so self control............................................
woah! so...in some versions of the biblia, self control is referred to as 'longsuffering'...even before looking up the meaning of this word, it brought a whole new revo. (revelation, im in the mood to abbreviate or change some of my words...just go with it people, just go with it!) to my heart about self control.
self control and longsuffering...the GIFT from God to help you walk out what he is asking of you, or that new revelation that you had that changed and challenged your life. You can not just do it on your own so God gives us a gift of self control to stay on the right path and perserver through things that are hard.
living 'by faith' for the last few years on and off, I can really see how God's idea of living life is totally complete, he didn't forget any detail or leave us to live it out alone.
I had always thought of self control as the thing that I mostly lacked and didn't do well enough in....but that's not the point. it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, not a fruit of Lois Richards. it is Him in me, his doing, my working out with him, him living it out in me. God's gift, his equipping tool to help me walk out that challenge or revelation that he's placed in my heart.
It's also the fruit of the Spirit that gives me a choice..a way out of sinful acts...a way out of danger...it is God's protective heart over me, protecting my heart from what I can possibly walk myself into by not choosing the right thing.
and here's the definition:
adj.
Patiently enduring wrongs or difficulties.
n.
Patient endurance.
THANK YOU FATHER FOR SELF CONTROL! and thank you Jo for sparking something and for painting it so well!!!