Self Lacks Control

GodReflection: Power Words

So I say, walk by the Spirit—the fruit of the Spirit is self-control—Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5

Because I am a disciple of Jesus, I become a player in God’s drama of creation restoration.

God’s story is a blow-by-blow account of His domination of Satan. At the center of the struggle is the issue of control. With the death, burial, and resurrection of the God-man Jesus, the outcome is sure.

My reality is one of being a recipient of a generous supply of Adam and Eve’s fallen genes. The garden folks were my first set of fallen grandparents.  I find myself caught in the control battle.

That is where self-control—the ninth fruit of the Spirit—comes to my aid.

It’s ironic that lack of self-control resulted in the first sin. Perhaps, that is why self-control remains at the heart of the sin issue.

News Services as we know them would go out of business were the lack of self-control erased from the human experience. The removal of stories caused by a lack of self control would immediately cut the news down to the two-minute human-interest story tacked onto the end of reports on people out of control.

Here is what I think.

Why should I stand amazed that those without allegiance to Jesus lack self-control?

What amazes me is how hard self-control is for me—a life-long follower of the Lord.

Shouldn’t I have this one figured out by now?

No, I haven’t nailed it.

Apparently, God knows self-control is difficult since He knew it would take daily residence of the Holy Spirit within for me to have any hope of self-control.

So I remind myself of my own need to walk by the Spirit since the fruit of the Spirit is self-control and because I live by the Spirit, I want to keep in step with the Spirit.

I don’t know exactly how the Spirit works to create within me the fruit of self-control. I assume the times when I exhibit a lack of the fruit are from my weakness and not a lack of desire from the Spirit. It also seems the closer I walk in tune with the Spirit of Jesus the more apt I am to experience the self-control I so often need.

As human, I am not so good at being Jesus. I hope I mirror his Spirit a tad more with each new day.

I thank God for the honesty of the Apostle Paul. He and I are descendants of grandparents Adam and Eve.

For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

It sounds like the great apostle wasn’t exactly batting a thousand in the area of self-control. He concludes by thinking God there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Sure, I want self-control to increase as a power word of reality in my life. I want the Holy Spirit to increase greatly this fruit. I want to do my part not to hide Jesus from others through my lapses of self-control.

Will you join me in raising self-control to a power word level?

Stay tune.

Dr. Gary J. Sorrells – A GodReflection on Self-Control as a Power Word.

Gary@GodReflection.org