GALATIAN 5:22-23- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness
and self-control, against such there is no law.
HELP ME TO REACT BEFORE I ACT
Reacting is
responding To a situation
Acting is Performing
WHEN LOTS WIFE LOOKED BACK SHE WAS CONTROLLED BY A LACK
OF SELF CONTROLLED WHICH CAUSED HER TO ACT RATHER THEN TO REACT WITH SPRITUAL
DISCIPLINE. WHEN WE ACT WITHOUT THINKING WE TOO CAN BECOME CAUGHT UP IN A
NEGATIVE SITUATION
3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way
they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is
good.
4Then
they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be
busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one
will malign the word of God. Malign
-criticize somebody spitefully: to criticize somebody or something in a spiteful and false or
misleading way.
The meaning of self-control is that we can say no to
ungodly enticements and yes to God’s will for our lives.
THE SPIRIT OF SELF CONTROL – Galatian 5:16 So
I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful
nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to
the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in
conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
THIS IS WHAT TRUE SELF CONTROL CAN DO FOR US.
Gives us the strength to keep our mouths shut when appropriate
and to keep our attitudes in check.
To take a stand for Jesus even if we must stand alone.
We can listen to the Holy Spirit and allow him to guide our
lives.
We must relinquish our own limited control and yield
ourselves to God’s enabling Spirit.
True self-control means allowing God to control
I I Peter 1:3-9
3His divine power has given us everything we need for
life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory
and goodness.
4Through these he has
given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may
participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world
caused by evil desires.
5For
this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to
goodness, knowledge;
6and to knowledge, self-control;
and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
7and to godliness,
brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
8For if you possess these
qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and
unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9But if anyone does
not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been
cleansed from his past sins.
10Therefore,
my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For
if you do these things, you will never fall,
11and you will receive
a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
