Self Control
Galatians 5:22-24
There is no law against self-control. In other words there is no law against the ability to regulate and alter your responses in order to avoid undesirable behaviors and outcomes, increase desirable ones and achieve long term goals.
Self control involves:
i. Monitoring of thoughts , feelings and behavior
ii. Standards or guidelines that drive us
iii. Strength to control our impulses, thoughts and feelings.
Scripture says that when you have the SPIRIT of GOD, one of the signs that we shall see is that you will demonstrate self control.
YAHWEH, our FATHER is the source of self control. We are made in HIS image and likeness. Due to multitude of factors originating from sin, we have fallen far from this standard. You know, as children of The MOST HIGH, it is painful and weird when we see the world, and the enemies of our FATHER, take what is HIS, remove HIM from what is HIS and come up with worldly things, remedies, standards and definitions and propagate them as if it is all their own idea. Sad and strange, but as someone said, the word of GOD works no matter who uses it. But, we as HIS children cannot even recognize this. We stopped reading the scriptures a long time ago and even worse stopped drilling it into our children. We depend on apps, daily scripture messages, preachers but we forget to go to the SOURCE of all, despite the open invitation. Look, Beloved, if you want self control, you must first start walking with the SPIRIT of GOD first, no shortcuts. Isn’t it written that those who are led by the SPIRIT of GOD are the sons of GOD?
Isn’t it written that he who desires the SPIRIT, HE will be given to him in full measure? Isn’t it written that GOD wants to pour out HIS SPIRIT? Apart from talking about the generosity and abundance of GOD, this tells us that the resources of The SPIRIT of GOD cannot be depleted. So, let’s stop with all the pettiness and drama as we do the work of The FATHER. There is more than enough of GOD for everybody; there is more than enough of GOD for every ministry, for every Pastor and indeed for every child of GOD. The rising of one does not mean that the heavenly resources are finished. These resources cannot be depleted. They are given without measure to those who ask as long as they are children of GOD.
Yes, when your brother arises, it does not mean that he is rising with your ‘anointing’, he or she or that ministry is rising with the power of the SPIRIT of GOD of Whom there is more than enough for everybody. So, go ahead, ask for your own but meanwhile, help your brother out in his, because if you are not faithful with what is another man’s who will give you your own? So, let us all get some self control and stop fighting one another even as we await our SAVIOR to come pick us up and take us away, and HE will, one day.
Beloved, let us align our mindsets with the mindset of The MOST HIGH and behave accordingly towards HIM, others and ourselves.
I mentioned earlier, that the world and earthly systems have manufactured their own therapies by removing GOD from the world and replacing Him with all sorts of therapies and treatments. For them, it may work temporarily, but for us children of The MOST HIGH, we must remain attached to our FATHER and to HIS SPIRIT, then we shall have and eat of HIS fruits one of which is self control. The first step is being in synchrony with The FATHER.
Wean yourself off all these so called therapies and treatments which actually limit you. Come back to The FATHER, and let HIM heal and restore you, and after that don’t do the prodigal son thing again. It’s getting old. Stick with the FATHER. You are aware that without Him you will bear no fruit, as it is your fruit are few and withered. Come on, come back to our FATHER, HE is good and HE made you and loves you and, if you are reading this, I suspect HIS anger with you has passed, so come without fear, just sit at HIS feet, HE will direct you and show you what to do, even if it is just sitting at HIS feet. HE just wants you in HIS presence. Don’t run away again. In HIS time, if He wills, HE will assign you again. Come on, don’t you think HE misses you? Do you think HE is happy when you, HIS child are humiliated by your actions, thoughts and words? No, HE is not. Even us your brothers and sisters, we love you and care for you and our FATHER has told us to love you.
Control yourself, Beloved; control your thoughts, actions and words.
Align these, that is, your thoughts, actions and words to the scripture. Think of wholesome things, do wholesome things, say wholesome things. If you don’t know what to say read the psalms and quote them whether you think it’s in season or not. You’ll get there. Your mansion in heaven is not being built in a day. The commandments of GOD are very clear and simple. Don’t lie. Simply, don’t do it. Don’t steal. Don’t do it. Don’t ogle women. Don’t do it. Close your eyes if you have to! Control your thoughts, actions and words.
