For those of us who sometimes forget who we are in Jesus, here is a list. I hope that you will take it to heart. Because this is what God tells us in his Word! For those of us who believe in Him, and for anyone who will turn over their heart and their lives to the One and Only Savior, these words are absolutely 100% true of you!
YOU ARE:
FORGIVEN -- Psalm 130:4a "For with you there is forgiveness..."; Ephesians 1:7-8 "In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
LOVED -- John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
HEARD -- Psalm 40:1 "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry."; Psalm 139:2,4 "You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. ... Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord."
SEEN -- Psalm 139:7 "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?"; Genesis 16:13 "She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.'"
KNOWN -- Psalm 139:1 "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me."
UNDERSTOOD -- Psalm 139:1-3 "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways."
VALUED -- Psalm 139:14 -- "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
HOLY -- Hebrews 10:10 -- "And by [God's] will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
DEARLY LOVED -- Colossians 3:12 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
CHOSEN -- Colossians 3:12 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
FORMED -- implies intent, purpose, specific love and care to create -- Psalm 139:13 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."
CHILD OF GOD -- John 1:12-13 "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."
REDEEMED -- Ephesians 1:7-8 "In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding."
By contrast, you are not defined by certain things anymore if you believe in the One True God. Scripture tells us this too!
YOU ARE NOT:
APPEARANCE -- 1 Samuel 16:7b "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
MISTAKES OR YOUR PAST -- 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
UNWORTHY -- Psalm 139 (the whole chapter!)
WHAT OTHERS THINK -- Galatians 1:10 "Am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."
EMOTIONS -- I couldn't find a verse that was exactly on target for this, but what came to mind was James 1:6. "...he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." Our emotions act kind of the same way as the doubt described in this verse. They change and push us one way or the other without reason. God is not like that. We are defined by Him and not by whatever changing emotions we may experience at any given moment!
I am sure there are many things you could add to this list. If you struggle with self-doubt and have a hard time remembering how God sees you, keep this list handy and read it often. Read Psalm 139 over and over. God intentionally and purposefully made you. He made you exactly the way you are and loves you without reservation! Trust in that!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Monday, December 12, 2011
Jesus
Do you all remember those pictures of Jesus that seemed to be everywhere (in my childhood at least) when you were a kid? Or the ones we see in churches and homes now? Do you ever wonder what Jesus really and truly looked like here on this earth? I have.
Perhaps it doesn't really matter what he looked like. But I suspect that's not true. I suspect that his appearance DID matter. That it, like all other things about his life, was very intentional. Designed to point people to God. Straight through Jesus the Man to Jesus Son of God and his heavenly Father.
Isaiah tell us that the Messiah, Jesus, "had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." Really? All those pictures of Jesus show a pretty handsome man, with even features, perfect skin, nice hair, etc. That doesn't seem to jive with what Isaiah is saying at all.
The passage in Isaiah 53 goes on to state that Jesus "was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
Jesus was "like one from whom men hide their faces." I don't get the impression that Isaiah is talking just about Jesus at the end, when the people were calling for his death. Yes, people were drawn to Jesus and came in droves to hear him speak. They followed him and tried to touch his clothes. But this was after he began his public ministry and after people had seen him heal, had heard him speak. So, I think it was the truth in his words and the honest compassion with which he healed people that drew the crowds to him, not his appearance.
Think of the people in our society from whom "men hide their faces." Homeless sitting by the side of the road begging for change. The man out of work with a sign at an intersection. Men and women who are obviously sick. Perhaps the elderly. I know I for one am guilty of turning my head to some of these people when I walk by. I hide my face so that I won't connect with that person, so I won't have to interact, so I can pretend I don't see them. I'm ashamed to admit this, but I think I'm not the only one. Part of this "hiding" is from fear - I don't know what they are going through, I'm not sure I could help in any way, I simply don't feel like I can relate.
