The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard
Week 7: Chapter 6 — The Disciplines of Abstinence
Read Chapter 6 of The Spirit of the Disciplines. Key Scripture: Matthew 4:1–11; Isaiah 58:1–7.
Previewing Week 7 of The Spirit of the Disciplines
Read 3 of 6 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 12-week guide when you’re ready.
Willard now walks through the disciplines of abstinence — fasting, solitude, silence, and related practices — explaining what each one does in us and why withdrawal from certain goods can train us in deeper ones.
Discussion Questions
6 questions1.Willard defines the disciplines of abstinence as practices of purposeful withdrawal — from food, from noise, from social contact, from comfort — not because these things are bad, but because detachment from them trains us in freedom and deepens our dependence on God. What is your immediate, gut-level reaction to this category of discipline?
2.On fasting, Willard argues that Jesus assumed his disciples would fast ('when you fast,' Matthew 6, not 'if you fast') and that fasting reveals what truly rules us. If you have fasted, what did it reveal about your own attachments and dependencies? If you have not, what feels most frightening about the prospect?
a.What might you discover about yourself if you fasted from food for one day?
b.Are there non-food fasts (from social media, entertainment, comfort-seeking) that might be equally or more revealing for you right now?
3.Willard gives significant attention to solitude — the practice of being alone and quiet, without agenda, in God's presence. He notes that Jesus regularly withdrew to lonely places (Luke 5:16), and that this was not an interruption of his ministry but the source of it. What does the rhythm of Jesus' solitude suggest about the relationship between withdrawal and engagement?