Have you ever asked yourself, “Why did I do this?” or “How did I get here?”
Obviously, you have. Most ALL of us have. As I was recommitting myself to the ‘battle of the bulge’, I was asking myself these questions.
Then I asked the Lord these same questions.
“So Lord, how did I get to this place in my life?”
He promptly reminded me of the verse in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and SELF-CONTROL. Against such things there is no law.” I have read and quoted this verse many times but never before had I seen SELF-CONTROL in neon lights!
So I started thinking about it. I realized almost every battle I am facing, almost every blunder I have made, and almost every barricade in my way is due to MY lack of SELF-CONTROL! That’s depressing!
So I decided it was time I address my lack of SELF-CONTROL and study to show myself approved by my Maker.
Obviously, since SELF-CONTROL is a part of the fruit of the Spirit—we need to be filled with the Spirit in order to demonstrate it. So the first assignment was to intentionally post reminders for me to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit; not quench the power of the Spirit; and to listen to His promptings. His Spirit is already within me but oftentimes He is masked by….me. So I need to get ME out of the way!!
How about you?
This last summer while spending time with friends, my daughter’s ‘man-friend’ took to the skis and did some phenomenal skiing. It gave me a picture of the stark difference between him skiing and me skiing. (Don’t laugh!?) For me to ski would take an act of Congress for one thing but it would also raise the level of the river due to my sink-ability when it comes to swimming!
That is…unless I relax… and let the water hold me up. It’s when I try to control my situation myself that I start to sink. But if I can mentally remember the water CAN hold me up, allow the water to do what it is designed by God to do, and then learn a little skill—it is free sailing for this ole gal!
For me to trust the water to do “its thing” is very similar to us allowing the Holy Spirit to do “His thing” in us. We all need to allow Him to do what He was designed for and then trust Him to carry us…and “float our boat.”
There is also some responsibility on our part when it comes to self-control. We can’t ski unless we put the skis on. We can’t make awesome “rooster tails” unless we have practiced and practiced and break through the “wake of life” and do the extraordinary. This is where self-control gets practical. Not a list of do’s and don’ts but definitely a list of guidelines for mastering this character quality so we will reach the ultimate goal: being a genuine reflection of Jesus to a sin-sick world.
As a child, do you ever remember being tempted with fresh cookies on the kitchen counter, or maybe some candy in a dish, or something else that you know was not yours but it was like a strong magnet pulling you in its direction? “Take me…take me…take me” It’s haunting call is sometimes more powerful than us. In fact, MOST OF THE TIME that ‘call’ is more powerful than us. This is where the Holy Spirit steps in with a small quiet voice and gives us an option: to say “NO!” to the temptation. The Spirit IS strong enough to resist the temptation, but we are not—in ourselves. This is how God designed us. God WANTS US to be dependent on Him!! The key: are we listening to His quiet voice? Are we obeying Him?
So we’re in the water but now we need to get equipped. Here are some keys from Character First!
Look beyond today: pursue something greater than your own immediate satisfaction and think about what will give you the greatest benefit tomorrow. Set goals—and even if you change your mind—goals are good to help you discern what is good, best, and better.
Guard your steps: recognize your weaknesses, and identify those people, places, and circumstances that lower your resistance to temptation.
Restrain yourself: determine beforehand how you will respond to temptation.
Turn away: walk away from compromising situations.
Seek accountability: find trust-worthy friends who can point out your bad attitudes; don’t keep secrets from them; and listen when they try to help you. We ALL need others to help us!Holy Spirit and GOOD friends!
So now we have our skis on but we are dying to hit the wake and perform above the ordinary!
Focus your energy! A nuclear bomb spreads destruction across a wide area, but a nuclear power plant takes the same energy and controls it for the benefit of thousands. Similarly, an undisciplined person distracts others and undermines good efforts; but a disciplined person makes a positive contribution.
So now we are in the water and skiing up a storm, but part of perfecting that awesome power on skis requires letting go of some bad habits!
Losing our temper because we “need to get something off our chest” is like dumping gasoline on a fire because we didn’t have time to grab some water. Maybe we had a rotten day—we still don’t have a right to take it out on someone else. Whatever we struggle with, we need to take responsibility and break the cycle. Take the blame—get help—tell the truth—do something different—and practice.
Get on those skis and let’s see some rooster tails!!!
IF you are interested in Character related materials from Character First! go to: http://store.characterfirst.com/cgi/refer.rb?0054
My T-A-N-K is made up of this: