Day 10 Biblical Womanhood " How to have Self Control"

    So today we are looking at  "How to Have Self Control". Yesterday we learned that self control is a fruit of the spirit.  We basically must yield our hearts to the Holy Spirit and obey Him when He speaks to us. By doing so it will produce the fruits of the Spirit in our lives.  You ask, "How do I know when He is speaking to me?"  Bill Jones and Terry Powell include the following chart in their book, Walking in the Spirit. (Camp Hill: Christian Publications, 2001. p. 81): 

       Characteristics of the Holy Spirit's Promptings 
       

They Will Always	They Will Never
Confirm Scripture	Contradict Scripture
Be Specific	Be General
Convict	Condemn
Lead you	Push or drive you
Be Simple	Be Complicated
Motivate you to faith	Create fear in you
Focus primarily on changing you inwardly	Focus primarily on changing you outwardly
Emphasize character	Emphasize circumstances
Be True	Be False
Be Clear	Be Confusing
Restore Relationships	Destroy Relationships
Major on your faults, others’ needs	Major on others’ faults, your needs
Lead you to do something	Lead you to overdo something

       

 This list should help us to discern when the Holy Spirit is prompting us. 

"And how does the Spirit produce this fruit of self-control in us? By instructing us in the superior preciousness of grace, and enabling us to see and savor (that is, "trust") all that God is for us in Jesus. "The grace of God has appeared . . . instructing us to deny . . . worldly desires . . . in the present age" (Titus 2:11).     When we really see and believe what God is for us by grace through Jesus Christ, the power of wrong desires is broken. Therefore the fight for self-control is a fight of faith. "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called" (1 Timothy 6:12).*

* http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-fierce-fruit-of-self-control
 See you tomorrow!

Day 9 Biblical Womanhood “to be self-controlled and pure"

Today we will look at just the first part of verse 5 “to be self-controlled and pure, and to be keepers at home, kind, who submit themselves to their husbands, so that no one will speak evil of the message that comes from God.”

(Titus 2:5). the next four days we look at the 4 questions below. 

1 What is self control?

2 How can I have it?

3 What is purity?

4 How can I make my way pure? 

So What is self Control? 
The dictionary defines Self control as:

noun

1. the ability to control oneself, in particular one's emotions and desires or the expression of them in one's behavior, especially in difficult situations.
2. 
   

   However to have Biblical Self control is a gift not something that we do in our own power. 

"Fundamental to the Christian view of self-control is that it is a gift. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace . . . self-control" (Galatians 5:22). How do we "strive" against the our fatal desires? Paul answers: "I labor, striving (agonizomenos) according to His power, which mightily works within me" (Colossians 1:29). He "agonizes" by the power of Christ not his own. Similarly he tells us, "If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live" (Romans 8:13). "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6). We must be fierce! Yes. But not by our might. "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD" (Proverbs 21:31)."*

Join me tomorrow as we look at how to have self control,  one of the fruits of the Spirit. 

*http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-fierce-fruit-of-self-control