Self-Control.

God calls us to have self-control. But over what, exactly? How much money we spend? How much we eat? Over our urges and temptations?

All of those, probably.

But I think first and foremost, we need to have self-control over our own hearts.

Our hearts are full of beautiful emotions- love, joy, happiness. But they can also cause us to have the emotions of the enemy-bitterness, jealousy, hate.

And that is where we need to have self-control.

In everyday situations, we can so easily get pulled into the world of comparison. “She’s prettier than me.” “He has more money than me.” “They grew up in a better lifestyle than I did.” When we let comparison over others take control, that’s when our hearts can be drawn to the “poor me” mindset. We forget all that God has given us because we’re so caught up in what everyone else has. Our self-control is taken over by the lies of the enemy and we become less of what God has called us to be.

We choose what we allow in our hearts. If we continue to dive into the emptiness and heaviness of comparison, then we are allowing the enemy to bring in all of the other crap.

But if we choose to love, to have joy and happiness in our lives, then we are allowing God in. We are essentially letting Him have control, when we choose self-control. MIND BLOWN, right?!

Self-Control is all about us. What we want and what we allow in. What is it going to be?

-J