Self Control (by Cindie York)

Titus 2:12 (NLT)
And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God.

Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance and patient endurance leads to godliness. (II Peter 1:6) Self-control is also a fruit of the Spirit and those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh and its passions and desires. The Bible tells us to walk in the Spirit and to live in the Spirit.

Every temptation is an opportunity to do good. We are all given two choices: to resist temptation or give in to temptation. Our bodies are the temple of God. Christ dwells in the body of every believer who accepts Him as Lord and Savior and asks for the pardon of sins. God gives us the power to overcome temptation. As we grow in wisdom and knowledge of God's word, we can better recognize the tricks of the devil. Red flags go up. As we mature in Christ, the deeper we grow in the Lord, the easier those flags are to recognize and the easier it gets to walk away from tempting situations.

We need to embrace holiness and sanctification once again. Today's society has become so immoral and more and more Christians are being deceived. It seems that self-control is becoming a thought of the past. The church world has just become so compromising when it comes to sinful living and behavior. Many people are turning a blind eye or deaf ear to condemnation. We must learn once again that it is essential in our Christian walk to be bigger than the tempter. We must again show the lost and dying world that there are still Christians who have self-control.

Remember to resist the devil and he will flee from you. We do not have to submit to the tricky devises of the enemy. Again, one word RESIST!!