Self-Control

In Galatians 5:22-23 it says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

I’ve read that verse multiple times but it wasn’t until recently that I realized self-control was mentioned as a fruit of the Spirit. When I look back now, I can’t really understand why I didn’t notice it before, but I’m thankful that God’s brought it to attention when He did.

How much do we practice self-control? I certainly have my strong suits, but I’m weak in other areas. For example, I’m fine when it comes to drugs or alcohol and abstaining for them, but it’s hard for me to say no to another piece of chocolate or another episode of Game of Thrones.

I don’t know what you think of when you hear the words “self-control”, but when I first saw them mentioned I wrinkled my nose and tried to ignore the discovery. Self-control requires being selfless and dying to ourselves. I personally don’t find that easy.

Matthew 16:24-26 says, “ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let himdeny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life^[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

Self-control is one of the biggest fruits of being a Christian, for those who truly love Jesus, but how often do we ignore this commandment in our own pursuit of selfish pleasures? While that extra piece of chocolate tastes good now, we know what’s going to happen when we step onto the scales. While another tv episode sounds good right now, we won’t be thinking about that when we’re trying to hurry through University assignments that should have been done ages ago.

I have come to learn that a lot of God’s commandments aren’t made just for His sake. When we follow God’s true plan as outlined in the Bible, we get to live and experience the full life God has for us. Things of beauty don’t just happen by accident. No one looks at a beautiful garden and ask how it got there. Obviously someone was there labouring each day to weed, water and sow. In the same way, we need to do this in our own lives if we want the fruit that God promises.

2 Peter 1:5-7 says, “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.” 

Self-control is a fruit of faith, virtue and knowledge and then self-control gives fruit to being steadfast, godly, etc. Without self-control, one of the most ignored fruits by Christians, we can’t experience the life God wants us to have.

Let’s choose today to take up our cross as Jesus’ instructed and have the self-control God desires for us that we may live the life He desires for us.

Amen?

 

GOD BLESS XX

~ C

God’s Will > Your Will

When I first started courting J, I had been a Christian for about two years so I was pretty much a newbie. Plus, at the time we were attending a Church where personal spiritual growth wasn’t encouraged and we were all fed baby food.

What I’m saying is, I don’t really believe I was spiritually ready for when we started courting. There was a lot I did not know about God, let alone about His view of relationships so as you could imagine its been a bit of a struggle for us.

Something that’s particular hard is now, when I read the Bible, I might come across something that convicts me and makes me see that something we’re doing together might not be God honouring, but when you’ve been doing it a long time, it’s hard to stop. Not impossible, but hard.

So I guess the purpose of this blog post today is to help you out there, single, dating or married to seek out God’s will more then your own.

It sounds easier then it is. A lot of the time what God wants goes against everything our flesh wants. That’s why having the knowledge that we have authority over our flesh is so important. It makes me frustrated when I realise how that one truth could have helped my courtship from day dot to keep it God honouring. We struggled with something we held the answer to and now that we do know, we have to train ourselves up.

Firstly, get an understanding of this authority that God has gifted us with. It’s an authority over the things of this world (for we are from Heaven, not earth).

Here’s some scriptures to help:

 

“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” – Luke 10:19

 

“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” – Matthew 18:18

 

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” – James 4:7

 

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” – 2 Corinthians 10:3

 

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” – 1 John 5:4-5

 

Whatever area you are in with your relationships, start using your authority over the flesh to follow God’s will and not your own. I won’t lie and say its easy, but according to Luke 1:37, “With God, all things are possible.”

 

GOD BLESS XX

~ C

 

Serve Like Christ

Jesus is our greatest model of how we should live and how we should be as Christians. Perhaps one of my favourite things about Him is His servant heart towards those around Him.

Marriage and relationships are a great place to start and grow to have a servant heart. A lot of people forget that marriage is not about your selfish gain, but serving each other selflessly and being a servant towards your partner/spouse.

Imagine a world where everyone lived to serve each other. No one would be lacking anything, right? Well, that’s exactly what marriage especially is meant to be: two people serving each other and in doing so, receiving everything in return.

I utterly love the principle of it all, but I know it’s also a very hard one to take on board. It’s against our human flesh and worldly desires to serve other people above ourselves. We want the goodies but we don’t want to give them in return. That’s why it’s so important that as born again Christians we not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. Actions are an outwork of our faith. Jesus spoke many times of this and the renewing of the mind. As we still live in this world,. we are going to be subjected to its temptations, but through our renewal which comes by God’s Word, we are able to overcome them and follow the truth.

Our answer and key to everything lies within the pages of the Bible. Jesus Himself quoted that man does not live by bread alone. The Bible is meant to be apart of our day to day life, but I don’t believe Jesus just meant reading it, but also living it.

As Jesus is our greatest example of how we should be, I strongly suggest getting into the first four books of the gospel for starters and study how Jesus lived and start applying it to your lives. Is it hard? Yes, but it’s totally possible and totally worth it. After that, the epistles (letters to the Church) are great to study and outwork as well.

I think a lot of people fail to understand just how powerful the Bible is and how much it can help us in life. It really is a survival guide for Christs children living in a world ruled by Satan.

As you study more and more and seek to obey and follow Christ’s example, your mind and your thoughts will also start to change. This is the renewal many speak of. You will still face temptations, but as you’re building your knowledge of the Word, you are also building a barrier between you and the attacks of Satan.

I encourage you all today to grow closer to the Lord and start walking the walk along with talking the talk.

 

GOD BLESS XX

~ C