Living by the Holy Spirit's Power ~~ self control ~~

Living by the Holy Spirit's Power ~~ self control ~~

Galatians 5:22-23
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

By Submitting to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will produce good
fruit in you.  
Lets start with self-control.
and the meaning.. dictionary
( restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions, or desires )


Proverbs 25:28
A person without self-control
is like a city with broken-down walls.

Think of a huge castle or a fort, back when the cities were surrounded
by walls, the enemy use to have to tear down the walls.
Once those walls got broke down, the enemy could defeat and pillage
the city.

Ok so self-control is like having our walls strong and unbreakable. So what is
self-control. Easy,  Obeying God, even when we don't want to.
We can learn by examples that God gave us. Lets go over just a couple of those
who lacked self-control 

■EVE lacked self-control by eating a piece of fruit, even though God had commanded against it
■ADAM lacked self-control by giving into peer pressure and ate a piece of fruit also
■CAIN lacked self-control by letting jealousy control him and killing his brother Abel 
■ISREALITES lacked self-control by complaining in the wilderness to Moses
■PRODIGAL SON lacked self-control by spending all of his money on wild living
 
Now think about how Jesus was tempted by Satan.
For 40 days and 40 nights Jesus had nothing to eat.
Not even a peice of bread.

He was in his flesh body then, just like you and I.
He was human. Boy was he hungry, dizzy, weakened and tired.
Really if you think it is easy to skip food, a meal here or there. But
just try skipping all food for 3 days, yet have it right in front of you all the time.
And the whole time, having someone eating your
favorite ice-cream, cookie or pizza in front of you.
You can smell it.
See the ice cream melting,,
or all that mozerella pizza cheese stretching as they bite into it.
And not falling into the temptation.

Well that is self control. When you make up your mind to do something. And Stick to your goal.
It would be just like the devil to come attacking when you are feeling weak, or your at a low,
depressed, or discouraged.

Use Jesus as the good example as he did when he was led into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.  How Jesus used self-control to stay in God's will.

Mathew 4:1-4
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.
For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.
During that time the devil came and said to him.
“If you are the Son of God,
tell these stones to become loaves of bread." 

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
"People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God"


You know the devil kept right on tempting Jesus. But thank God, Jesus had self-control. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
He didn't cave in. He didn't say just say maybe just this once.

Mathew 4:10-11
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan!
For it is written:
‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him

Did you get those results?  Praise God!
"Worship the Lord Your God, and serve him only"
The devil left him. Angels came and attended him.

The Holy Spirit produces fruit. Galatians 5:22-23
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and "Self-Control"

Be fruitful in the fruits of the holy spirit,
Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.