Self Control

Sunday, May 25, 2025

Good morning, Lord

Father in Heaven, I seek You first-the knowledge of Your kingdom and Your righteousness. Fill my consciousness constantly and complete Your joy in me as I take up my cross and follow...In Jesus' name…

Memory verse: Ephesians 2:6 “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”

Verse of the day: James 1:19

19 “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;”

Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 25-27 John 9:1-23

Self Control

Hate makes a person weak. Jesus said for His followers to love their enemies(Matthew 5:43-48). But what about ideas around politics or other things that anger us?

The very last of the nine fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22&23 is self control-like the knot on the end of a line that holds everything together.

We hear or read or see something that we do not like and then let our anger get out of control and this is the spirit of hate. The more we let it consume us the weaker we become.

Weak in what respect? Unchecked hate puts us in control instead of the Holy Spirit. Yes, self control in scripture, I believe, is giving control to God and leaving it to Him. This is hard to learn but keeps His strength in us.

If we control, we reason in our own wisdom and power-we are out from under God’s hand(1 Peter 5:6&7) where we are open to all attacks of the enemy.

Hate makes us weak, makes us vulnerable, and give the enemy a foothold(Ephesians 4:27-29).

The very second we hear something that ’makes us mad’, that is exactly when we must turn and pinpoint focus on God-another reason we must learn to be God-conscious.

Unconscious hate is a testimony killer. When you speak it you give those words of hate immortality. This is lost ground.

2 Corinthians 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Hate sets itself up against everything that God is to us and all that is Jesus through us to the world.

Pray, meditate, and work to crush hate in your heart. There is no place for it in the presence of God.

Ask God-He will crush hate in your life-take up your cross...

...because He loves us...He will do it...

Father in Heaven,

Hallowed be Your endless name, Your kingdom come and Your will be done in my heart.

Give me today no room for hate. Lead me away from anger.

Loving God,

In the name of Christ Jesus,

Amen