Earlier this year, I was invited to join a small group of men for a programme called CT12 (CT stands for ‘Cross Training’, the name of the ministry that founded the programme, and 12 for the number of weeks involved). For twelve weeks, we met for an hour each week (5-6 am on a Wednesday) to chat about the Bible, pray for each other and spur each other on toward godliness.

The programme is centred around three spheres: 1) simple routines such as memorising Scripture (we memorised two verses of Colossians 3 each week), regular bed- and wake-up times, carving out time with God, reading Christian literature. 2) Bodily discipline – including digital minimalism (phones/devices to bed at 9 pm and not awake until devotions are done), establishing alcohol/caffeine/sugar thresholds (whatever is most appropriate for you), exercising at least twice weekly. 3) Spiritual friendship and accountability, including meeting weekly with brothers to recite our verses, pray for one another, and spur one another on to Christlikeness.

The programme is underpinned by the belief that God longs for men to be godly; our colleagues, wives, kids, and our society do too. And that grace is our motivation and the power by which we do these things. Grace gives us the ability to say no to sin and yes to righteousness (Romans 6:12).

Joe Barnard, who founded the programme, has a load of YouTube recordings meant to accompany each week of the programme. These focus on Bible intake, prayer, redeeming the start and end of each day, bodily disciplines, and others built around the themes mentioned above. In addition, the CT12 website hosts discussion questions for each verse couplet from Colossians, which we used for digging deeper into the passage each week we met to quote our verses, encourage and pray for each other.

My Experience: A Breath of Fresh Air

I think that if I were to choose the most impactful activity I’ve done this year, I would easily vote the CT12 programme! Having a band of brothers meeting weekly to memorise and chat through Bible verses and bare our hearts to each other was a breath of fresh air. Knowing you would be required to quote your two verses for the week gave me extra motivation to commit them to memory. The frankness and vulnerability with which we shared our challenges as we sought to parent with grace or battled sin during the week, and the opportunity to receive prayer and encourage one another to keep pressing on, were such a blessing.

During the 12 weeks, we read Joe Barnards’ book, ‘The Way Forward’, which prescribes a roadmap for men to grow in godliness. Again, reading together with other men and chatting about the book was very rewarding. As an avid reader, I have long longed for reading buddies with whom I could read the same books and meet to discuss the gems we are gleaning from our reading. So, getting a small taste of this during our 12-week journey thrilled my soul.

By the end of the programme, I had memorised Colossians 3. I have since gone on to memorise all of Colossians and truly loved doing this! During the Summer holidays, my wife and I introduced memorising a verse a day as part of our family devotions, and our kids loved it and, contrary to my fears that they might find it overwhelming, surprisingly did exceptionally well. Altogether, we’ve memorised Psalms 19, 91, 121, 150, 100, and Ephesians 5 since then, and we’re presently tackling Ephesians 6. Sometimes a verse takes more than a day, or we skip days because of other activities, but we have kept at it by God’s grace.

What CT12 Has Taught Me

CT2 has reinforced that, with a little discipline, I can redeem time to memorise God’s word. I have learnt to keep a printout of the passage I’m working on in my pocket; during train rides or when I’m waiting in a queue, for example, I pull it out. A few minutes’ glance and muttering it to myself is usually enough to get a few sentences in. At home or during the car rides, I would recite to my family and have them check if I was on track. It was Donald S. Whitney who said that if we can remember our phone numbers, house numbers, or birthdays, then our memory is good enough to memorise Scripture!

Now, I don’t deny it takes work to get those verses into my mind and heart, but CT12 has taught me it is doable.

Working on those verses has also enriched my prayers, providing an opportunity to meditate on God’s word and soak in all the delightful juices of goodness in them. In so doing, Colossians 3 has been etched on my heart, having incubated in my mind for so long. Verses from Colossians have found expression in my prayers time and again since then.

Again, Donald S. Whitney offers a helpful illustration of how meditation and memorisation help assimilate God’s Word into the deep recesses of one’s soul. In his book, Spiritual Disciplines, he uses the analogy of the tea bag. Reading and hearing the Word are like a single dip of the tea bag in hot water; memorisation and meditation are like additional plunges that fully immerse the tea bag and allow its rich taste and colour to seep into the water.

I have also kept up my exercise routine. Under grace, this was already an area I had been working on diligently, for at least the past year. CT12 cemented and reinforced my conviction to keep pressing on. It also reminded me to use my devices in a God-honouring way, instead of letting them use me and rob me of precious time I could repurpose to grow in godliness. And the other disciplines outlined above.

A Precious Help in the Fight Against Sin

I will never forget a sermon my Pastor Andy Reese brought to our church in January this year, which brought home to me the blessedness of having a band of brothers or sisters in serving as a means of grace in the fight against sin like never before. In his message, Andy intimated how having accountability friends to whom you can confess your sins and ask for prayers could prevent sin from taking hold in one’s life. He then gave the analogy of the Boa Constrictor.

When the Boa Constrictor first wraps itself around human prey, it apparently initially feels warm and cosy, until it begins to squeeze the life out of you by blocking the flow of life-giving blood and oxygen to vital organs such as the heart and brain. Interestingly, the one being so constricted cannot free themselves; however, the snake can be easily unwound by another person simply taking it by the tail.

This, Andy pressed, is how having Christian friends to whom we can be honest about our struggle with sin can nip sin in the bud. Sin thrives when it is kept secret, but once it is brought into the light, it loses its grip. Confessing an illicit attraction may be embarrassing, but it can lead to redemption and may prevent a future public scandal.

Why Don’t You Give it a Try?

I am sharing my experience in hopes you may be encouraged to memorise God’s Word and establish a routine for keeping fit, making time for God, Lord willing, together with other like-minded believers. Why don’t you prayerfully consider a few friends with whom you can start a CT12 or CT6 group? The programme is designed for men, but principles certainly apply to all believers. You can adapt the study questions to suit your group or create your own!

And, more importantly, I pray God gives you godly friendships like that of David and Jonathan. Friends with you can pray, read and memorise God’s Word. That is my fervent prayer too.

Notes

To access the CT12 resources, you will need to sign up on the CT website; you will then be able to log in to ‘LeadConnector’ which gives you access to the programme resources, including access the study questions for Colossians 3 and accompanying videos for each week (see the screenshot below).

Donald S. Whitney’s book on the Spiritual Disciplines is the best I’ve ever read on the subject. In addition to treating each discipline with copious biblical references, it provides practical guidance and wisdom on how to do them, not legalistically, but in a God-honouring, grace-full way. I wholeheartedly recommend it!