No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. ~Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)
Self-control or self-discipline is a fruit of the Spirit. It’s evidence that God is working behind the scenes in a person’s life. The Holy Spirit works alongside us coaching and comforting us as we learn to discipline ourselves. To discipline yourself means to choose your thoughts and actions carefully and it includes managing your emotions. God does not expect us to become robots, but He does expect us to be disciplined and disciplined by the guidance He gives us in His word and by His Spirit in every circumstance. We don’t have to accept or take every thought that pops into our head. If we did, we would be in trouble because there are millions of thoughts popping into everyone’s head every single day, thoughts of doom, death, and disaster. What is the first thing you think about when you hear an ambulance siren? Have you ever had to cast a thought down then? We have an enemy, and He is alive and well, but He is not in charge. In 1 John 4:2-3 the Lord teaches us “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.” (NIV) In other words your thoughts need to line up with who Jesus is and the position that He holds.
Being disciplined by the Word of God is much harder during the storms of life or when our faith is being tried, but the rewards of choosing to do the right thing and trust God no matter what we face are indescribable. The Lord tells us in Hebrews 10:35 “Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.” (NIV) Investor’s understand this principle. They know making a good financial decision at the perfect time can create a windfall. The same is true for our spiritual lives. Holding on to our faith when everything around us says we are going down or falling apart will get us an audience with God and open the windows of heaven. The bible teaches us in 2 Chronicles 16:9 "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him.” (AMP) Your heart is blameless toward God every minute of every day because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. We just need to show we believe that truth by acting like it! We are told in 2 Corinthians 10:5 “take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.” (NIV) To make your thoughts obedient to Christ you need to know who Jesus is and the office that He holds. We learn this by studying the word of God and then we choose our thoughts wisely because we know that our thoughts precede our actions. The only way to navigate through this world successfully is by progressively becoming more acquainted with God in His word. Don’t be the kind of person that only seeks after God when times get hard, that will only make it harder to get through the difficult times. Seek God every day and by His Spirit He will provide the wisdom you need to live a disciplined life.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. ~2 Timothy 1:7 (AMP)
What recurring thought (or suggestion of the enemy) do you have to cast down consistently?
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