Temperance Creates Control: How to Choose Self-Control

Temperance allows me to take control of your journey by investing in learning more and developing your understanding.

1 Corinthians 9:4

“Do we not have the right to food and drink?”

Paul wants to know if being an apostle and leader limit what he gets to go.

Our journey through 2 Peter 1: 5-7 has already been an interesting one and not all that easy to boot, but temperance (or self-control) just about ended the trip for me. I’ve spent the last several years learning, working, and pushing myself to control my speech – so I thought I had the temperance thing licked. Boy was I in for a surprise.

First thing this morning, I wrote in my journal about my struggle with the flesh to not eat when I wasn’t hungry. “It’s almost as if my flesh WANTS to be fat,” I wrote.

I asked God to forgive my gluttony and to remind me that I don’t need food for comfort or fulfilling when I have Him in my life.

I looked up temperance in my concordance. Don’t tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor – or a sense of irony, depending on your viewpoint. All the definitions point to temperance being about control of the body, especially in regards to the appetite.

Just say no. It really is that simple, if only it weren’t so easy to say yes. If I could just be a little stronger, a little wiser, or a little less tempted to give in and do it my way. If my metabolism was just a little faster. If the food didn’t taste so good to me – all the time. If God would just make my path a little more level, THEN I could do what I know I needed to do.

Yea – as if that’s going to happen.

Temperance Made Simple

• Know God’s Word.
• Practice God’s Word.
• Speak God’s Word.
• Settle in God’s Word.

God has made it simple. He’s given me all I need to choose the right path. He’s spelled out the blessings I get when I do His will and the curses I get when I choose mine. Now I have to aggressively step out and do it, there can be no timidity or the race will be lost.

I need to take an active role in temperance. I have to determine to master all areas of my life. Everything in or out of my body, mind, and mouth must be screened, guarded, and filtered. I have to take control to have self-control.

This is the day that I determine to be vigorous in my control, awareness, and acceptance so that I can be the master over all areas of my life, and all members of my body.

Temperance makes the way for living in purpose and on purpose.

When was the last time temperance was a struggle?