One of the eye opening moments for me was when I finally got serious about studying the Bible. Paul talks about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-26:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Chris…
One of the eye opening moments for me was when I finally got serious about studying the Bible. Paul talks about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-26:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."
There it is right in verse 22, *self control*, it's the last item in a list of desirable qualities and ties them all together. This passage follows those where Paul describes those living in the flesh (Gal 5:19-21):
"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like"
Every one of those stems from a lack of self-control and many of them are addiction based. God didn't design us to live like this, we were made for so much more. When we boast of our shortcomings it dawned on me that is actually a rebellion against God.
The fact that everyone I know who exercises self-control is far happier than those who don't makes me sure these are the inspired Word of God.
Self control has always been something I lacked in my life until I read Galatians 5 and started asking God to make the fruit of the Spirit evident in my life, and I started to crucify my flesh daily. I'll never reach perfection but I am aware and repentant. It has completely transformed my life to the point that I don't even recognize the person that I was. I cringe when I see Christian women post things like "I love Jesus but I drink a little and say **** alot." Drinking to excess and speaking filth are not virtues, and yet they see them as endearing qualities about themselves. I can say this as someone who used to have the same mentality. I thank God for conviction 🙌
What a testament to the working of the HOLY Spirit in your life, Jenna. I have often said if you don't have the HOLY Spirit guiding your life choices...the UNholy 'spirits' take over - be it drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, 'stuff'!!
We DON'T NEED more government IN OUR LIVES--instead we NEED MORE BIBLE! I have pointed to the Supreme Court ruling back in 1964 or 1965 in response to a lawsuit filed by an atheist named Madalyn Murray O'Hair as the beginning of the DOWNWARD MORAL SPIRAL in our country. The Bible was read in school at the beginning of the day IN EVERY CLASSROOM when I went to school.
This horrible Supreme Court ruling was made right after I graduated. Even though most of the kids in the classroom didn't read the Bible--having it READ TO THEM means they were "pierced with the double edged Sword of the Spirit of our Creator God. The Word NEVER returns unto itself "void" - in other words...there will always be GOOD FRUIT in souls from hearing the Word of God.
You are right! You are right, and there are those who will call you a pharisee for it. The key is to differentiate self-control animated by the Holy Spirit, and self-control for the sake of self righteousness and pride.
"You're putting me under the law," they might say. No. Obedience that is animated by the Holy Spirit is not the same as obedience in an attempt to self-justify.
And it's sad that I learned this from analyzing a sermon wherein the pastor strongly implied that people who preach holiness are pharisees.
Whether or not someone is born again is between the Lord and that person. But if their pattern of behavior exhibits a lack of self-control, they're angry, and have no visible fruit, they might need to hear the whole Gospel again.
You have generated some great discussion here, Jeff C.
One of the eye opening moments for me was when I finally got serious about studying the Bible. Paul talks about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-26:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."
There it is right in verse 22, *self control*, it's the last item in a list of desirable qualities and ties them all together. This passage follows those where Paul describes those living in the flesh (Gal 5:19-21):
"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like"
Every one of those stems from a lack of self-control and many of them are addiction based. God didn't design us to live like this, we were made for so much more. When we boast of our shortcomings it dawned on me that is actually a rebellion against God.
The fact that everyone I know who exercises self-control is far happier than those who don't makes me sure these are the inspired Word of God.
Self control has always been something I lacked in my life until I read Galatians 5 and started asking God to make the fruit of the Spirit evident in my life, and I started to crucify my flesh daily. I'll never reach perfection but I am aware and repentant. It has completely transformed my life to the point that I don't even recognize the person that I was. I cringe when I see Christian women post things like "I love Jesus but I drink a little and say **** alot." Drinking to excess and speaking filth are not virtues, and yet they see them as endearing qualities about themselves. I can say this as someone who used to have the same mentality. I thank God for conviction 🙌
What a testament to the working of the HOLY Spirit in your life, Jenna. I have often said if you don't have the HOLY Spirit guiding your life choices...the UNholy 'spirits' take over - be it drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, 'stuff'!!
Absolutely!
We DON'T NEED more government IN OUR LIVES--instead we NEED MORE BIBLE! I have pointed to the Supreme Court ruling back in 1964 or 1965 in response to a lawsuit filed by an atheist named Madalyn Murray O'Hair as the beginning of the DOWNWARD MORAL SPIRAL in our country. The Bible was read in school at the beginning of the day IN EVERY CLASSROOM when I went to school.
This horrible Supreme Court ruling was made right after I graduated. Even though most of the kids in the classroom didn't read the Bible--having it READ TO THEM means they were "pierced with the double edged Sword of the Spirit of our Creator God. The Word NEVER returns unto itself "void" - in other words...there will always be GOOD FRUIT in souls from hearing the Word of God.
You are right! You are right, and there are those who will call you a pharisee for it. The key is to differentiate self-control animated by the Holy Spirit, and self-control for the sake of self righteousness and pride.
"You're putting me under the law," they might say. No. Obedience that is animated by the Holy Spirit is not the same as obedience in an attempt to self-justify.
And it's sad that I learned this from analyzing a sermon wherein the pastor strongly implied that people who preach holiness are pharisees.
Whether or not someone is born again is between the Lord and that person. But if their pattern of behavior exhibits a lack of self-control, they're angry, and have no visible fruit, they might need to hear the whole Gospel again.
You have generated some great discussion here, Jeff C.
Amen. You're on solid ground there.