Counsel

There seems to be parts to discipleship.

If the enemy can get God's family to harbor lies in their hearts, it will detract from the effect God wants His children to have on the world. Steps should be taken to apply truth to hearts to counter-act the falsehoods.

We could use the word "counseling" to describe this application of truth. God is quite involved in counseling. This is one reason why He resides in the hearts of His children. This is why He regularly seeks out and speaks with His children. And this is why we need to engage in listening.

Discipleship II

Discipleship is living out our love relationship with God. This renews our heart because we are designed for this relationship. This interaction is part of the basic fuel that powers our beings. Just like when people who love each other are together, they fill a tremendous joy that fills their hearts.

In all relationships, there is interaction. So, there must be communication between God and his family.
God has a unique position in our lives. He designed us and knows us. Each person’s heart vibrates at a different frequency. And God knows that frequency best of anyone.

Since, he knows our frequency, he knows what best resonates with us. So, he can communicate directions and actions which can feed and renew our hearts.

He can communicate conditions or practices that block renewal. He can warn of the enemy's plans which will harm us and squash our hearts.

Learning to live this love relationship is probably the main avenue of heart renewal.

Discipleship

In the modern West, the word "discipleship" defines a process that people go through, usually a series of classes. Presenting accurate information is not wrong. But amassing information is not the purpose of discipleship. (The people setting up the "classes" would agree with that too.)

Jesus knew that choosing allegiance with God, and beginning a love-relationship with Him, is a revolutionary experience. People develop different values and perspectives. They see God, people, right\wrong differently. There is a heart level, radical transformation.

Discipleship is the process of directing this heart transformation into appropriate lifestyle. When someone has a love relationship with a person, there are appropriate behaviors. One does not steal form them. One does not lie to, abuse or degrade them. Similarly, a love relationship with God involves learning practical steps in living out the love relationship. It involves relating with God and other people based on the heart change and love relationship.

It is a learning process because even though our heart have been radically transformed, our behavior is still etched into our minds, and bodies. Our hearts must be filtered through these other parts of us. So, we do not completely live as God's disciples, living in allegiance and a love relationship with Him.

So, this process is both wonderful and painful, liberating and difficult. It is something people want and strive for. It is something they avoid at all costs. It expresses who we really should be.

Heart Renewal

As I said before, I started this thought process after reading "Waking the Dead." My question was, if the enemy is attacking people's hearts and having some success at it, how do we renew the heart? So, I am going to spend time and space trying to answer those questions. I will probably begin with the four basic areas "Waking the Dead" started with, and hopefully push into some areas it did not.