Self-Control Series

2. You are made to love people; we call that fellowship.

3. You are made to be like Jesus; we call that discipleship.

4. You are made to serve God; we call that ministry.

5. You are made to tell people about God’s love; we call that evangelism.

Are you on the right track? Are you running to pursue God’s purpose? With a clear eye on your purpose you will learn the discipline of a self-controlled life.

2. Self-control requires discipline; it takes hard work.

Look what Paul says in verse 25; “All athletes practice strict self-control.” The NIV says, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.” If we are going to have self-control, we must practice discipline, to establish an order or routine to get where we want to go.

Put simply discipline means to set goals to help us achieve our purpose.

No one gets up in the morning and just decides to go out and run a marathon that day. No if you are going to run a marathon you start training long before the race begins; you discipline and prepare your body to run a mile and then two, three and four. Before long you are able to run the required 26 miles and you begin to work on completing the race quicker. Only then are you ready to go and run the marathon.

What spiritual disciplines and goals have you set to help you fulfill your God-given purpose? Have you figured out how your job fits into God’s purpose for your life? Has your Christian faith grown to be a 24/7 running of the race God has called you to run, or are you only running the race on Sundays? Do you quit running God’s race to run in the rat race through the week?

• Haggai 1:5 (NIV)

Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.

God wants you to establish some spiritual disciplines, to set some goals to so that you can fulfill His purposes 24/7. What are some disciplines or goals that will help you to develop the self-control you need to fulfill your purpose? Let’s start with five basic disciplines we should all practice in our lives.

1. PRAYER – Prayer is not a monolog talking to God; prayer is a dialog. Do you have a practice of daily prayer? Start where you are and grow in your ability to spend time talking with God (not just to God.)

2. BIBLE READING – We all need to read the Bible everyday; you will have a hard time listening to God if you don’t take time to read what He has already given to you. Don’t just read for quantity; read for quality. Read until God speaks to you personally, then meditate upon what He has said through out the day.

3. SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION – Hide God’s word in your heart. This will enable the Holy Spirit to bring God’s word to your mind for specific situations; you can’t think and act biblically unless you fill your mind with God’s word.

4. SMALL GROUP BIBLE STUDY – You need to interact with God’s word with other believers; this has at least two benefits. [1] You will learn to apply God’s Word to your daily life in practical ways, and [2] you will develop relationships with other believers that will help you grow in your faith.