No normal person enjoys discipline. However, the Bible explains that to live the life of victory over sin, we are to discipline our flesh to submit to our re-born spirit-man. This may seem difficult at first, and even a struggle – but dealing with sin in our lives is essential if we are going to walk in the reality of everything Jesus accomplished for us through His death, burial, and resurrection. In this chapter of Hebrews 12, the writer encourages us in this process of deliberately training our flesh to be dominated by our spirits. He assures us that our Heavenly Father personally takes on the role of training and disciplining us in living holy and righteous before Him so we can truly live in freedom and victory. He is referred to the Father of spirits, and as we willingly pay attention to His Words and trust His leading, being careful to do what He instructs – we will overcome every temptation to sin, have a clear conscience, and walk in the blessing and authority that obedience to His Word brings! (Hebrews 12:9-10). The hardship referred to in Hebrews 12 has everything to do with the suffering of our carnal nature. This is something we wholeheartedly welcome because it involves us renewing our minds to God’s way of living. As we allow His truth to influence our thoughts and attitudes, our belief system and character begins to be molded into the exact character of Jesus! Since our flesh can be stubborn to die to self and yield to God’s ways, this process can be difficult. Which is why Paul writes to Timothy to endure hardship as a good soldier of Christ. James writes that we should let perseverance (indicative of hardship) finish its work so that we may be perfect and complete lacking nothing. Learn to embrace this training process, especially when circumstances seem tough – let them force you to keep your heart full of God’s Word and engaged in intimate fellowship with Him. This way you will have the wisdom and strength to do the right thing that will cause you to overcome joyfully – every time!