Spiritual Disciplines

PracticePrecedes Progress

For Wesley there were five spiritual disciplines he sought to practice as often as possible.

Bible Study: John Wesley would often use his travel time to read through the Bible. His love for the scripture was so great he could say, “Let me be a man of one book.” Scripture was the foundation for his faith in Christ.

Prayer: Wesley would spend time at the beginning of every day in prayer. He also liked to say a short prayer every hour, on the hour, and would begin every important action with prayer. (Prayer includes personal, family, and public prayer.)

Journaling:  Wesley used a daily journal to record his experiences and conversations, and often kept a separate daily diary to list how he spent each hour of his time including the different temptations he faced. He then regularly reviewed both, to see where he still needed to grow.

Fasting:  Each week, Wesley would fast breakfast and lunch most Wednesdays and Fridays. He would do longer fasts when praying for something specific. 

Communion: Wesley believed in communion as a means of grace that could draw him closer to God, just as other spiritual disciplines could. He took communion weekly at Anglican services and as often as he could in between. He encouraged all the people called Methodist to do the same.

Some Other Spiritual Disciplines:

Meditation

Silence

Simplicity

Sabbath

Abstinence

Worship

Giving Sacrificially

Christian Conferencing

Mutual Accountability


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