PROOF OF GROWTH (4)- SELF CONTROL
I kept telling Danielle not to scatter the pack. Well! She did a clinical finishing of dismantling both the pack and all the contents also. Just when she was done, I asked her to begin to arrange all that she scattered. She looked at me soberly. She did not know what to do.
Friends, it takes more effort to build than it takes to scatter. You can scatter in 20 minutes what took twenty years to build. Brethren, self-control is a critical part of the growth process.
You must exercise self-control when it comes to your tongue. Your mouth can wreck your home. Anger can burn down what it took a lifetime to put together. You keep giving everyone a piece of your mind yet you want to see peace all around. Can you see what your mouth has cost your marriage?
You must exercise self-control when it comes to material things. You can either be enslaved by fear or greed. It is either greed to have more or fear of losing what you already have. Both will keep you from giving which is a kingdom mandate.
If you are a seed of God’s kingdom, do not overcompensate yourself by using “were you there when I suffered?” to cover up your craving for material things. Have you ever thought that the extra you have is actually meant to be a blessing to another?
You must exercise self-control when it comes to the opposite sex. Do not dig your own grave by hugging every bosom in view? Can a man or woman scoop fire into his or her bosom and not be burnt? If we can pick on a screen what goes on in your heart, would it be pure?
Exercise self-control by learning to sit with the Word to study and pray daily. Do not be in a hurry to stand up or rush prayers. That is your School of Self-Control. If you can sit to study the Word and pray for one hour, you are mastering the art of self-control. You are subjecting the flesh to training by the spirit.
Why do you think David said, “Your word have I hidden in my heart that I may not sin against you?” Private devotion increases private consecration and helps to build the much-needed self-control. If there is an attack on your personal devotion, you are already losing the battle of self-control.
Do you know that a man that lacks self-control is like a city whose walls are broken down? Anything can access it. Guard your walls. Rebuild the portion that your mouth, materialism and momentary sexual looseness have pulled down. Give the devil no space.
Prevention is better and far cheaper than cure.