SPIRIT CONTROL IS BETTER THAN SELF-CONTROL
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)
Self-control is a great thing. We all need it to become the people God calls us to be. The Bible speaks about the importance of self-control. Part of self-control is learning to trust and surrender to the spirit’s control. Said another way, Spirit-control is better! We might think of pride as just looking down on others, but pride is so much more. Pride, at its core, is thinking we know best. If we’re honest, we can believe our ways are better than God’s. I don’t know many people who would have chosen every path God has allowed us to walk, but God sees what we can't. He knows how this thing or things can shape you and awaken you in the man or woman He has called you to be.
Pride is the assumption that our ways, our timing, and our plans are sufficient for life’s challenges. When we release our need for control and humbly submit to His will, we open ourselves to His wisdom and grace.
The other day, my daughter had a toy she was trying to fix, but she was putting it together backward. I offered to help, but she said, No, Dad, I got this. I smiled and let her frustratingly keep trying to put her toy back together. After a while, she came to me defeated and handed me the toy. I told her, It's too late. The deal is off! No, I didn’t say that. I gladly fixed her toy and handed it back to her, but I couldn’t do anything until she surrendered the toy to me.
This is often what God will do. He will always help us, but pride causes us to say, No, Dad, I got this. Pride keeps us from going to God first because we want things done our way, and God won’t always force His way into our lives. Sometimes, He will, but other times, He will sit back until we are ready to surrender.
I realized lately how much frustration, heartache, and pain I could avoid in my life if I took my life and my future and laid them before my Dad. May you humbly approach Him today and lay whatever you’re trying to fix at His feet. When you do, you’ll find He will fix it His way, but He will always smile and welcome you into His presence.
APPLICATION: Don’t try to fix things in your wisdom. Bring them to God first.
PRAYER: Ask God to give you a humble spirit. Ask Him to help you willingly lay your plans and your future at His feet. Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you that He is a good Father!
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?