory leadership

podcast well glad to be with you and

with everyone bishop Manny we just

started off a new year and obviously

discipline is such a buzzword and let's

get on right into the topic today can

you tell us what spiritual disciplines

are spiritual disciplines are habits or

practices that are designed to help you

grow in your relationship with God I'm

reminded of first Timothy chapter 4

verse 8 let me just read it it says here

have nothing to do with irreverent silly

myths rather train yourself for

godliness for a 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 what's interesting is the word

train in the Greek is the word gum nasha

okay where we get the word Jim nation

which obviously implies physical sports

and activities and the implication of

what Paul was saying here in the same

way that physical exercises benefit us

health with our physical health

spiritual exercises that the spiritual

disciplines are similar in that they

help make you spiritually strong the

goal of spiritual disciplines is to help

you grow in your relationship with God

we need to understand spiritual

disciplines are a means of grace the

starting point is our righteousness

which is our being in right relationship

with God comes through faith in what

Christ has done not our good works so in

other words praying more reading the

Bible more which are the common

spiritual disciplines doesn't make you

more spiritual it puts you rather in a

position where you can receive the grace

of God God doesn't love you more if you

read the Bible than pray more

mm-hmm but when you read and pray the

more you get to love God right it was

good that you were able to clarify that

out pastor Manny and and obviously we

have seen the grace of God work in you

you're now our bishop and you're now the

chairman of victory now how do these

disciplines continue to impact your

personal walk with God yeah well I

appreciate the commendation you know

when I look back over the 30 years now

that I've followed Christ the same

spiritual disciplines that I learned

early on as a follower of Christ are

they still the same spiritual

disciplines that I do to read the Bible

every day to meditate on God's Word to

pray to seek his face to worship Him you

know to fast to give generously to the

kingdom these are the things that I

learned early on from the people

disciple in me and you still do this

today yes I never aspired really to be a

leader all I wanted to know was to do

was to get to know God because he saved

me Lord Jesus and but it was in this

daily walk that I learned to hear from

God right and that's when I began to

sense over time his call upon my life

and I look back and it was the spiritual

disciplines that enabled me to hear to

respond and to keep receiving God's

grace to do his work well thanks for

letting us know about that part of your

journey pastor Manny now thinking about

spiritual disciplines how important is

this then in a leaders life you can only

minister from your overflow in other

words you cannot give what you don't

have if we're going to teach people

spiritual disciplines we need to be

walking in at them ourselves right and I

remember asking pastor Steve this

question some years ago even he preached

a powerful message at that time I mean

he always does

and I asked him one time pastor Steve

how did you prepare for such a message

you know what he said I mean how ask him

how long did it take for you to prepare

for this message well then his answer

then was 20 years in other words it

wasn't the 10 to 15 hours that he spent

studying that enabled him to preach it

was his consistent write daily

devotional time with God seeking God

that prepared him for such a great

ministry and so for all of our brothers

and sisters who are aspiring to be

leader

you're consistent devotional daily life

with God is what will prepare you yeah

for greater things ahead and it's not

these spectacular

things it's the daily consistent walk

with God thanks for that pastor man you

know obviously and again for everyone

disciplines is not a very easy word it

takes time it takes effort now when we

talk about Bible and reading your Bible

or praying fasting and generosity we

know how important it is but how can the

leaders develop this in their lives

well this answer may not be so inspiring

but it's just doing it consistently over

time people are actually creatures of

habit mm-hmm

think about what you did when you woke

up this morning you don't think too much

about it but you keep doing it

consistently why because it's actually

become a habit and so when it comes to

reading the Bible every day praying you

do it enough you'll find that it doesn't

take too much effort because it's such a

part of your life no pastor Mandy helped

me a bit in this because I understand on

how prayer should be a habit reading the

Bible should be a habit but fasting III

have to bring up that topic I know you

like that very much fasting pastor Manny

so how do we develop this as a habit

well my stomach cringe just you said the

word plastic so I love to eat and the

people my friends know that but when I

think about God's kingdom purposes as

much as I love to eat I realize God's

kingdom purposes are so much more

valuable that I'm willing to forego the

things that I enjoy that we all enjoy so

that we can give ourselves to seeking

right

fasting really more than just denying

your flesh it's really a posture of

humility before God and we know God says

he opposes the proud but gives grace to

the humble

but again fasting in a way he's a

mystery one pastor said in this way Lord

why will not my eating a hamburger

advance your kingdom

it's a mystery but that's how God works

and so you think about what it is you're

believing for you know God God is he

delights to give us the kingdom but

sometimes the question is not

you don't have to twist God's arm to

believe for whatever it is you're

believing for but sometimes the question

is how desperate are you to receive what

I want to give you and that's what

fasting does is it puts you in a place

where you saying Lord we're really

believing and desperate for your

breakthrough that's why we're willing to

do this throughout Scripture this has

been the practice of God's people

including our Lord Jesus Christ himself

right thank you for that insight pastor

man you know on one end another thing I

was thinking about is generosity as a

habit could you please help us

understand that more well I think people

are naturally selfish true but when you

get born again God changes your heart

and I believe generosity I think really