Well, Jesus was one of these people. One from whom faces were hidden. Perhaps mothers shielded their little children from him as he walked by. And the New Testament tells us that Jesus is with these people even today. "What you do for the least of these, you do to me." (That's a rough quote!)
Isaiah tells us that Jesus was "a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering." I wonder if this is referring to just his death or to his life as well. We know little of Jesus in his growing-up period. We see him in the gospels as a young boy and then again as a young adult in his 20s. Given the rest of what Isaiah says of Jesus, isn't it possible that he was familiar with suffering and sorrow before his public ministry? Before his trial and crucifixion? I think it's worth considering.
Does this passage change your view of Jesus? It does mine! We are called to know Jesus. To know God. Not just know about them, but really truly know them. A false or distorted view of Jesus the man goes against that calling. He was not regal in any way. People weren't drawn to him naturally. But people were drawn to what he had to say about God. The truth of God's word is what drew people in and won them over. The same is true today. It doesn't matter what we look like or what kind of standing we have (or don't have) in our society. In fact, the lower our human standing, the better! God loves to surprise people by speaking great truths from unexpected places and people. Praise God for that!
May God teach and bless each of you this Christmas as we celebrate the birth of this most amazing, humble man. I for one am so very grateful for Jesus! Celebrate him in unexpected ways this season. Look to those from whom you might normally turn your face and share Jesus with them. You never know how God will use you to touch another life. And what a great thing it is to be used by God!
Perhaps it doesn't really matter what he looked like. But I suspect that's not true. I suspect that his appearance DID matter. That it, like all other things about his life, was very intentional. Designed to point people to God. Straight through Jesus the Man to Jesus Son of God and his heavenly Father.
Isaiah tell us that the Messiah, Jesus, "had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." Really? All those pictures of Jesus show a pretty handsome man, with even features, perfect skin, nice hair, etc. That doesn't seem to jive with what Isaiah is saying at all.
The passage in Isaiah 53 goes on to state that Jesus "was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
Jesus was "like one from whom men hide their faces." I don't get the impression that Isaiah is talking just about Jesus at the end, when the people were calling for his death. Yes, people were drawn to Jesus and came in droves to hear him speak. They followed him and tried to touch his clothes. But this was after he began his public ministry and after people had seen him heal, had heard him speak. So, I think it was the truth in his words and the honest compassion with which he healed people that drew the crowds to him, not his appearance.
Think of the people in our society from whom "men hide their faces." Homeless sitting by the side of the road begging for change. The man out of work with a sign at an intersection. Men and women who are obviously sick. Perhaps the elderly. I know I for one am guilty of turning my head to some of these people when I walk by. I hide my face so that I won't connect with that person, so I won't have to interact, so I can pretend I don't see them. I'm ashamed to admit this, but I think I'm not the only one. Part of this "hiding" is from fear - I don't know what they are going through, I'm not sure I could help in any way, I simply don't feel like I can relate.
Well, Jesus was one of these people. One from whom faces were hidden. Perhaps mothers shielded their little children from him as he walked by. And the New Testament tells us that Jesus is with these people even today. "What you do for the least of these, you do to me." (That's a rough quote!)
Isaiah tells us that Jesus was "a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering." I wonder if this is referring to just his death or to his life as well. We know little of Jesus in his growing-up period. We see him in the gospels as a young boy and then again as a young adult in his 20s. Given the rest of what Isaiah says of Jesus, isn't it possible that he was familiar with suffering and sorrow before his public ministry? Before his trial and crucifixion? I think it's worth considering.
Does this passage change your view of Jesus? It does mine! We are called to know Jesus. To know God. Not just know about them, but really truly know them. A false or distorted view of Jesus the man goes against that calling. He was not regal in any way. People weren't drawn to him naturally. But people were drawn to what he had to say about God. The truth of God's word is what drew people in and won them over. The same is true today. It doesn't matter what we look like or what kind of standing we have (or don't have) in our society. In fact, the lower our human standing, the better! God loves to surprise people by speaking great truths from unexpected places and people. Praise God for that!
