Self Control

Have you ever reacted so strongly to a situation that it surprised, even embarrassed you? All of us have done this at some point; yelled at someone, dropped a choice word or two, perhaps even reacted in a physical manner hitting a wall or kicking something. We will often hear someone say, “I just lost control.” Where does that come from? We’re never proud of those moments. Yet, we choose them still; sometimes over and over again. 

In the world of recovering addicts, people come to the conclusion that they are addicts because of one very challenging reality: they have no control over their impulses. No matter how much they understand that their addiction, whether to gambling, alcohol, drugs, or sex, has ruined their lives and the lives of those they love, they simply can’t stop… In their own strength. Perhaps all of us suffer with addiction to some extent. After all, we have struggle with some sort of behavior we wish we could. change and yet, seem to fall short of all the time. 

Yet, God in his grace, has revealed to us that we are not alone in this struggle. We see in the book of Romans, “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And yet, Peter wrote that God “is patient toward [us], not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” How does God change us? We see a small glimpse of this from the Old Testament prophet, Ezekiel: 

Ezekiel 36:25-28 (ESV)

25 "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.”

From this passage, we see that it has been God’s plan all along to transform us from the inside out. As we continue to walk with Jesus and keep in step with the Holy Spirit, we find ourselves being more and more refined in His likeness. Our desires become His desires, our worldview changes, the fear and anger we once operated out of becomes compassion and empathy for those who simply don’t yet know God or are young in their faith. 

I so look forward to exploring this more with Pastor Adam this weekend. The songs we will sing this weekend are very poignant. We will start with singing a song that we haven’t done since last year, Oh How I Need You. I wanted to open with this as an acknowledgement to our need for God’s power, guidance, and love as we wrestle with this idea of sin and putting off the old self. Then, we will sing Honor & Glorify to remind ourselves of the purpose that we are created, “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” And we will end our set with The Stand to proclaim our hearts desire before God, to stand in Him and on His principles and to reveal to the world that we are His. Love you guys… See you this weekend!