What practices make up the Christian life?
The Christian life is made up of feeding on the Word of God, fellowship with fellow believers, and prayer time. These practices constantly nourish the inner man and the Spirit of God, enhancing the whole spiritual life. Staying in the book is essential, not occasional church attendance, because spiritual survival requires continual nourishment.
Les explains that just as the little dog fed the best is the one that is victorious, believers must keep old Adam starved and feed the spirit side. People think they can attend church twice a year and maintain their Christianity, but that is impossible—you cannot survive physically eating twice a year, nor spiritually. Instead, it has to be a constant refurbishing or nourishing of the inner man, the Spirit of God, from the book. This includes feeding on the Word of God, fellowship with fellow believers, and prayer time. All these make up the Christian life and enhance the whole spiritual life, amid the warfare between the old Adam and the new. In chapter 7, the apostle illustrates the struggle: that which I do, I allow not; what he lets old Adam do, the spirit side says is wrong.