May God teach and bless each of you this Christmas as we celebrate the birth of this most amazing, humble man. I for one am so very grateful for Jesus! Celebrate him in unexpected ways this season. Look to those from whom you might normally turn your face and share Jesus with them. You never know how God will use you to touch another life. And what a great thing it is to be used by God!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Gifted
I am gifted. Yep, that's right. You heard it. I said it and I'm not taking it back.
Oh, I can hear you all thinking, "what has gotten into her? why is she being so vain and prideful? and this is a spiritual blog?? isn't she supposed to be talking about God and not just praising herself?"
Okay, I'm not really praising myself. And I'm not "gifted" in the sense that you are thinking or the sense in which people typically use this term. I am not smarter, more talented, or better at anything than a lot of people. I have my strengths just like everyone else but really I am average. And that's okay because I am also most definitely gifted.
Confused? Well, let me explain to you what I really mean. God has blessed me with wonderful gifts! Things that bring joy to my life and make this world a better place for me. One of these gifts is my family. Another is a nice home to live in. Wonderful friends and Godly women who have taught me so much and who have helped me grow tremendously. People who constantly point me to Christ.
God has given me a gift in baking. I'm not saying I'm better than anyone else, but it is a gift to enjoy my baking and to have been given joy through cake decorating. What a gift that is to be able to experience joy in something I get to do on this earth! To have something that can brighten my spirits no matter what else is going on in my life.
I know that you all are gifted too! Think about all the ways that you are gifted. Praise God for his wonderful gifts, beautifully suited to you. Praise Him and revel in how well He knows you, as evidenced by the gifts He has given.
Now to Him who gives abundantly in all different ways and all circumstances, to Him be the glory!
Oh, I can hear you all thinking, "what has gotten into her? why is she being so vain and prideful? and this is a spiritual blog?? isn't she supposed to be talking about God and not just praising herself?"
Okay, I'm not really praising myself. And I'm not "gifted" in the sense that you are thinking or the sense in which people typically use this term. I am not smarter, more talented, or better at anything than a lot of people. I have my strengths just like everyone else but really I am average. And that's okay because I am also most definitely gifted.
Confused? Well, let me explain to you what I really mean. God has blessed me with wonderful gifts! Things that bring joy to my life and make this world a better place for me. One of these gifts is my family. Another is a nice home to live in. Wonderful friends and Godly women who have taught me so much and who have helped me grow tremendously. People who constantly point me to Christ.
God has given me a gift in baking. I'm not saying I'm better than anyone else, but it is a gift to enjoy my baking and to have been given joy through cake decorating. What a gift that is to be able to experience joy in something I get to do on this earth! To have something that can brighten my spirits no matter what else is going on in my life.
I know that you all are gifted too! Think about all the ways that you are gifted. Praise God for his wonderful gifts, beautifully suited to you. Praise Him and revel in how well He knows you, as evidenced by the gifts He has given.
Now to Him who gives abundantly in all different ways and all circumstances, to Him be the glory!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Week 1 ... a little late
So, it took three weeks for me to do week one's family assignment with my own family! We finally went through it all on Sunday. The kids actually seemed to enjoy it. Well, Kate was off in her own little world most of the time and just kept asking if it was her turn to tell a princess story. But, she is 4, so that explains that. And, in case you were wondering, I did let her tell a princess story after we were done!
Will really got into answering the questions. When I asked him what loving things we can do for each other, he answered "not hitting." Good answer! I asked what else two more times and he kept giving me the same answer. Makes me wonder if maybe I should watch those kids a little more closely! :) Will also did a great job learning the Bible verse. It's a little long, so I am helping him, but we have been going over it every day so far.
