"Any person without self-control is either an accident looking for a place to happen or a slave in chains." (Beth Moore in Living Beyond Yourself)
"You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. " 1 Corinthians 6:12
In a culture of self-indulgence the fight for self-control can be an uphill battle. I've spent many years, sometimes without fully realizing it, trying to free myself from the chains of selfishness. I don't want to live like that anymore.
In my frenzy to write my novel I found studying this aspect of the fruit of the Spirit to be so timely. I would love to sit and write for hours and see real progress made in the completion of my story. But I have boxes to pack, kids to take care of, relationships to engage in. As I felt the tug of the novel becoming stronger, I knew it could overshadow everything else, I made the commitment to continue starting my day in Bible study. I'm glad I made that conscious decision, I need the grounding, and I believe it honors God. I think if it hadn't been a conscious decision, one from my heart, I would have been so tempted to wake up early and start the day writing.
I know that if I don't allow the Spirit to flow into my heart I won't have anything good flowing out. Healthy parameters and discipline facilitates that flow. So where do you need a fresh overflow of the Spirit in your life, guiding you in healthy boundaries and self-control?
i love this...thank you for sharing. i can think of a couple areas where i need to practice some self-control :)
ReplyDeleteI am working on this one, too. I lost a lot of the personal disciplines I had when we went into crisis mode for several years, and trying to rebuild is exhausting and challenging. I am learning to listen to the voice of God more, though, and to guilt myself into discipline a lot less - more freedom. I am excited to hear about how your novel progresses. :o)
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