A wild lion was enticed by a raw hunk of meat carefully disguised on a net and was quickly captured and imprisoned in a Cairo zoo. Sadly, this is once proud king of the jungle who was once free to roam was now enslaved in a 100 by 100 cell and endured ceaseless jeering and junk food thrown at him. Five long years later he was released into the wild to be free again.
A few weeks later after losing several pounds and starving he once again sees a juicy hunk of raw meat.
Now, what would be your counsel to him? Now, Mr. Lion last time one bite cost you your freedom and your dignity don’t you think you should consider…
All of us have areas in our lives that we would love to do better at or get under control.
No matter the issue millions have tried everything from self-help books to counseling, but to no avail. It was said of Alexander the Great that he could conquer the world, but not himself.
For some their character flaws, habits and hang ups have destroyed or damaged their relationships and their well-being. They can’t seem to stop or overcome that one thing they are enslaved to.
Don’t you realize that you become the slaves of whatever you choose to obey? Romans 6:16
Our instant gratification culture doesn’t help either. It not only enables us to cave in, but makes it easy to quit. As Oscar Wilde said, “The only way to overcome temptation is to simply give into it.” The enemy of our heart knows our weaknesses and seeks to enslave us, but God desires to set us free.
A Lack of Self-Control Impacts Our Freedom In At least Four Areas
Physically
Whether it’s a substance or our lifestyle the physical choices we make can destroy the body God gave us and negatively impact our relationships (1 Corinthians 6:19). The problem for many is that they stop a destructive behavior far too late regardless of what it is. Like the executioner who asked the prisoner before his execution “Do you want a smoke?” “No thanks I’m trying to quit.”
Financially Proverbs 24:30-34
The majority of Americans can relate to the woman who said, “I shop like a bull, I charge everything.”
No need to elaborate any further here. We need to learn how to live within our means. Apparently hard to do, but we need to intentionally decide in advance the difference between what we actually need and what we want.
Relationally
From the internet to substance our lack of self-control has damaged and even destroyed our most important relationships. We pay dearly for the words we say. Rabbi Joseph Telushkln, author of Words That Hurt, Words That Heal, has lectured throughout country on the powerful and often negative impact of words. He often asks audiences if they can go 24 hours without saying any unkind words about, or to another person.
Invariably, a small number of listeners raise their hands with a “yes.” Others laugh, and quite a large number call out. “no!” The Rabbi says that, “If you cannot go 24 hours without saying unkind words about others, then you have lost control over your tongue.” See the Impact of Our Words. Our tongue has caused personal and international conflicts.
When words are many, sin is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19
The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18
Spiritually
During the wilderness wanderings when the Hebrews couldn’t wait any longer for Moses to return from Mount Sinai they corrupted themselves into a party atmosphere of golden calf worship. When Moses saw this spectacle in righteous anger he broke the original tablets of the commandments on the ground…
Our lack of patience can hurt our spiritual vitality and our relationship with God. There are consequences, as the ancient Chinese proverb says,
“One moment of patience may ward off a great disaster, but one moment of impatience may ruin a life.”
Join us next time to see how our self-control impacts our freedom and dignity.