Honestly, I'm not sure if it's helping the kids behave. They seem about the same to me (not listening very well, as usual). But I think it has helped my own attitude. It is really hard to have a bad attitude while teaching your children Bible verses or talking about how God has demonstrated love towards us! And I truly believe that learning Bible verses will help the kids in the long run. They may not remember the verses, but they will remember this time we have together and the ideas we are learning will come back to them down the road.
Have any of you tried the family experiment? If so, let me know how it has gone for you. I'll try to post plans for the second "fruit," joy, on Saturday. My kids will be gone this weekend (yeah!), so I won't be doing the "joy" lesson until the following Sunday. Until then, may God bless you and keep you, and may his light shine upon you so that you will feel and know His great love!
Will really got into answering the questions. When I asked him what loving things we can do for each other, he answered "not hitting." Good answer! I asked what else two more times and he kept giving me the same answer. Makes me wonder if maybe I should watch those kids a little more closely! :) Will also did a great job learning the Bible verse. It's a little long, so I am helping him, but we have been going over it every day so far.
Honestly, I'm not sure if it's helping the kids behave. They seem about the same to me (not listening very well, as usual). But I think it has helped my own attitude. It is really hard to have a bad attitude while teaching your children Bible verses or talking about how God has demonstrated love towards us! And I truly believe that learning Bible verses will help the kids in the long run. They may not remember the verses, but they will remember this time we have together and the ideas we are learning will come back to them down the road.
Have any of you tried the family experiment? If so, let me know how it has gone for you. I'll try to post plans for the second "fruit," joy, on Saturday. My kids will be gone this weekend (yeah!), so I won't be doing the "joy" lesson until the following Sunday. Until then, may God bless you and keep you, and may his light shine upon you so that you will feel and know His great love!
Monday, July 11, 2011
FOTS Family Experiment - Week 1
For any of you waiting on this, sorry! I meant to get this out there on Saturday, but time got away from me.
So, we're starting at the beginning with Love for the first week of the family experiment.
The verse I chose is I John 4:10-11, "This is love: not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." I chose this verse because it is a really great (perfect really) picture of love and it also will give me a good opportunity to explain some of these concepts to my kids. Adults should memorize the whole thing but if it's too long for your kids to remember, go ahead and shorten it. I'm going to have my kids memorize this portion: "since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." And, if you prefer, you can always choose another verse for you and your family. Choose as God directs you!
You should also spend time with a story for the kids. The story I am choosing is Jesus and the cross. This obviously goes along with the verse. You could choose another story if you like, but make sure it demonstrates love, goes along with the verse you've chosen, and is from the Bible.
During the family time and throughout the week, ask yourself and your kids "what does love look like?" and "how can we love one another like the verse says?" Some answers might be kind words, sharing, serving, time spent with each other, encouraging each other, showing affection, listening, obeying. I can't wait to hear what my kids will come up with for this one.
Let me know how it goes! And if you choose a different verse or story, let me know the details of what you've chosen!
So, we're starting at the beginning with Love for the first week of the family experiment.
The verse I chose is I John 4:10-11, "This is love: not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." I chose this verse because it is a really great (perfect really) picture of love and it also will give me a good opportunity to explain some of these concepts to my kids. Adults should memorize the whole thing but if it's too long for your kids to remember, go ahead and shorten it. I'm going to have my kids memorize this portion: "since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." And, if you prefer, you can always choose another verse for you and your family. Choose as God directs you!
You should also spend time with a story for the kids. The story I am choosing is Jesus and the cross. This obviously goes along with the verse. You could choose another story if you like, but make sure it demonstrates love, goes along with the verse you've chosen, and is from the Bible.
During the family time and throughout the week, ask yourself and your kids "what does love look like?" and "how can we love one another like the verse says?" Some answers might be kind words, sharing, serving, time spent with each other, encouraging each other, showing affection, listening, obeying. I can't wait to hear what my kids will come up with for this one.
