Forty Days Full - An Invitation To Real Life

Day Thirty: Self-Control

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of Self- control.” ( 2 Tim 1:7 NIV)

M ost religions center on self-control as a key to spirituality. Through strict discipline and will-power people can accomplish a great deal of things. It is amazing how we can discipline ourselves and make sacrifices when we have a cause before us. This is not the kind of discipline Paul is describing in Galatians 5. He is revealing a self-control that flows from a surrender to Holy Spirit. In some ways it is the opposite of will- power. As with the other fruit of the Spirit, it is supernatural, and its power source is heaven. It is a Spiritual partnership that cherishes our connection to Jesus. When my love for Him outweighs all other desires the fruit of self-control begins to bloom. When my wife and I made our vows to each other over 35 years ago, we made a commitment to be faithful. I chose to make this commitment to my wife because I love her. To have sex with someone else would be a breach in my covenant relationship with her. It is my love for her that motivates me to control my desires. To be honest, there is also a healthy amount of fear of what would happen to our relationship. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of an angry Ann! This is not to say that I have never had divergent desires, because I have. It's what I do with those desires that is essential. True self-control flows from within as our love for God gives us better desires. Desires are not bad as many have taught. The passion that comes from