Control Yourself

          I can hear what you are saying: “I just am not built that way.”  I know your anger and the way you deal with bad habits are just more than you can bear.  After all, in your entire life those traits have been haunting you.

            It is not as though you have not tried to get control of those areas of your life.  You have tried hard.  It seems the harder you try to control them, the more often they raise their ugly heads in your life.

            To live a disciplined life, certain restraints needs to be in place.  “Hold tight rein over three T’s – thought, temper, and tongue – and you will have few regrets” (Teen Esteem).  For all practical purposes, those three could be called the nasty three.  You are in the majority, if you deal with one (or more) of those traits.

            It is one thing to occasionally deal with one of those three.  It is another thing, if they seem to consume you weekly, or even daily.  In that case, they need to be eliminated from your life.

            To rid yourself of that characteristic, you first must realize that it must be eliminated from your life.  Next, steps must be taken for their eradication.  Scripture condemns such behavior.  Confess it to Christ and ask His help in ridding that trait from your life.  It is a sin, and the Holy Bible tells you to confess and to forsake it.

            Let me warn you.  To eliminate it from your life is humanly impossible.  No matter how much you try, you cannot do it.  You must realize it is a spiritual problem that requires spiritual intervention.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23; NKJV.)

            Since you need the Holy Spirit’s help, ask for it.  To control yourself only happens with the Holy Spirit’s help!