Self Control, Control of Others, Faith – What does the Bible say about it? – Part 2
Control can be a daunting issue for any of us. If we have children we desire to have “control” over their behaviour to a degree. We may desire to have control over our own lives and relationships with others, through decisions, plans, etc. And if we are leaders in any type of organization, we may desire some control over what takes place in them. But how much control do we all really have or need for that matter? This week I will talk about control using the Bible as the go to reference book of choice…cont’d.
Next, the Bible does talk about God asking us to have self-control (1 Peter 4:7, Titus 1:8, Galatians 5:23, etc.). This can come in many forms, as our bodies have different areas of control, including listening, speaking, thinking and body movements. So when God is asking us to have self-control, He is asking us to “bridle” our mouths, cleanse our minds, listen to godly counsel and submit our bodies to His body (James 1:26, Romans 12:2, Proverbs 11:14, Ephesians 5:21). This can all sound a little overwhelming at first, but the key is to persevere (Romans 5:3, 4). Paul was candid about his struggles with self-control, he said, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:15). Regarding the pulls of the flesh in respect to marriage, Paul suggests that if we can control ourselves it is good, but if not we ought to be married rather than “burn with passion”, because a God ordained marriage is not a sin (1 Corinthians 7:5, 9, 28; Hebrews 13:4). Nevertheless, just like learning to play a musical instrument, learning a new language or training for a sport takes practice and a life time to develop and “perfect” the skill, so does following God!
More to come…
Darrell
darrellmowat.wordpress.com 