THE POWER TO MASTER YOURSELF IS IN YOU
SCRIPTURE: GALATIANS 5:22-23 (AMPL)
”But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), …. gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint).…”
In the Life we have in the Spirit, we grow and mature by our conscious learning and application of what we learn. When the Apostle Paul tells us about the fruit of the Spirit (technically, the human spirit born of the Holy Spirit) as we see in the opening verse, he is telling us the characteristics of the human spirit that is born again and ruled by the Holy Spirit not his or her senses. One such characteristic is self discipline or self control.
Self-discipline or self control is considered to be the virtue or character of a person who has mastered his desires, passions and keeps them under control. This person does not allow his feelings, desires and appetites to control or lead him or her. Your appetites are part of your human body’s normal function. However, the control of your appetites, feelings and passions is a prerequisite for overcoming temptation and be successful, as a maturing child of God.
The Holy Spirit who lives in you helps you to do what is right, what pleases God and what is profitable in spite of your feelings. Self-discipline means you learn to say ‘YES’ to what is godly, no matter how challenging it might be. It also means you endeavour to say ‘NO’ to what is ungodly.
Self-discipline enables you to overcome temptation so that you can please God and live a sin-free life. Self-control also means you have learnt to overcome your feelings so that you can habitually practice God’s Word, whether you feel like it or not. When you practice what you believe, it also shows that you are disciplined. That is why your beliefs and life must match without any excuse. Otherwise, after a while, you can be ‘disqualified’ as the Apostle Paul established in 1 Corinthians 9:27 in the rendering of the ESV.
It is instructive that, the Apostle Paul uses the word ’disqualified’ to describe the person who preaches the Word and is not a doer of the Word because that person does not discipline his or her body. Let’s take a look at the scripture; ”But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” To be disqualified means one is not able, fit, fake, using crooked methods, or is a talker and not a doer of God’s Word.
To be ‘disqualified’ also means that one has broken the rules of success and therefore, can’t receive the reward. Success is yours in Christ Jesus. However, self-discipline is a prerequisite ingredient and habit you must develop on your way to experience and sustain success. Master your appetites, passions and desires.
PRAYER
Thank you, Father, for the good work you have begun in me. Manifesting divine character has been possible because of the constant help and infilling of the Holy Spirit. By your grace, I walk in self-discipline and I’m able to overcome temptation, and control all fleshly desires in Jesus’s name, Amen.
FURTHER READING (NKJV)
II PETER 1:3-8
[3] According as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
[4]by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
[5]But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
[6]to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
[7]to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
[8]For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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