Let me know how it goes! And if you choose a different verse or story, let me know the details of what you've chosen!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The FOTS Family Experiment
Can you all believe we are finally done looking at each of the fruits of the spirit? What was to take nine months (one fruit each month) turned into a year and a half. I guess mostly due to my not keeping up with it. But I'm glad I stuck with it and I hope you are too. I hope you stuck with it alongside me!
So, tell me, did you notice a difference in your life when you were focusing on each fruit? What did you learn? Did you notice growth, change, a difference in how you act towards others and God? How did your attitude and actions change? I'd like to tell you that I am a totally changed person in whom the fruits are now obvious, but that isn't truly the case. But I do believe that I have changed for the better in some ways. I feel like my faith is stronger as a result of this study. I am by no means perfect in demonstrating the fruits of the spirit, but I do not believe that such perfection can come in this lifetime. One thing I have learned is how dependent I am on God to have any semblance of the fruits in my life. Praise be to God that he gives us the power and the strength to keep going! Praise be to God that he gives us the fruits so that we may reflect and glorify Him in this fallen world! Praise be to God that he keeps us dependent so we must rely on and always turn back to Him! I know I will keep up the effort, though, and keep practicing. Hopefully the good days will outweigh the bad in the end. And I know that by following God in this way, my life WILL be changed for the better!
Well, you may think then that this blog is over with the end of the project. I hope that you are happy to hear it is not the end. I want to do a family experiment now. Recently, my church did a series called "Faith at Home." One sermon talked about the fruits of the spirit; another talked about Scripture memorization; a thread throughout was obedience to God and teaching in the family, particularly teaching our children God's truth at home and not just leaving it to church.
I want to get my kids involved in what I've been doing. We talk about Bible stories and Christian concepts often in our home, mostly in those "teachable moments" that pop up during normal daily life. This experiment will be more intentional. I will take one fruit each week, choose a verse for the family to memorize together, and generally discuss as a family what it means to show that fruit in our lives. I will post the fruit, the verse, a story to share with the kids relating to that week's fruit, and some suggestions for family discussion. I'm going to be sitting down with my kids on Sunday each week, but if Sundays don't work for you, choose another day. The point is sitting down as a family and spending the time to talk about each fruit, discuss the verse, and generally learn together. Then spend that week looking at the verse and talking about it. If your kids are old enough to read, then write the verse on note cards or paper and post it all around the house where everyone will see it. If your kids, like mine, can't read yet, then ask them about the verse and talk to them about it often so that it all "sticks."
I hope you will join me in this new experiment. Let's see if it makes a difference in the lives of our families! Stay tuned - on Saturday I will post the plan for our (once again) first fruit, love. Read it, tweak it if you like, and share it with your family! And, as always, I'd love to hear from you! Let me know how it goes and what you think of the experiment. Also, let me know how you did with the FOTS project that we just completed!
So, tell me, did you notice a difference in your life when you were focusing on each fruit? What did you learn? Did you notice growth, change, a difference in how you act towards others and God? How did your attitude and actions change? I'd like to tell you that I am a totally changed person in whom the fruits are now obvious, but that isn't truly the case. But I do believe that I have changed for the better in some ways. I feel like my faith is stronger as a result of this study. I am by no means perfect in demonstrating the fruits of the spirit, but I do not believe that such perfection can come in this lifetime. One thing I have learned is how dependent I am on God to have any semblance of the fruits in my life. Praise be to God that he gives us the power and the strength to keep going! Praise be to God that he gives us the fruits so that we may reflect and glorify Him in this fallen world! Praise be to God that he keeps us dependent so we must rely on and always turn back to Him! I know I will keep up the effort, though, and keep practicing. Hopefully the good days will outweigh the bad in the end. And I know that by following God in this way, my life WILL be changed for the better!
