Monday, May 12, 2008

Building Self-Control

From The Word For You Today Devotional

If you let it, your body will lead you off course. It isn't that your body is evil; it's just that it possesses a number of appetites that are always ready to respond to the surrounding stimuli, all of which are terribly appealing and temporarily satisfying.

Restraining ourselves - self-control - is listed in the Bible as proof God's Spirit lives within us. (Galatians 5:23)

Living without restraint is like removing the brakes from your car. It may be exciting for a while, but inevitably you'll pay a high price for the ride. Take away the brakes, and your life, like your car, is transformed into an unguided missile - headed for disaster.

Romans 6:12-16 says, "Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead give yourselves completely to God ... realize that ... whatever you choose to obey ... becomes your master."

Henry Parry Liddon observed, "What we do on some great occasion will probably depend on what we already are; and what we are will be the result of previous years of self-discipline."

Each day look for an opportunity to say 'no' to yourself in some small area. Try it; you'll be surprised how hard it is, but the payoff will come when you need to say no to yourself in some big area of life. Like saving for a rainy day, you'll have spiritual strength to draw on when you need it.

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