“His divine power has given us everything we need
for life and godliness through our knowledge of him
who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises,
so that through them you may participate in the divine nature
and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control;
and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure,
they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive
in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
for life and godliness through our knowledge of him
who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises,
so that through them you may participate in the divine nature
and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control;
and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure,
they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive
in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 1:3-8
The last among the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:23, “self-control” is the Greek word enkrateia which means possessing power over and having mastery of one's desires and impulses – a discipline which gives us victory through our trusting relationship with Jesus Christ. As both an offensive and defensive attribute, self-control is inseparably bound to our Christian belief and is only possible if our lives are controlled by the guiding hand of God’s Holy Spirit for God’s purpose.
There are three powerful pulls that must be controlled according to I John 2:16 - "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" in these three areas of our lives:
MIND – Our thoughts are powerful and require self-control to be focused and not allow distractions to interfere with our responsibility to live according to God’s will.
MOUTH – Our mouths need to be controlled in both how to speak and how not to speak and our words need to be edifying to others.
MOUTH – Our mouths need to be controlled in both how to speak and how not to speak and our words need to be edifying to others.
MOTIVATION – Our actions must reflect our commitment to obedience, submission and sinless living rather than sinful excesses if not controlled.
Additional verses for this week:
Proverbs 16:32
Proverbs 10:17
Proverbs 25:28
Hebrews 12:5-11
2 Timothy 1:7
2 Peter 1:5-8
Proverbs 25:28
Hebrews 12:5-11
2 Timothy 1:7
2 Peter 1:5-8
Joyce
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