Well, you may think then that this blog is over with the end of the project. I hope that you are happy to hear it is not the end. I want to do a family experiment now. Recently, my church did a series called "Faith at Home." One sermon talked about the fruits of the spirit; another talked about Scripture memorization; a thread throughout was obedience to God and teaching in the family, particularly teaching our children God's truth at home and not just leaving it to church.
I want to get my kids involved in what I've been doing. We talk about Bible stories and Christian concepts often in our home, mostly in those "teachable moments" that pop up during normal daily life. This experiment will be more intentional. I will take one fruit each week, choose a verse for the family to memorize together, and generally discuss as a family what it means to show that fruit in our lives. I will post the fruit, the verse, a story to share with the kids relating to that week's fruit, and some suggestions for family discussion. I'm going to be sitting down with my kids on Sunday each week, but if Sundays don't work for you, choose another day. The point is sitting down as a family and spending the time to talk about each fruit, discuss the verse, and generally learn together. Then spend that week looking at the verse and talking about it. If your kids are old enough to read, then write the verse on note cards or paper and post it all around the house where everyone will see it. If your kids, like mine, can't read yet, then ask them about the verse and talk to them about it often so that it all "sticks."
I hope you will join me in this new experiment. Let's see if it makes a difference in the lives of our families! Stay tuned - on Saturday I will post the plan for our (once again) first fruit, love. Read it, tweak it if you like, and share it with your family! And, as always, I'd love to hear from you! Let me know how it goes and what you think of the experiment. Also, let me know how you did with the FOTS project that we just completed!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Self-Control
Ahhh, self-control. I'd like to believe that I am a self-controlled person, but anyone who knows me really well could tell you the truth. I am amazingly undisciplined at times and with certain things. But this last-mentioned fruit of the spirit is vitally important to our spiritual lives!
According to Scripture, there are many reasons why self-control is important. Here are a few:
- It prevents us from being surprised by the Lord's return. I Thes. 5:6
- It enables us to pray with effectiveness. I Peter 4:7
- It helps us to avoid the devil. I Peter 5:8
- It identifies us as belonging to the day (good) rather than the night (evil). I Thes. 5:8
- If we lack self-control, we are "like a city whose walls are broken down..." Proverbs 25:28
- It is part of what "will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
This all seems really good, right? I want to have these things and I want to have self-control, along with all the things listed above that self-control brings. I want to be joyful at my Lord's return, not caught in some disobedience or surprised. I want to pray with power. I want to avoid the devil. I want to be associated with the light. I want to be a secure city with unbroken walls. And I most certainly want to be effective and productive in Christ. It's really an obvious choice. But what is not so obvious is how to get it. I try to be self-controlled and it doesn't always work out so well for me. Thank goodness that God has a plan that is greater than me! 2 Peter 1:3-8 tells us that God has given us all we need to lead a righteous life, including self-control. Yeah!!
We need to start believing - I mean really truly believing in our heart of hearts - that we can be self-controlled. So often we face challenges, like bad habits and certain everyday struggles, fully believing that we cannot really make the right choice. We look ahead and have already decided for ourselves that we cannot overcome a particular obstacle. For example, I know that I need to get up a little earlier every day to spend time with God and His Word, but I have a mantra going in my head that says something like, "you aren't a morning person and you won't really be able to pull yourself out of bed." Perhaps your struggle is with food and you are telling yourself, "you will always have that cookie/cake/chip and won't ever really stick to a healthy eating plan." We need to change these attitudes because they do nothing for us except set us up for failure.
Let's replace these negative mantras with the promises of God from the Bible. First, Phil. 4:13, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." In 2 Peter 1:3-8, God promises to give us all we need to lead a righteous life. And there are many more. Assignment #1: find a verse to cling to when you face challenges, then memorize it and repeat that to yourself whenever you think that you cannot be self-controlled. Then tell me if it helps!
