Spiritual disciplines are practices found in the Bible that Christians apply to their lives in order to deepen their relationship with Jesus. Trusted Christian authors have written spiritual discipline books to help you get started on growing your faith.
In order to give you a head start on developing your spiritual disciplines, I’ve made a list of the 10 best Christian disciplines books you should read:
1. Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life is a thorough yet enjoyable read by Donald S. Whitney, one of the best authors on spiritual disciplines.
In this book, Donald S. Whitney goes through all the important disciplines found in the Bible and illustrates how each one gives us an opportunity to grow in character and spiritual maturity.
These disciplines are:
- Scripture Reading
- Prayer
- Worship
- Scripture Meditation
- Evangelism
- Serving
- Stewardship of Time and Money
- Scripture Application
- Fasting
- Silence and Solitude
- Journaling
- Learning
To dive deep into any of these Christian disciplines, you can access Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life here.
2. Celebration Of Discipline
As one of the most trusted authors on spiritual disciplines, Richard J. Foster walks you through the classic disciplines found in God’s word and how they’re meant to bring us joy and strength.
Spiritual disciplines are not meant to scare us into being better Christians, but instead are meant to bless us as we abide in God’s word and seek Him before everything else.
The Celebration of Discipline explains this well and helps you to go into your walk with Jesus with peace and thanksgiving.
You can access the Celebration of Discipline here.
3. Simplify Your Spiritual Life
As Christians, a lot of the time we tend to overcomplicate things and focus on the things we should be doing rather than focusing on the person we’re doing them with.
In this book, Donald S. Whitney talks about how we can learn from the simplicity that Jesus brought into His relationship with the Father and with others.
Even Jesus became overwhelmed in His life on earth, but He never let the chaos of life interrupt His relationship with the Father, and that’s why this book is so helpful because it coaches you through how to rediscover the simplicity of being with Jesus.
You can access Donald S. Whitney’s book Simplify Your Spiritual Life here.
4. Family Worship
Also by Donald S. Whitney, Family Worship is all about growing the spiritual disciplines for your family.
If you have a busy schedule, aren’t sure how to lead your family in everyday worship, or don’t know where to start with family devotions, this book will help you do all of the above.
Applying God’s word to your life can be difficult, especially as a family, but Family Worship reveals how much of a blessing it can be to grow in your relationship with Jesus and with each other.
This book is short and sweet and will be sure to inspire you to lead your family well in your home and when you’re out and about.
You can access Family Worship here.
5. The Spirit Of The Disciplines
The Spirit of Disciplines is by Dallas Willard, one of today’s greatest Christian thinkers and theologians.
With his depth of knowledge and understanding on spiritual disciplines, Willard writes in a way that any Christian can get excited about applying God’s word to their life.
Spiritual disciplines are all about learning from who Jesus is and imitating His actions, and through this book, you’ll get everyday practical insight on how to be His true disciple.
God wants us to know that spiritual disciplines are the doorway to transformation and that He’s here to guide us, extend grace to us, and help us through His Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of the Disciplines helps us realize this and live our lives to the fullest.
You can access Dallas Willard’s book The Spirit of the Disciplines here.
6. Disciplines Of A Godly Man
Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes talks through all the big areas men are called to lead and be courageous in marriage, fatherhood, friendship, purity, integrity, leadership, prayer, ministry, and more.
This convicting read will help you grow in your spiritual disciplines as a godly man and walk you through what it means to live by biblical wisdom.
Hughes does this by providing practical steps and discussion questions for you in his book so that you can learn to love God and others with all you’ve got.
You can access R. Kent Hughes’ book Disciplines of a Godly Man here.
7. Disciplines Of A Godly Woman
Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes helps women see the joy and the fruit in disciplining themselves spiritually, physically, and mentally.
The whole purpose behind spiritual disciplines is to love God with every moment, activity, and thought, not to beat ourselves up for not being the perfect woman.
That’s why this book will help you live in anticipation of what God will do in your life as a godly woman.
You can access the book and study of Disciplines of a Godly Woman here.
8. The Pursuit Of Holiness
The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges is a convicting yet comforting book about our role in holiness according to God and His word.
God tells us to be holy as He is holy, and without Jesus that is impossible. Digging even deeper into this topic, Jerry Bridges talks about the Holy Spirit’s role in our pursuit of holiness and how spiritual disciplines play into that.
With learning more about how to rely on God as well as taking responsibility for your own holiness, this book will help you mature in your spiritual journey and find the joy that comes in obeying and following God.
You can access Jerry Bridges’ book The Pursuit of Holiness here.
9. Sacred Rythyms
Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton is all about disciplining ourselves to create spaces for God’s transforming word, love, and grace to fill our lives.
To accomplish this, Sacred Rhythms walks you through 7 spiritual disciplines and practical idea, tips, and tricks on how to make them a regular part of your every-day life.
Sacred Rhythms is a down-to-earth read, full of encouragement and engaging questions at the end of each chapter to get you and/or a group more involved in their spiritual disciplines journey.
You can access Ruth Haley Barton’s book Sacred Rhythms here.
10. Habits of Grace
Habits of Grace by David Mathis is a book all about helping you to not breeze past the everyday moments of grace we get from and with God.
This book helps you to recognize these moments and grow in them by listening to God, speaking to Him in prayer, and joining a community of believers as the body of Christ.
Habits of Grace is designed to help you cultivate a life full of rest and grace even in the crazy, mundane, and trying times of life, all so that you can fall in love with Jesus more.
You can access David Mathis’s book Habits of Grace here.
Spiritual Disciplines Books Matter
Spiritual discipline books matter because they help us see the importance of spiritual disciplines and not get overwhelmed by them.
Spiritual disciplines are not there for us to earn our salvation, because we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus. Because of the amazing gift He’s given us, we get to worship Him through our lives by surrendering to Him and growing in a relationship with Him.
God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to live, die, and rise again for us.
We get to become more like Him on this side of heaven and grow in our spiritual disciplines so that no matter what our everyday life looks like, we can experience a joyful, full, and blessed life with Him.