“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:11-14 ESV)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22-24 NKJV)
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.” (2 Peter 1:3-9 NLT)
I am rapidly approaching the conclusion of this series on suffering. As a believer there will be various ways in which I will suffer. I will experience trials, tribulations, difficulties, persecution, etc. I will also share in the “sufferings of Christ.” Along with this I will choose to inflict upon myself a degree of suffering in order to grow as a disciple of Christ. While these things are all around me in this present age, and it is wise to be aware of them, I cannot allow them to become the focus of my life. My focus is on Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth (here and now), and the benefits and blessings that are mine in him.
I will also be faced with the suffering that sometimes comes from the opposition that I face. I have an enemy and he has deceived many. While I am prepared to face opposition, my faith is aimed at experiencing God’s blessing. With this said, let’s look at the last area of “Suffering FOR Christ: The Pain of Self-Denial – Self-Restraint (control).”
I consider this area to best be understood as “self-inflicted pain.” It takes effort to live a self-controlled life. Self-restraint can be painful. The Apostle Paul uses the illustration of an athlete to convey this message…
…“Isn’t it obvious that all runners on the racetrack keep on running to win, but only one receives the victor’s prize? Yet each one of you must run the race to be victorious. A true athlete will be disciplined in every respect, practicing constant self-control in order to win a laurel wreath that quickly withers. But we run our race to win a victor’s crown that will last forever. For that reason, I don’t run just for exercise or box like one throwing aimless punches, but I train like a champion athlete. I subdue my body and get it under my control, so that after preaching the good news to others I myself won’t be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 TPT)
I think there are three major areas in which exercising restraint (control) in order to enhance my growth as a disciple of Christ, are critical…
…Capturing thoughts;
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NKJV)
…Choosing words;
“But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” (Matthew 12:36 BSB)
…Controlling actions.
“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:7-8 ESV)
I have learned that the words that I speak will change the way that I think and the way that I think will impact the way that I act. As a disciple of Christ it is my desire to think, speak, and act like Jesus. Since he only said what he heard his Father saying, and did what he saw his Father doing, by imitating Jesus in thoughts, words, and actions, I am imitating the Father. This implies that there are ways that I am not going to think, speak, and act. Hence, the pain of self-restraint.
I have shared this before, but it fits what I am talking about today so I will share it again. I was once told, “Eric, you can’t sow wild oats all week, and then pray for a crop failure on Sunday.” The Bible does say…
…”Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” (Galatians 6:7 NLT)
There are spiritual disciplines that are required to grow as a believer. While salvation is free, discipleship costs. I have found that one of the most valuable disciplines is fasting. In Western culture fasting as a spiritual discipline has been lost to a great degree. Many who are interested in physical fitness will practice what is called “intermittent fasting” for the benefits to the body, but very few consider the spiritual benefits that fasting brings. Fasting as the Bible describes it is a practice intended to focus on the Lord by elevating my spirit over my body and soul (mind). As I restrain the desires of my body and mind by withholding food and thinking on Christ I grow in spiritual strength.
Jesus expected us to fast. To him this was a given for those who followed him…
…“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18 NLT)
Notice that he said, “when you fast,” not “if you fast.”
There are many other spiritual disciplines, but I think fasting illustrates the point that I am trying to make.
As a person created in the image and likeness of the One who created me, Like my Creator, I have the ability to make eternally impacting life choices. This freedom of choice is the main thing that differentiates me from the animal kingdom. I am not just a more fully evolved being. While sin limited this ability to choose for a season, once I reconnected to Christ I was made a brand new person…
…”Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 GNT)
The literal translation of the original Greek language for this verse is that I have been made “a new species of being that never before existed.”
Practicing spiritual disciplines does not make me “new” but they do release the “new being” that I am in my spirit to restrain and control my mind and body which in turn frees me to be all that I was created to be and enjoy all that I possess in Christ. I believe that is why the Apostle Paul told me to…
…”So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].” (Philippians 2:12 AMP)
Just like an athlete who pushes himself to the brink of collapse in order to bring every ounce of strength to his athletic feat regardless of the immediate pain level, I exert every bit of spiritual strength in me to manifest what I possess in my salvation (my newly created spirit). I “work out” (exercise and release from my spirit) my “salvation” in order to renew my mind (save my soul), discipline my body, and demonstrate the benefits of the Kingdom of Heaven (the Kingdom that Jesus said is within me) to all I touch. At times this means that I need to push through the pain.
That is the thrust of…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 416: Discerned Suffering: Suffering FOR Christ: The Pain of Self-Denial – Self-Restraint (control)