Galatians 5:22 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives HE will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. [Living Bible]
Summary
SELF-CONTROL is another HOLY SPIRIT SUPERFRUIT.
According to the Bible: "A man (or woman) without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls." [Proverbs 25:28 Living Bible translation]
Often the things we desire to bring under control are our urges, appetites, addictions, compulsions, impulses, emotions, our time and our tongues.
In order to achieve any spiritual goal or understand how we can achieve greater spiritual health, it is always helpful to look to scripture for guidance. Here are just a few tips for attaining, developing or re-building self-control:
Tips On Attaining/Developing/Re-building SELF-CONTROL:
- FOCUS on GODLY THINGS instead of your weaknesses. For example, if you know you a have compulsion, urge or addiction to something, try not to focus on it! Instead, focus on something else. In other words, instead of always thinking about the object of your addiction or obsessing about your lack of control try to re-direct your thoughts and actions to something more positive. In other words, don't give your "weakness" any more "thought power" than it already has! Redirect your mind. Focus on your STRENGTH rather than your weaknesses. And remember, our greatest strength is GOD! The Bible instructs us that:
GOD is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. [Psalms
46:1]
We are told to:
Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things
that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others.
Think about all you can praise GOD for and be glad about. Philippians 4: 8
[Living Bible] - ASK GOD for daily help---remember Rome was not built in a day! Take it day by day, hour by hour, step by step with GOD. Like David, you can ask GOD to:
Order my steps in THY word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over
me. [Psalms 119:133 King James translation] - START seeing yourself the way GOD sees you. Instead of seeing and thinking of yourself as weak and defeated (and controlled) by your urges/compulsion/appetites, see yourself the way GOD sees you or you were meant to be! The Bible says:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or
persecution of famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...NO, in all these
things we are more than conquerors through HIM who loved us.
Romans 8:35, 37 [New International translation]
So, refuse to be defeated! Declare yourself MORE THAN A CONQUEROR!
FOOD and ADDICTION
According to WebMD, people who are addicted to foods can display some of the same characteristics as people with drug and alcohol addictions. Some of these characteristics may include:
- Being obsessed and/or preoccupied with food
- Having a lack of self-control when it comes to food.
- Having a compulsion about food in which eating results in a cycle of bingeing despite negative consequences.
- Remembering a sense of pleasure and/or comfort with food and being un-able to stop using food to create a sense of pleasure and comfort.
- Having a need to eat which results in a physical craving.
Some of the questions that WebMD suggests asking yourself to determine if you have a food addiction include the following:
- Have I tried but failed to control my eating?
- Do I find myself hiding food or secretly bingeing?
- Do I have feelings of guilt or remorse after eating?
- Do I eat because of emotions?
- Is my weight affecting my way of life?
Some tips WebMD suggests for dealing with food addiction include:
- Knowing which situations trigger your cravings, and avoiding them if possi-ble
- Exercising
- Drinking at least 64 ounces of water per day
- Relaxing with deep breathing exercises or meditation
- Trying to distract yourself until the compulsion to eat passes
WebMd also suggests seeking medical assistance if an addiction is causing problems with your life. See, "Mental Health and Food Addiction," www.webmd.com.
A Building Not Made By Hands
One of the old church standards has the following lyrics:
Lord, keep my day by day,
in a pure and perfect way.
I want to live, I want to live
in a building not made by hand.
Lord, keep my body strong
so that I can do no wrong.
Lord, give me grace just to run this Christian race
to a building not made by hand.
Similarly, the quest and prayer for SELF-CONTROL is a day by day, prayer by prayer, step by step journey. It is a lifelong spiritual mission, but it is not mission impossible. Nor is it a journey we need travel alone. We travel together---supporting one another in prayer. We journey with the FATHER, with the SON, and with the aid of the HOLY SPIRIT.
So, be strong (i.e., Spiritually Fortified), be determined, be MORE than a conqueror and BE BLESSED!
