God can convert discipline into delight. This simple truth can revolutionize every area of your life, from your spiritual walk to your business success. When you understand this principle, you’ll stop struggling with consistency and start looking forward to the things that grow you.

You Have VIP Access to the Father

Romans 8:9-11 in the Message Bible sets the foundation: “But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms.”

At the cross in Matthew 27, when Jesus yielded up his spirit, the whole veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. Do you understand what that represented?

Go back to Moses’ days when they built the temple of worship. There was a veil that prevented you from accessing the Holy of Holies. If you weren’t the right type of person and tried to get past that veil, you died instantly.

What does it mean that the veil was torn? You now have direct access to our Heavenly Father. We got VIP access. We got the fast pass. We’re accessing our Heavenly Father directly. The velvet rope was removed.

Now we can enter that veil with sure and steadfast hope. We have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus. Can anything separate us from the living God? No.

We Can Do Nothing to Enter, Everything to Stay

We can do nothing to enter this place with God. We’re not saved by our works; we’re saved by grace. You don’t need to do pull-ups or push-ups, Hail Marys, chug holy water, or pour anointing oil on your head. It’s a gift. The veil was torn.

But we must do everything to stay there, and that’s what abiding is. How often do we let something external get our attention, energy, and focus versus the presence of God within us? Luke 17:21 says, “The kingdom of God is within you.”

To abide is to remember: “Oh wait, there’s a circumstance out there. Oh yeah, I have the presence of God within me. I think I’m pretty good. That situation isn’t nearly as big as the enemy is trying to make it. I have the creator of the heavens and the earth within me.”

It’s not a remote call. It’s not “Jesus, you better get in here.” He’s already here. You already have Him. He’s with you. He’ll never leave you or forsake you.

The Discipline of Dwelling

It’s the discipline of staying, dwelling, and remaining. It’s the discipline of not being awestruck by the situation, challenge, problem, traffic, DMV line, person hating on you on Facebook, person spreading lies about you, or person who betrayed you.

It’s about abiding, dwelling, staying in His presence and not being pulled out by that situation, which is much less wonderful than having His presence.

You have the presence of the creator of the universe within you, yet we let a stubbed toe get us out of that presence. We let a traffic jam, a long line at a theme park, an electric bill, or a mortgage payment pull us out of awareness that we have the most wonderful Being of all time dwelling with us. He chose us. We were written in His book of life.

The Delight Principle: Coffee vs. Prayer

Here’s a story from Graham Cooke that changed everything for me. He was talking to a guy in Dallas who said, “I really can’t crack the discipline of prayer. I just can’t crack it.”

Graham’s response: “Well, why did you make it a discipline in the first place?”

Think about this: How many coffee lovers do we have here? How long did it take you to get disciplined with coffee? You know, “Oh yeah, I gotta get my coffee, man. I almost missed it.” You don’t say that because it’s not a discipline, it’s a delight.

Delight doesn’t feel like discipline, but if you delight in something that progresses you, you’re going to be disciplined at it. No one says, “Man, I really gotta work on my routine with drinking coffee. Some mornings I forget.” No one ever says, “Oh my goodness, I forgot to eat my jelly donut this morning.”

You delight in it. You probably look forward to it.

God Gave Me the Gift of Delighting in Discipline

When I heard this from Graham, I realized something. You’re seeing the end result of someone who’s been working on themselves their entire life. What you don’t know is when I first tried sales, I sucked. When I first tried public speaking, I was horrible. When I first tried football in high school, I was terrible. When I did my first video, the mentor I sent it to laughed at me.

I wasn’t naturally good at things you may consider I’m good at. But the one gift God gave me that I know for certain is I delight in discipline. I delight in routine. It’s a weird way I’m wired.

I actually look for things to add to my daily routine every day. I recently added eye exercises, and I delight in them. I wake up thinking, “Time for my routine,” and I love it. I delight in progress, consistency, and routine. He gave me that. He made me delight in discipline.

Well, guess what? He can upgrade you too.

Ask for Delight, Not Discipline

Instead of asking for discipline, ask for passion. Ask for delight. You shouldn’t be asking the Lord to give you the discipline of prayer. Ask Him to give you the delight of praying.

Some of you struggle with reading the Bible. Here’s the hack I used: “Father, thank you for helping me delight in reading your word.” I don’t have any resistance anymore. I did for a period of time. I would read every other book but God’s.

I realized it was important and I wanted to look forward to it: “Father, thank you for helping me delight in reading your word. Father, thank you for helping me delight in getting into the Bible. Father, thank you for helping me look forward to reading your word.”

All of a sudden, I started enjoying it more. Then I started looking forward to it more. I don’t remember the last day I missed reading the Bible. That’s not because I’m so disciplined and good. It’s because I delight in it. I’m passionate about it.

Graham told that guy: “Ask the Lord to give you the delight of praying. Ask him for passion. Give me a passion to pray. Give me a passion for the lost. Give me a passion to grow closer with you. Give me a passion to seek your kingdom first.”

The Ultimate Bible Hack

The biblical hack is Mark 11:24 and Philippians 4:6: when you pray, praise as if you’ve already received. “Don’t be anxious for anything, but in everything, with prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Thank Him for the trait you want:

• “Father, thank you for putting your will above my desires”
• “Father, thank you for helping me delight in helping others”
• “Father, thank you for helping me delight in serving others”
• “Father, thank you for helping me delight in worshiping you, praying to you, and honoring you”

What Would Your Business Look Like?

What might your business look like if you started thanking the Father for making you passionate about helping others, reaching out to others, following up with others, doing videos that help people, and being bolder with your business?

Some of you think God wants you to check your business at the door. Ask yourself: do we, as earthly parents, take interest in our kids’ businesses? Of course we do.

Yesterday my daughter ran a lemonade and fidget toy stand. She’s out on the corner chasing down cars. She saw something she wanted and said, “I need to make some money.” She’s nine years old.

Think about this: how many adults see something they want and think, “I wish I had the money for that. I wonder if I could get anyone to buy this for me”? At nine years old, she sees something she wants and says, “I need to make money.”

She didn’t come to me (though I probably would have caved). She thought, “This costs money. I don’t have enough. I need to go make money.” So she set up her wagon, made a sign, went down the street, and made her money.

Some of you see something you want and think, “Sure wish I could get that thing,” instead of saying, “I need to make money.” As Brendan Burchard says, “Utility companies don’t have electricity. They make it.”

Transform Your Business Activities

What would your business look like if you took all those things you know you need to do and transformed them from discipline to delight?

You know you need to reach out to people, follow up, do marketing, put out videos consistently. If you’re looking at them and thinking, “Oh man, I need to reach out to people, do videos,” you’re doing it wrong.

Instead: “Father, thank you for helping me delight in doing videos. Father, thank you for helping me desire and be passionate about reaching out to other people. Father, thank you for helping me have more boldness in this thing that can help people. Father, thank you for helping me delight in showing people how I can help them.”

All that stuff you wish you were more disciplined and consistent about, if you started looking forward to it, being passionate about it, and delighting in it, then it becomes like your cup of coffee.

My going to the gym is like your cup of coffee. My praying each morning is like your jelly donut. I’m not going to miss it because I look forward to it.

When God converts discipline into delight, consistency becomes effortless. You stop forcing yourself through activities and start anticipating them. That’s when real transformation happens in every area of your life.