The whole point of life on this earth is to be used by God. When you’ve accomplished your assignment here, God has other things for you to do in heaven. I can remember hearing a great man of God say once that Jesus told him, “Most men live and die and never enter the first phase of ministry.”
That’s sad to me!
I don’t want to be one of those people who stands before God’s throne someday, and God says (and I’m paraphrasing here), “You wicked servant. At least you could have put my talents in the bank where it accrued interest! (Matthew 25:26-27)”
God has given us talents and abilities, but it’s up to us to become self disciplined and develop the gifts.
Paul wrote to Timothy who was a young man and said…
Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
1 Timothy 4:14 NKJV
The truth is that many people have gifts that Jesus has given them for the edification of the whole church, but until they are found faithful God cannot set them in a position to be used and take full advantage of that gift.
Today’s Text
So where does self-control come from?
The answer to this question isn’t what most people think. It actually has nothing to do with yourself.
Main Point
The Bible says that the fruit of the spirit is self control. So if you get nothing else from this post, realize that as you abide in the vine and produce fruit your spirit will naturally produce the ability to control yourself.
The thing about the word “self-control” that is so confusing is that word “self”. Many people (myself included) think that when they get born again they have to quit all their bad habits and say no to everything that makes them happy.
They think they have to do it in their OWN strength.
We might not say it like that, but we think it’s our responsibility to do all the work.
The truth is that in your own strength you’ll never be able to be perfect. That’s kind of the whole point of why Jesus came.
God’s Spirit gives us the power of self control
The Bible says, “…Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit… (Zechariah 4:6 NKJV)”.
So he answered and said to me:
“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:
‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’
Says the Lord of hosts.
Zechariah 4:6 NKJV
The entire list of God’s fruit of the spirit starts with this one concept. The Lord’s spirit has to be present.
Recap
So just to recap, self-discipline isn’t actually from yourself. It’s from the spirit of God on the inside of you. If this was the first time you prayed either prayers, email me at [email protected] or message me on Instagram at nathan.zimmer. I would love to hear from you and know your story!
Consider subscribing to our newsletter also so you can stay updated with all the latest that’s happening. I occasionally will send out emails of events, testimonies, practical things that we can do to grow our relationship with God and more.
Know that you’re loved. God loves you, I love you and pray for you all the time.
If you missed it, here’s our blog post from last week.
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