Leave your path, determine to follow The LORD, then go to The LORD, ask HIM for HIS way, ask HIM for HIS HOLY SPIRIT to be with you, to fill you/live in you, then HE will give you The HOLY SPIRIT, then HE will help you as you walk this narrow path. Yes, The HOLY SPIRIT will give you power to walk the straight and narrow path. Be careful though, The LORD has feelings, HE is very patient and very loving but if you abandon HIM, HE will abandon you to your own devices. Beloved, like in every relationship, this relationship also needs work and it will be tested. Even you don’t want to be loved for what you have, you want to be loved for who you are, then once you have tested those who claim to love you, and you will go out of your way for them. Even GOD our FATHER is to be loved no strings attached.
In this relationship with The LORD, HE leads, not you, He is the BOSS. But unlike the worldly rulers and bosses, HE has your interests at heart. Get used to it. Get aligned to it. Ask HIM your questions and stop whining and do what HE told you to do a long time ago.
JESUS our SAVIOR, demonstrates self control to us. Have you ever thought what it took for our SAVIOR to know that HE could call the armies of heaven to annihilate mankind once and for all when they came to kill HIM but HE didn’t? Beloved, that is self control. Let me not think what it would have been like if it were you or me. I know it would have been a different story.
Galatians 5:16, walk in the SPIRIT and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
That GOD did not kill Herod when he contemplated killing JESUS also speaks of a high level of self control. Let’s call it strategy. Same thing in the Garden of Eden. Same thing when satan attempted his coup. Same thing when you were busy robbing, stealing, lying, fornicating and doing all sorts of evil. GOD did not lose HIS cool. HE didn’t blow up and stop everything. GOD has a plan and a strategy and neither you nor HIS enemies are going to ruin HIS plans. So, how about, you also stop blowing up and destroying everything and yourself at every provocation? How about you stop giving in to each and every desire? How about you let some things slide? How about you look at the long term goal and not the short term one’s only. Learn from GOD and stop losing your mind. Stop losing it. Stop letting people have it. Stop showing us what you are made of and what you can do, unless you are showing us The HOLY SPIRIT in you, The HOLY SPIRIT at work in you. The image of GOD in you.
Beloved, as the scripture says, if you don’t have The HOLY SPIRIT, you are not a child of GOD. This is how it works, let me try explaining. GOD loves you. HE draws you close to HIM by letting you see HIS children and HIS kingdom at work. All the children of GOD, know and believe that JESUS CHRIST is the Son of GOD and that when we were separated from GOD because of sin and evil, JESUS came handled all that by paying for the evil all mankind had done and removed the separation between us and our FATHER. How did HE do this?
On earth, when people do bad things, they are punished. Being killed because of your bad or evil actions, is the highest punishment known to man. So, when Adam and Eve our first parents, did wrong against GOD, themselves and creation, which is called sin, they had to be punished. As is said, you do the crime, you do the time. So, the punishment for Adam and Eve and all of us who were in Adam was total separation from GOD not just by being outside the garden of Eden, but forever never being allowed to see the Face of our loving FATHER, which you will agree with me is a terrible punishment. It really hurt Adam, Eve and all of us. This punishment hurt GOD too. But HE had and has a strategy, a plan to bring us all back into HIS loving and warm folds. HE sent HIMSELF, through JESUS CHRIST, to come and take this punishment. So, JESUS came and was killed because of the evil we had done starting from Adam and Eve. HE was punished for us and HE died on the cross although HE is GOD and is Perfect. He took the punishment for you and me and everybody else. So, beloved, SOMEBODY has already been punished for the evil you do and/or did? Why should you be punished again?
People ask if JESUS is GOD, how did HE die and who was GOD when HE was dead? Well, beloved, this is ALMIGHTY GOD we are talking about. The CREATOR and OWNER of everything. There is nothing impossible with HIM. HE can do all things. HE is in heaven and HE does what HE likes. GOD has not asked you to be able to explain everything. HE has asked you to believe what HE said, to believe that JESUS CHRIST died and took your punishment and now you are no longer separated from HIM. You can freely approach HIM because of JESUS CHRIST. That’s one of the reasons , we Christians love our SAVIOR so much.
You don’t fully understand how the sun works, or even how your car works, but you use it for your benefit. Why the double standards? You can never know the mind of GOD that is why we say HE is AWESOME, MAGNIFICENT and WONDERFUL and ALMIGHTY. HE says, if you have questions go to HIM, HE will answer them. He invites you to reason with HIM from a place of faith and not from a place of doubt. You must believe and make use of the death of JESUS and HIS blood even if you have not seen or even if you don’t fully understand. Otherwise, you will have an unsolvable eternal problem.