Self-control has an enemy and that is temptation. Think about that a second and tell me if that rings true. If we were never tempted, wouldn't self-control be easy? And I believe we each have our own areas of temptation that we struggle with the most. For me right now, it is getting up early as I mentioned above, food, and exercise. I have daily fights with myself over these particular things. I have never, though, really seen these as spiritual struggles until now. If temptation is a spiritual thing, and we know it is from Scripture, and I recognize that my particular struggles are with temptation and my feeble attempts to be self-controlled, then shouldn't I also recognize that these struggles are spiritual in nature? I think God wants us to recognize these battles as spiritual and invite Him into the fight with us.
We must rely on God's strength for our self-control instead of our own. When we try to do it ourselves, we set ourselves up for failure. Phil. 4:13. As Paul says in Gal. 3:3, "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" God promises to fight alongside us and it is only through His strength that we can win these battles or make any progress with them at all. I Cor. 10:13. We should come to Him with our failures and weakness, for in our weakness He is made strong! 2 Cor. 12:9-10.
That said, we also need to be proactive about being self-controlled, always with God alongside us and relying on His strength. We can train ourselves to rely on God and be self-controlled. In I Cor. 9:24-27, Paul compares this to training to run a race. We need to train for self-control like a runner trains to not only run but to win a race. Paul says, "I beat my body and make it my slave so that ... I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." There are things we can do to train ourselves in the areas particular to our personal struggles.
Here is a list of practical steps towards self-control.
(1) Be in the Word. I keep coming back to this because it is vitally important! We need to be able to recognize God's voice leading us towards self-control and away from temptation. How can we hear Him if we don't know his voice? We learn to recognize God's voice by reading and studying His Word.
(2) Recognize your own personal struggles. Think and pray about it, then write them down as God reveals them to you. For some of us this is easy; for others this may be a bit more difficult.
(3) Take on one challenge at a time. This is especially important if you are feeling overwhelmed by your list!
(4)Make a game plan. Ask yourself, what one or two things can you do today to move towards greater self-control? Some examples might be: if your struggle is with food, your one thing could be to rid your house of the food that tempts you the most so you just don't have it around anymore; if your struggle is with exercise, commit to go on one short walk today; if your struggle is with organization, tackle one small area today. You get the idea, don't you?
(5) When faced with something that challenges your self-control, in the words of my good friend and teacher, "stop, drop and pray"! It's okay (and a good idea) to pause and wait for God's direction. Ask God in that moment to give you strength and to help you stand up under the temptation you face. He will do it! We know and can believe this 100% because He specifically promises to do this in His word. So claim this promise as your own today! Also, sometimes just waiting and putting off the temptation can make it face. For example, sometimes if I tell myself I can have the cookie or cake that I crave after I do a work out, by the time I'm done with the work out I don't want the treat as much anymore.
See if you can come up with more practical steps to add to my list. Practice these things, go into training. Share you progress with all of us and let's see if these things can really make a difference!
According to Scripture, there are many reasons why self-control is important. Here are a few:
- It prevents us from being surprised by the Lord's return. I Thes. 5:6
- It enables us to pray with effectiveness. I Peter 4:7
- It helps us to avoid the devil. I Peter 5:8
- It identifies us as belonging to the day (good) rather than the night (evil). I Thes. 5:8
- If we lack self-control, we are "like a city whose walls are broken down..." Proverbs 25:28
- It is part of what "will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
This all seems really good, right? I want to have these things and I want to have self-control, along with all the things listed above that self-control brings. I want to be joyful at my Lord's return, not caught in some disobedience or surprised. I want to pray with power. I want to avoid the devil. I want to be associated with the light. I want to be a secure city with unbroken walls. And I most certainly want to be effective and productive in Christ. It's really an obvious choice. But what is not so obvious is how to get it. I try to be self-controlled and it doesn't always work out so well for me. Thank goodness that God has a plan that is greater than me! 2 Peter 1:3-8 tells us that God has given us all we need to lead a righteous life, including self-control. Yeah!!
