How To Have Self-Discipline
2 Timothy 1:7
NLT - For God has not given us a Spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
MSG - God doesn't want us to be shy with His gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.
NIV - For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.
Ok - here it is - a big question: How powerful is God? He created the whole world and universe and everything in it, right?! He parted the Red Sea, right?! He made plagues and cleared them, right?! He rose Jesus from the dead, right?! Plus tons and tons of other impossible things over the course of history.... Now, in your life - what miracles has He done? How has He provided when you didn't see a way?
The bible tells us, that Jesus told us (the disciples at the time) that when He left to go sit at the right hand of God, He would send a Helper who would dwell (live) in us. In other words: Jesus/God would now not only have come in the flesh, but now come in Spirit and live inside of us! Guiding, teaching, moving in ways that only He can. Jeremy Camp sings a song that puts all of this into words, about the same Power that calmed the wind and waves, lives in us. This is TRUTH - right here before us, today, right now! The bible also tells us, that if we have just a "little" bit of faith, we could move mountains! The "mountains" in my life that move are: fear, doubt, getting things done, traffic, bills, chores... What we, and I mean myself today, are missing in our relationship with Jesus: is the faith and trust that He IS in us! His Spirit is power, love and self-discipline.
Sooooooo, when we think we have "no will power" over something, we are WRONG!! We in and of ourselves do not have the power - but we are not in all of this alone. We have the Holy Spirit living in us. Which means we have God in us. Which means we have power in us! What?!?! Yes!! We each have the power to be strong even when we feel our weakest. But not on our own, no no. It is only when we trust in and rely on the power of God in us. When we ask the Holy Spirit to "take the wheel" so to speak.
Today, here is our exercise: before we do anything, stop and pray. Ask God THE creator of the universe with all mighty power to allow His Holy Spirit who is living in us, to give you/me the power to be strong in what ever situation we are facing. If we need His power of love, He will give it. If we need His power of boldness, He will give it. If we are needing the power of sensibility, He will give that to us too! If we are facing something, that on our own seems to be our down-fall and a BIG weakness to us - He will give us strength, endurance, and self-discipline in that too!! But it all starts with acknowledging Him and His power to do so. Asking for Him to live through us in that moment that we need this faith and strength. I call it my "911 prayer" to God. He delights in giving us success and victory over things that keep tripping us up in life. Just as we like giving things to our loved ones that they truly want, He delights even more than us when He gives us the things we want and need for our day. We just have to ask sometimes. Having self-discipline on our own really IS impossible - but it is NOT impossible for God to give it to us when we ask. He makes the impossible possible when we trust and believe. Have faith today that God is bending down and tipping His head towards you as you reach up and speak into His ear. Now, I know, we are all grown-up now, and don't want to have to "run to Daddy" for things - but that is EXACTLY what we need to do!! Imagine yourself running to your Father, who is waiting with arms open wide to bend down and scoop you up in His arms - He is tipping His head and looking you right in the eye as you share with Him your needs for that very moment. This is the very character of God. Always willing and ready to have us run and jump in His arms as well as bend down to us and listen to our cry from our heart. What an amazing Father we have!! NOT like anyone here on earth we have ever experienced!! Trust. Believe. Enjoy!
NLT - For God has not given us a Spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
MSG - God doesn't want us to be shy with His gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.
NIV - For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.
Ok - here it is - a big question: How powerful is God? He created the whole world and universe and everything in it, right?! He parted the Red Sea, right?! He made plagues and cleared them, right?! He rose Jesus from the dead, right?! Plus tons and tons of other impossible things over the course of history.... Now, in your life - what miracles has He done? How has He provided when you didn't see a way?
The bible tells us, that Jesus told us (the disciples at the time) that when He left to go sit at the right hand of God, He would send a Helper who would dwell (live) in us. In other words: Jesus/God would now not only have come in the flesh, but now come in Spirit and live inside of us! Guiding, teaching, moving in ways that only He can. Jeremy Camp sings a song that puts all of this into words, about the same Power that calmed the wind and waves, lives in us. This is TRUTH - right here before us, today, right now! The bible also tells us, that if we have just a "little" bit of faith, we could move mountains! The "mountains" in my life that move are: fear, doubt, getting things done, traffic, bills, chores... What we, and I mean myself today, are missing in our relationship with Jesus: is the faith and trust that He IS in us! His Spirit is power, love and self-discipline.
Sooooooo, when we think we have "no will power" over something, we are WRONG!! We in and of ourselves do not have the power - but we are not in all of this alone. We have the Holy Spirit living in us. Which means we have God in us. Which means we have power in us! What?!?! Yes!! We each have the power to be strong even when we feel our weakest. But not on our own, no no. It is only when we trust in and rely on the power of God in us. When we ask the Holy Spirit to "take the wheel" so to speak.
Today, here is our exercise: before we do anything, stop and pray. Ask God THE creator of the universe with all mighty power to allow His Holy Spirit who is living in us, to give you/me the power to be strong in what ever situation we are facing. If we need His power of love, He will give it. If we need His power of boldness, He will give it. If we are needing the power of sensibility, He will give that to us too! If we are facing something, that on our own seems to be our down-fall and a BIG weakness to us - He will give us strength, endurance, and self-discipline in that too!! But it all starts with acknowledging Him and His power to do so. Asking for Him to live through us in that moment that we need this faith and strength. I call it my "911 prayer" to God. He delights in giving us success and victory over things that keep tripping us up in life. Just as we like giving things to our loved ones that they truly want, He delights even more than us when He gives us the things we want and need for our day. We just have to ask sometimes. Having self-discipline on our own really IS impossible - but it is NOT impossible for God to give it to us when we ask. He makes the impossible possible when we trust and believe. Have faith today that God is bending down and tipping His head towards you as you reach up and speak into His ear. Now, I know, we are all grown-up now, and don't want to have to "run to Daddy" for things - but that is EXACTLY what we need to do!! Imagine yourself running to your Father, who is waiting with arms open wide to bend down and scoop you up in His arms - He is tipping His head and looking you right in the eye as you share with Him your needs for that very moment. This is the very character of God. Always willing and ready to have us run and jump in His arms as well as bend down to us and listen to our cry from our heart. What an amazing Father we have!! NOT like anyone here on earth we have ever experienced!! Trust. Believe. Enjoy!
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