becomes more an expression or a desire

to imitate who God is because God is

generous

John 3:16 the classic verse that all of

us know for God so loved the world that

He gave His only begotten Son that

whoever believes in Him should not

perish but have eternal life so God

demonstrated his love for us by giving

of his son and the more you walk with

God the more you become like him and so

I believe generosity more than a

discipline I believe it's really an

expression of you wanting to become more

like God thank you for that pastor Manny

your wisdom it's really good in that and

now I understand that most of our

viewers are victory group leaders now

how do these disciplines apply in their

lives as they continue to lead victory

groups yeah I believe it's a victory

group leader that you can actually help

the people in your victory group is to

teach them how to pray to read the Bible

and to share their faith to share the

gospel well when you're able to do that

as a victor group leader you would have

done pretty much what what I believe the

Lord expects of us and then we can keep

replicating that process again and again

now I know discipline takes time it

takes effort it takes a an intentional

dish it should be something that's

intentionally done for it to actually

work now are there some practical tips

that you could give us so

we could be people who could be more

disciplined in this area I think when it

comes to reading the word in prayer the

best way to learn is to have someone

else teach you remember even the

disciples in Luke 11 approached Jesus

and said Lord teach us to pray the

prayer just like John's disciples taught

them to pray that's why we encourage

victory groups because that's where you

learned how to pray and that's where you

learn to teach others to pray number two

is to get a Bible reading guide I you

know there's there's a plethora of tools

available for this reading is important

but I've learned this more and more that

as important as reading is reading isn't

per se it's not really what the Bible

encourages reading is simply a precursor

to meditating on God's Word the Hebrew

word for meditate is translated to

ruminate basically it's like that the

cow chewing on the cud and getting all

the nutrients from the grass that it's

eating sometimes we need to slow down a

reading allow more reflection then God

begins to speak to you

meditation seems to me what the

scriptures really encourage us we all

work with constraints of time I believe

you're one of the best indicators is you

read the Bible until God begins to speak

to you then when you do that whether

it's 10-15 minutes or half an hour then

you come come out of your time of prayer

strengthened and nourished for the day

ahead

I appreciate that pastor Manny another

thing I was thinking office when we want

to allocate time to read this in your

opinion when it's the best time to do

this is it in the morning or in the

evening that that's a common or commonly

somewhere in yes we they just read it

there yeah that's a commonly asked

question before I answer that can I

quickly add though that it's also good

to write whatever things God speaks to

you through the word and through prayer

I think that's again early on as a

follower of Christ I learned these

disciplines and surprising me not

everybody practices that and that's this

is meant to just encourage you consider

doing that because it's like your

journal your diary with God you can look

back years from now and

Wow this is what God was leading me so

it's really er it's cultivating your

personal relationship with God but in

answer to your question the good thing

with God is you can approach him anytime

isn't it

that's that's how gracious God is you

can call upon him the curtain it says in

Hebrews the veil has been removed we can

draw near to God with a sincere heart in

full assurance of faith so you can

approach God anytime and so some people

say you know because I'm busy in the

morning sure that's understandable and

then at night they do that but I find

modeled by Jesus and modeled by the

church and modeled by God's people all

throughout Scripture it seems like

there's a greater benefit when you seek

God early in the morning or a first part

of your day I mean you know we live in a

stress field world isn't it right

there's so many things that catch your

attention but when you give your first

half-hour one hour or however much time

you have it's as if you're saying to God

Lord you're my priority it's like you're

consecrating the rest of your day by

giving your time to read and pray and in

many ways it also sets the course of

your day one of the things I learned to

pray you know in the Lord's Prayer thy

kingdom come Thy will be done on earth

as it is in heaven you're setting the

course of your day by setting your

priorities and already praying through

them every day you know before I know

the things I'm gonna have to do for that

day and I lift it up in prayer to God so

by the time I leave my home and go to

work it's like I've already covered it

in prayer and of course you can

certainly pray you in today so to me

there's great benefit when you pray as a

first portion of your day but God gives

us access to him anytime as well thank

you so much for that pastor Manny any

final thoughts to our viewers well it's

a great privilege the greatest privilege

to be able to have a relationship with

God and reading the word meditating

praying worshiping God is such a great

joy you know John 17 verse 3 says this

this is internal life that they might

know you the only true and living God in

whom and Jesus Christ whom you sent to

me the spiritual disciplines are

means yes a means to receive grace but

really it's a means to get to know God

God loves us as I said whether we spend

an hour or 30 minutes but it's when you

spend that time with God that's when you

realize how good and loving God is and

all the more you love him so spiritual

disciplines are simply a means for you

to connect with God I think we need to

emphasize that because sometimes when

you don't feel like well I don't pray

enough I don't you know read my Bible

enough that can bring condemnation but

God is always every attempt that you

have to want to reach out to people God

the lights in that because he sees what

is in your heart and so we just need to

ask God for more grace once again thank

you so much for being with us today

Bishop Manny and to all the viewers

thank you once again I'm CJ noon again

this is the victory leadership podcast

[Music]

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