We need to start believing - I mean really truly believing in our heart of hearts - that we can be self-controlled. So often we face challenges, like bad habits and certain everyday struggles, fully believing that we cannot really make the right choice. We look ahead and have already decided for ourselves that we cannot overcome a particular obstacle. For example, I know that I need to get up a little earlier every day to spend time with God and His Word, but I have a mantra going in my head that says something like, "you aren't a morning person and you won't really be able to pull yourself out of bed." Perhaps your struggle is with food and you are telling yourself, "you will always have that cookie/cake/chip and won't ever really stick to a healthy eating plan." We need to change these attitudes because they do nothing for us except set us up for failure.
Let's replace these negative mantras with the promises of God from the Bible. First, Phil. 4:13, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." In 2 Peter 1:3-8, God promises to give us all we need to lead a righteous life. And there are many more. Assignment #1: find a verse to cling to when you face challenges, then memorize it and repeat that to yourself whenever you think that you cannot be self-controlled. Then tell me if it helps!
Self-control has an enemy and that is temptation. Think about that a second and tell me if that rings true. If we were never tempted, wouldn't self-control be easy? And I believe we each have our own areas of temptation that we struggle with the most. For me right now, it is getting up early as I mentioned above, food, and exercise. I have daily fights with myself over these particular things. I have never, though, really seen these as spiritual struggles until now. If temptation is a spiritual thing, and we know it is from Scripture, and I recognize that my particular struggles are with temptation and my feeble attempts to be self-controlled, then shouldn't I also recognize that these struggles are spiritual in nature? I think God wants us to recognize these battles as spiritual and invite Him into the fight with us.
We must rely on God's strength for our self-control instead of our own. When we try to do it ourselves, we set ourselves up for failure. Phil. 4:13. As Paul says in Gal. 3:3, "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" God promises to fight alongside us and it is only through His strength that we can win these battles or make any progress with them at all. I Cor. 10:13. We should come to Him with our failures and weakness, for in our weakness He is made strong! 2 Cor. 12:9-10.
That said, we also need to be proactive about being self-controlled, always with God alongside us and relying on His strength. We can train ourselves to rely on God and be self-controlled. In I Cor. 9:24-27, Paul compares this to training to run a race. We need to train for self-control like a runner trains to not only run but to win a race. Paul says, "I beat my body and make it my slave so that ... I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." There are things we can do to train ourselves in the areas particular to our personal struggles.
Here is a list of practical steps towards self-control.
(1) Be in the Word. I keep coming back to this because it is vitally important! We need to be able to recognize God's voice leading us towards self-control and away from temptation. How can we hear Him if we don't know his voice? We learn to recognize God's voice by reading and studying His Word.
(2) Recognize your own personal struggles. Think and pray about it, then write them down as God reveals them to you. For some of us this is easy; for others this may be a bit more difficult.
(3) Take on one challenge at a time. This is especially important if you are feeling overwhelmed by your list!
(4)Make a game plan. Ask yourself, what one or two things can you do today to move towards greater self-control? Some examples might be: if your struggle is with food, your one thing could be to rid your house of the food that tempts you the most so you just don't have it around anymore; if your struggle is with exercise, commit to go on one short walk today; if your struggle is with organization, tackle one small area today. You get the idea, don't you?
(5) When faced with something that challenges your self-control, in the words of my good friend and teacher, "stop, drop and pray"! It's okay (and a good idea) to pause and wait for God's direction. Ask God in that moment to give you strength and to help you stand up under the temptation you face. He will do it! We know and can believe this 100% because He specifically promises to do this in His word. So claim this promise as your own today! Also, sometimes just waiting and putting off the temptation can make it face. For example, sometimes if I tell myself I can have the cookie or cake that I crave after I do a work out, by the time I'm done with the work out I don't want the treat as much anymore.
See if you can come up with more practical steps to add to my list. Practice these things, go into training. Share you progress with all of us and let's see if these things can really make a difference!
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