Temperance

Our culture teaches self-indulgence.  If you want it,  you either work hard for it, steal it, manipulate to get it, or max out a credit card and get it.  We are taught that everyone is entitled to "have" and that no one should have to go without.

If you are taught self-control, self-control is very much about self-controlling.  I personally like the word “temperance” better because it is Holy-Spirit-based.  REAL “self”-control is actually giving up self for the Savior.

It is the fruit of a life that is saturated with God.

We see so many characters that had self-control and those who didn’t.  Two extreme examples would be Samson and Daniel.

Samson indulged himself with women while Daniel indulged himself with God.  If you read Judges 16 & Daniel 1, you see can see how the difference affected their lives.

Daniel	Samson
Self-control	Self-Indulgence
Overcame enemy	Enemy overcame him
Gave up food	Ate forbidden food
Carried about what God thought	Carried about what a woman thought
Wise	Fool
Servant of God	Servant of self/pleasure
Died with respect	Died without respect

If we don’t learn from these two men, we will end up living the life of Samson.   Let's ask ourselves a few of these questions:

What do I struggle with?

Am I saturated with God and His Word?

Am I praying to be Spirit led?

Have I been walking in the flesh or in God?

Who is winning right now?

Who is my master?

The Bible so clearly talks about the importance of cutting out sin in our lives.

²⁹ And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
³⁰ And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.       Matthew 5:29-30

What needs to be cut out of my life? - Rejoicing in the Present