Morning Y'all! I pray this post encourages you and gives God glory! Got suggested topics you want me to write about? Please comment below or email me at info@mocatoday.com.
I was twisting my daughter's hair this past Saturday, which can easily be a multi-hour activity, and stumbled across a 1973 Billy Graham taping in my attempt to find her some pacifying TV entertainment. Normally, I would have skipped that channel and sought something more "entertaining" for a seven year-old. But this time, I was genuinely curious and feeling a bit nostalgic, as my earliest memory of Billy Graham was watching him with my grandmothers. So we watched, and besides Billy Graham reviewing the four different types of love (agape, storge, philia, eros) that I'll cover in another post, this quote stuck out to me,
"The mark of a Christian is self-discipline and self-control."
A quick Google search defined self-control as restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions or desires. It then defined self-discipline as simply self-control exercised over a long period of time. So since both words are essentially the same, I will just use self-control here. Taking a step further, we know the Bible identifies self-control as one of the nine fruits or attributes of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5:22-23, Apostle Paul describes, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."
I like how another writer described back in 2016, "Self-control helps us to resist temptation and avoid conforming to the things of this world. It guides our decisions, and it correlates with how we show the other fruits in our lives."
In 2 Timothy 1:7, we also learn, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” We also know Jesus is a perfect example of self-control, as He submitted to God's plan and paid our sin debt in full with His life on the cross.
If self-control is an attribute of God, then we know the opposite of self-control (e.g. self-indulgence, unconstraint, unrestraint, etc.) is an attribute NOT of God and is actually opposed, averse to the things of God.
So what am I saying?
I'm saying as Christians, if our goal is to live a life that's pleasing to God, self-control must be practiced and we can't exercise it the way God wills for us apart from the Holy Spirit.
In other words, self-control is the exclusive work of the Holy Spirit, not from our own works.
I'm also saying one visible difference between us and the rest of the world should be consistent self-control, no matter the circumstance.
This is achievable by:
An active prayer life
Knowing God's thoughts on the matter from studying scriptures
The Holy Spirit being able to indwell in us
Choosing to walk in the Holy Spirit daily so we won't gratify desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)
Will we always get it right? Absolutely not! Remember, we're still imperfect human beings. But as we mature and grow in our faith, failing at self-control should become the exception and not the rule. And when we fail, we must genuinely repent, make peace with whoever we may have hurt or affected, and then move forward.
So how are YOU doing with self-control? What are some practical tools or activities that have helped you grow in this area?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Just a few reminders:
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Remember- It's about progression, not perfection! God loves you! With Him, you got this!
Until next post, may God give you His peace and blessings!
-Natasha
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