Friday, April 5

Our original question was "What do I do now that I am a Christian?"  Some people may be looking for a checklist of things to do, but our Father expects more than that.  He wants our heart.  So it shouldn't be a surprise that His version of a checklist in 2 Peter has to do with character.  It is easy to understand; takes a lifetime to "check off."

Where are you in your life?  Single, married, mom, grandma, divorced, widowed, stay-at-home, in the work force...  So far we have seen that it starts with faith and then continues with diligently adding virtue, knowledge, and now self-control.  Each woman's challenges will look a bit different, but that are all really the same challenge.  We are all to become godly in our actions and thoughts, diligently study and pray, and let what we are learning control our actions and thoughts.

With all my dietary challenges, I have found that educating myself about how food affects my body makes eating properly (using self-control) much easier.  In fact, it makes eating foods that are bad for me unappetizing.  My knowledge gives me self-control.

In our spiritual lives it works the same way.  As we diligently add knowledge of God and His Word to our lives we should see our self-control begins to happen somewhat naturally.  God's Word is incredibly powerful.  When we add prayer to that mix, we can truly say with Paul, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."  For me this is incredibly encouraging!  He does not ask me to do, not do, or give up anything outside of our (He and me) ability.

There is another way God gives us to help develop this trait - our spiritual family.  Being with other Christians in study, prayer, and even social gatherings is an important part of God's plan for us.

Today's assignment:
1.  Find a passage that deals with spending time with Christians.
2.  Explain how this passage can help us develop self-control.

Thursday, April 4

No discussion of self-control would be complete without looking at what Paul said in Romans 7.

¹³ Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. ¹⁴ For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. ¹⁵ For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. ¹⁶ If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. ¹⁷ But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.¹⁸ For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. ¹⁹ For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. ²⁰ Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

²¹ I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. ²² For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. ²³ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. ²⁴ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Paul, an apostle of God, trained in the Law by one of the best teachers of his time, wrestled with controlling his flesh.  Jesus Himself wrestled with it in the garden of Gethsemane.  We should not be surprised when we find this difficult.  How did these righteous men overcome their flesh?

Notice Paul's answer to the problem - "through Jesus Christ our Lord!"  What does that even mean?  He said something else about this:  "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."  How do we access that strength?  How did Jesus access the strength He needed in the garden?  That's right.  Prayer.

Your assignment for today:
1.  Share two passages on prayer.  They can be examples of people praying or teachings about prayer.
2.  Tell how these passages illustrate the important of prayer to self-control.

Wednesday, April 3

Today let's think about things that get in the way of self-control.  Some are subtle.  Some are obvious.  For example:

²⁶ “Be angry, and do not sin”:^[b] do not let the sun go down on your wrath, ²⁷ nor give place to the devil.  Eph. 4:26

Here is an explicit warning - anger can cause a lack of self-control.  You can see a real war between the spirit and flesh when it comes to this characteristic - self-control.  With anger, it is an emotional battle.  The flesh is so strong!  Yet no matter how strongly it demands or pulls, we still have control through God's strength.  In this case, the answer is to deal with the issue before the sun goes down.  Solve it, don't stuff it.  And that takes self-control too!  And faith.  Do you see how faith is the basis?  Do you believe what God says in dealing with anger?  Can you give over your control to His?  Ultimately self-control is God-control.

Today's assignment:  find two passages that deal with things that get in the way of self-control.

Tuesday, April 2

Miriam was a leader among the women of Israel, chosen by God to be a prophetess.

Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.  Exodus 15:20

And yet she demonstrated a self-control problem.  This should both comfort and warn us.  The comfort would be in knowing that even a woman who speaks for God can make a mistake and be taken back in when she repents.  The warning would be that if a woman who receives revelation directly from God can fall, so can we.

Some people have wills of iron while others seem to have a real problem sticking to a decision (or some might say being stubborn).  Yet this characteristic of self-control is a requirement for pleasing God.  What is interesting to me is that the self-control we are to add is actually a fruit of the Spirit.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.  Gal. 5

So this kind of self-control isn't something you are born with - that you are naturally good at.  This is something that happens as a result of your relationship with God.  This is something EVERYONE can have.

Today's assignment:  find two passages that talk about how to develop this kind of self-control and share them with the group.

Monday, April 1

Welcome to week five of our ten week study.  So far we have looked at the need for diligence as we develop the character traits that will assure us an entrance to a home with God.  Then we looked at what faith is and how to build upon the faith we already have.  Virtue came next as something to add to that faith.  And last week we looked at the kind of knowledge we are to add and how to add it.  We have looked at young, single woman acting in faith.  We have looked at a widow acting with virtue.  We watched as a mother and grandmother used the knowledge they had to raise a godly son.

This week we will examine the character trait of self-control and the example of a godly woman who lost her self-control.

Today's assignment:
1.  Define self-control
2.  Read Numbers 12:1-15.  List anything you think may have contributed to Miriam losing her self-control.