The good news does not end there. So, JESUS died. But GOD raised HIM from the dead on the third day, and JESUS went to heaven and sent us HIS HOLY SPIRIT, Whom we are always talking about. Now, Beloved, GOD, the FATHER also called YAHWEH, JESUS CHRIST and The HOLY SPIRIT are one and the same PERSON. Stop questioning how that is how it is. Believe first, the answers will come. What else are you going to believe; that there is nothing after death, you know you are lying to yourself. That there is no GOD, even you; you are too intelligent to believe that. You know there is the ALMIGHTY somewhere and you also know that HE is very near and HE sees you. So, you are not fooling us and neither are you fooling yourself.
The ALMIGHTY has made sure that HIS word is available in every generation. In this generation and era, HE has given us instructions and narrations of relevant past instances in the book called the Bible. HE expects you and wants you to read this book while it is still available. HE also desires you to get close to HIM. This is not hard. How do you do this? On earth, when you want to get close to someone, you start talking with them. Sometimes, if it is someone very special and great, we fumble and have no words, but the people understand and very soon we are at ease with them.
Same thing here, when you want to get close to GOD, you start talking to HIM, we call this prayer. You may be nervous and fumble, but remember HE is the nicest PERSON ever to exist and HE made you and He understands what you want to say but still you got to say it to HIM.
The scripture, also warns us, that should you not know JESUS CHRIST, then HE does not know you either and your name is not in HIS Book of Life and as such you are in danger of having to pay for the evil you have done by yourself and that means you shall be separated from GOD forever and ever. Further, if you persist in doing evil and wrong things even after you know JESUS CHRIST and HIS commandments, you will be having a problem with HIM and HE will not allow you into HIS Kingdom, goodness, house and His home which we call heaven. So, you must stop doing evil or wrong things, in other words you must stop doing what the Bible says you must not do and you must start doing what the Bible says you do. No arguments and justifications, just comply.
Beloved, if you don’t believe in JESUS and you don’t stop doing evil then your name will not be in the LAMB’s Book of Life, you will be separated from GOD forever in a place called hell and later the lake of fire. Believe you me, you don’t want that. Hell is a terrible place. Pay a visit to the burns unit at your hospital. See the pain and horror despite the painkillers and medications. Now imagine being engulfed in flames that don’t go out forever and ever. Beloved, you don’t want this. This is real.
What is the lamb’s Book of Life? Let’s say it is something like a contact list that JESUS has. Just like you, you have contacts, you don’t deal with people you don’t know or don’t like. So JESUS also calls you to know HIM and He will put you in HIS contact list, HIS book of Life. And just like you, when people annoy you, you remove them from your contact list. JESUS too, if you annoy HIM and don’t do what HE says, HE will remove you from HIS contact list. As long as you are alive, the opportunity to be in the Lamb’s Book of Life is presented and open to you. But once you are dead, beloved, it’s over. If you step out of your body, if you die without being in JESUS contact list, HIS book of Life, you are in big trouble for good.
Beloved, it is very simple, believe in The LORD JESUS CHRIST and you shall be saved.
So, beloved, think about these things. Talk to GOD ALMIGHTY, YAHWEH, HE will guide you.
Beloved, there is a judgment day, a hell and a heaven. Do not be deceived. JESUS is real. Believe in The LORD JESUS CHRIST now, walk in HIS ways and you shall be saved and shall escape the wrath of The MOST HIGH.
Beloved, the scripture informs us, "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:15.
Do you want to know JESUS as your personal Lord and Savior? Your eternity is at stake! JESUS has opened the door of salvation to every person. But there is coming a day when the door will be closed. Today is the day of salvation. Choose to be in the family of GOD. JESUS died so that we can spend eternity in Heaven with HIM. Don't delay! And if you want to begin a relationship with GOD or resume a broken one, say this: O GOD, I come to YOU today. I know I am a sinner. I believe that JESUS died on the cross to save me and HE resurrected on the third day. I repent of my sins and forsake them. I confess JESUS as my Lord and Savior . I invite JESUS into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you JESUS for saving me and making me a child of GOD. Amen
