EPISODE 52 – SELF-CONTROL IS ESSENTIAL – ABOUND IN THESE THINGS 6 (ABUNDANT FRUIT-BEARERS 18)
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CHRIST COMMONWEALTH-COMMUNITY
The Love-Life Agency
By Benjamin Nana Amissah Ansah
MACHAIRA
(Pronounced makh’-ahee-rah)
Daily revelatory thoughts to sharpen you and to
help you grow in deep spiritual understanding and
knowledge.
Scriptures for your daily meditation.
Daily Christ-centered and apostolic-prophetic
prayers.
Wednesday 15th March, 2023
SELF-CONTROL IS ESSENTIAL – ABOUND IN THESE THINGS 6 (ABUNDANT FRUIT-BEARERS 18)
” But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ“ 2 Peter 2:5-8 (NKJV).
Unfruitfulness is not God’s intention for you. And doesn’t just demand fruitfulness from you. He has supplied you with all that you need to be more fruitful.
Your responsibility in fruit-bearing is to supply or distribute the items God has cascaded into you.
We have seen that God has given unto us (in Christ) all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
When you came into Christ you received faith. Faith is the foundation of your living in Christ. (Galatians 2:20). And to faith, you supply virtue, to virtue you supply knowledge.
In the previous episode we saw Knowledge as one of the indispensable element in your fruits bearing.
Today we look further into the next item for fruit-bearing,
SELF-CONTROL.
SUPPLY SELF-CONTROL
When we hear of self-control we first think of we subjecting our thoughts and emotions under our own control.
However, it doesn’t work that way.
To bring things under your control will still lose control.
It is always difficult to bear burdens on our own.
To exercise SELF-CONTROL according to the scriptures, is to subject your emotions, thoughts, and desires or cravings to our Lord Jesus.
The greek word is (egkrateia/enkrateia) from the word, enkratos (“en” means in and “kratos” means dominion, mastery, power to rule).
It also stems from the word “krat” which speaks of power or lordship.
It literally means dominion within.
It is the ability or idea to take a grip on oneself or hold oneself.
For you in Christ, self-control proceeds out from within you, but not by yourself. This is because it is only possible by depending on the power of the indwelling Spirit.
With self-control, you hold your passions and desires in hand, as you are enabled by the Lord.
You cause God’s word to master your desires and passions, especially your sensual appetites.
The Greeks used “self-control” of the one who had his sex passions under control.
It speaks of the ability to make the will of God get a grip on yourself.
Egkrateia has reference to restraining passions and appetites. It points to the inner power of God, to control one’s own desires and appetites.
To have self-control, you function like Jesus. He never became a victim of the tricks of the adversary. (Matthew 4:1-11). He was never found doing or saying anything that was not consistent with His Father’s will and divine nature.
Jesus said, “…I seek not mine own will, but the will (or desires) of the Father which hath sent me.” John 5:30.
This is the simplicity of self-control. It is not just about having a restraining force, it is God’s will becoming your restraining force.
Get this, you are not a machine, God has made you an organism or a free moral agent. Thus, you exercise self-control by a free act of will.
Until you make a personal decision to submit to God’s restraining ability within you, God wouldn’t force His will on you.
When you yield your cravings to God, you exercise self-control in the energy which the Holy Spirit supplies.
This is a glorious interworking of your will and the grace of God.
There is a price of fruitfulness, therefore live as an athlete who disciplines and restrains himself; beating his body into submission ( 1Co 9:27).
A good top level athlete will abstain from rich foods, wine, and sexual activities in order to focus all his strength and attention on training to be more efficient.
Beloved, practice self-control by yielding your thoughts, emotions, desires to the instructions of the Word and the Spirit.
Do you want to bear more fruits?
Don’t sleep when you are to be praying. Be diligent to pray and fast and not to be controlled by your appetite for food.
Be disciplined and diligent to share the gospel of Christ with others no matter how you feel. Refrain from sexual immorality. Don’t frustrate the grace of God. Take advantage of the strength of the Holy Spirit to do more.
Selah
DIG DEEPER
(Galatians 5:22-23; Acts 24:25; 2Peter 1:3; 1 Corinthians 9:25;)
WE PRAY
-That we shall increase in the strength of the Spirit to exercise self-control or temperance in all things.
– That all our cravings and desires are governed by the will of God.
BIBLE READING IN THE YEAR 2023
Day 42: Leviticus 17-20
DECLARE THESE WORDS:
– I am disciplined by the word of God.
– I don’t do as I desire. I exercise the strength of God in my dealings.
– I do the will of God.
– Christ is my strength.
– My longings, cravings, pleasures are submitted to the good pleasure of the Father’s will.
Hallelujah!!!
Hallelujah
I allow God’s will to become my restraining force!
I don’t do as I desire. Strength is supplied to me.
In the name of Jesus!!
Hallelujah
I submit my thoughts, emotions and desires to the Lordship of Jesus.
I am disciplined and temperate in all things.
Glory to God
I allow the most High God to dominate and saturate my desires , cravings and wants . The Holy Spirit is my restraining force
Wow! Boi! Thank you lord Jesus.
I cause God’s word to master my desires and my passion.
I yield my cravings to the instructions of the word and the spirit in the name of Jesus. Glory!
Wow what a solid word. My desires are channelled to the Lord
Glory to God
I don’t waste the Grace.
My craving, decisions, thought, desires and passion are submitted to God’s will.
Thank You Lord … I subject my emotions to the Lord Jesus…
The Lord’s please is my good pleasure. I have inward dominion over my passions and desires as i am abundantly supplied with Grace. Hallelujah
I refuse to be sleeping when I should be praying. I refuse to be eating whilst I should be fasting.
I subject myself to the Lord’s will
I practice self-control by yielding your thoughts, emotions, desires to the instructions of the Word and the Spirit.
My longings, cravings, pleasures are submitted to the good pleasure of the Father’s will.
I don’t do as I desire. I exercise the strength of God in my dealings.