SELF-CONTROL OR GOD-CONTROL

Good morning on this great Monday morning! 

I pray all is well with you. This is one of those days when I have to get up to go to the doctor's and I could have slept late. But that is okay. It is just a check up with blood test. I pray that my cholesterol is way down. 

 

Our ninth and last fruit of the Spirit is self-control. That is one of the hard ones for me. I do real good for a while and then I lose that self-control. For instance, I lost quite a bit of weight. I was exercising and eating right. Well, I have not exercised regularly or eaten as healthy since Thanksgiving and lo and behold, I have gained a lot of the weight back. Food is too good not to eat. There has been so much to do with the holidays that I haven't been exercising. They definitely are choices. I choose to eat right and exercise 5 days a week or I don't. And even patience is a self-control thing. We just have to control ourselves. We need to have God-control by letting Him guide and direct us and not our flesh.

 

Self-control is control or restraint of oneself or one's actions, feelings, etc. We can have this control by not eating too much junk food or unhealthy foods. Or maybe not eating any of a certain food, or maybe not doing something that we know we shouldn't do. We need to let God control our actions. Our flesh is very strong-willed I guess we could say. The pull is so strong to do something we shouldn't. 

 

Like a city whose walls are broken down 

is a man who lacks self-control.

Proverbs 25:28 

So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep,

 but let us be alert and self-controlled.

1 Thessalonians 5:6

 

Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.

Titus 1:8

We must also control our tongue or mouth. The Bible says that no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. James 3:8

May the Lord cut off all flattering lips 

and every boastful tongue.

Psalm 12:3

 

They sharpen their tongues like swords 

and aim their words like deadly arrows.

Psalm 64:3

 

Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, 

but it makes great boasts. Consider what a 

great forest is set on fire by a small spark.

James 3:5 

We really do need to have self-control of our mouth. It can really be dangerous if we let it. The only thing that should come from our mouths are encouraging and uplifting and positive words. We shouldn't complain about anything. Oh, that is so hard to do. There is always a but. Oh, that food tastes delicious but... Or you did such a great job on that but... Those are very negative statements. They start out good but turn negative very quickly. Leave out the buts. Have you heard the saying, "no ifs, and, or buts". I heard that a lot as a kid.

So, let's let God control our mouths and our actions and we shouldn't have a problem with self-control. Lust is also a lack of control. We can really want something no matter what it is. Then when that want controls us we are lusting for it. Another lack of self-control. 

 

There is nothing that we need that bad except for Jesus. And we truly need Him. We can do nothing without Him. We can try but it won't work just right. So, as we go on about our day, let us think about the things we do or have done and see who really has control. You might be suprised!

 

Let's let our tongues: every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:11

 

Have a blessed day!

 

Les