This is the time of year we all think about getting our
lives under control. We think about New Year’s resolutions, set goals, and
attempt to make the next calendar year better for ourselves. As we have studied
ideas about our thoughts, heart, brain, kidneys, and emotions, we have
understood that our Creator made us more complex than we often recognize. Paul
told Timothy that we have been given power, love, and self-control, therefore
if we have been given self-control, we already have it. We now have to learn how
to utilize it. There are two words that communicate self-control. Both are
necessary to understand. The old English word for self-control or
self-discipline is temperance. Temperance doesn’t communicate to us in 2017
very well. It sounds like a nice idea, but in reality it is an important
foundation for our lives. With self-discipline we can overcome many temptations
the enemy throws our way. Culturally, we have done a poor job teaching
temperance. We have allowed far too many adults to have temper tantrums and
meltdowns, without expecting change and growth. Humans are not as fragile as
delicate flowers or special snowflakes. Humans have been designed to withstand
great adversities. Think about Jesus in his human body, tortured on our behalf.
He felt every strike of the whip, every punch, every assault of the staff on
the thorny crown atop his head. He also heard every evil, disbelieving word. Jesus
is a great example of self-control as he could have called on a legion of
angels for aid, but instead withstood all the abuse for you and me. With that
in mind we need to examine ourselves and determine if we have been too soft, or
too childish. Can we improve our character beyond our next diet and exercise
plan? Let’s explore.
Solomon tells us that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of
Wisdom, teaches temperance. Paul tells us temperance is a fruit of the Holy
Spirit. This means we are looking at a characteristic we can learn and
cultivate, and the Holy Spirit is the one we should go to for help in
understanding.
Wisdom 8:5 If riches be a possession to be desired in this
life; what is richer than wisdom, that worketh all things?6 And if prudence
work; who of all that are is a more cunning workman than she?7 And if a man
love righteousness her labours are virtues: for she teacheth temperance and
prudence, justice and fortitude: which are such things, as men can have nothing
more profitable in their life.8 If a man desire much experience, she knoweth
things of old, and conjectureth aright what is to come: she knoweth the
subtilties of speeches, and can expound dark sentences: she foreseeth signs and
wonders, and the events of seasons and times. KJV
The Holy Spirit knows the things of old, the future, speeches
and dark sentences, foresees signs and wonders, and knows events of seasons and
times. With the Holy Spirit knowing all of that, if there is a need for us to
have self-discipline in a situation, the Holy Spirit will be of great help to
us, guiding us along in light of the future events, seasons, or wonders. We can
learn to control our emotions, our body, and our soulish thoughts, relying on
the Holy Spirit for knowledge because she is more cunning workman than humans.
So going to the Holy Spirit for help with self-control is our first order in
gaining self-strength. Paul helps us to understand this as a physical
training.
1 Cor 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the
runners compete, but [only] one receives the prize? So run [your race] that you
may lay hold [of the prize] and make it yours. 25 Now every athlete who goes
into training conducts himself temperately and restricts himself in all things.
They do it to win a wreath that will soon wither, but we [do it to receive a
crown of eternal blessedness] that cannot wither. 26 Therefore I do not run
uncertainly (without definite aim). I do not box like one beating the air and striking
without an adversary. 27 But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it
roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after
proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should
become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit].
AMP
When a person starts to physically train they start out
slow, temperate. If one had never exercised before, one would not start
training by running ten miles, and doing 500 pushups. That person’s physical
body could not handle that amount of workload without any previous training.
But after a reasonable amount of time one can expect to achieve those goals if
one pushes him/herself, or as Paul says, handle the body roughly or discipline
it with hardships, and subdue it.
1 Cor 9:25G3956But
every oneG1161 G3588 G75struggling,G3956in
all thingsG1467controls
himself;G1565thatG3303indeedG3767thenG2443thatG5349a
corruptibleG4735crownG2983they
should receive;G1473but weG1161 G862an
incorruptible crown .
1467 Dodson: ἐγκρατεύομαι I exercise self-control I
exercise self-control, am continent.
Thayer:
1) to be self-controlled, continent
1a) to exhibit self-government, conduct, one's self temperately
1b) in a figure drawn from athletes, who in preparing themselves for the games abstained from unwholesome food, wine, and sexual indulgence
1a) to exhibit self-government, conduct, one's self temperately
1b) in a figure drawn from athletes, who in preparing themselves for the games abstained from unwholesome food, wine, and sexual indulgence
ἐγκρατεύομαι egkrateuomai eng-krat-yoo'-om-ahee Middle voice from G1468; to exercise self restraint (in diet and chastity) KJV Usage: can([-not]) contain, be temperate.
The word egkrateuomai
means to exercise self-restraint. Paul tells us this self-restraint is a fruit
of the spirit.
Gal 5:22G3588But
the G1161 G2590fruit G3588of the
G4151spirit
G1510.2.3is G26love, G5479joy, G1515peace,
G3115leniency,
G5544graciousness,
G19goodness,
G4102belief,
23G4236gentleness,
G1466self-control;
G2596against
G3588 G5108such things
G3756there
is no G1510.2.3 G3551law.
1466 LSJ Gloss: ἐγκράτεια mastery over
Dodson: ἐγκράτεια self-mastery, self-control self-mastery,
self-restraint, self-control, continence.
Thayer:
1) self-control (the virtue of one who masters his desires
and passions, esp. his sensual appetites)
ἐγκράτεια egkrateia eng-krat'-i-ah From G1468; self control (especially continence) KJV Usage: temperance.
Mastery over one’s self is a great key. We have to have
mastery over our thoughts, our emotions, our soul, our body, and our
behaviors.
2 Peter 1:5G2532[3also
G14732for
this same reason G3778 G11611And], G4710[3diligence
G39562all G39231adding],
G2023supply
G1722in G3588the G4102belief
G1473of
yours G3588the G703virtue,
G1722and in
G1161 G3588the G703virtue
G3588the G1108knowledge,
6G1722and in
G1161 G3588the G1108knowledge
G3588the G1466self-control,
G1722and in
G1161 G3588the G1466self-control
G3588the G5281endurance,
G1722and in
G1161 G3588the G5281endurance
G3588the G2150piety,
7G1722and in
G1161 G3588the G2150piety G3588the G5360brotherly
affection, G1722and in
G1161 G3588the G5360brotherly
affection G3588the G26love!
I like the way this section reads in the Message. Just as
Solomon and Paul point out the necessity of the Holy Spirit, Peter does as
well. The Holy Spirit invites us to know Yahweh personally and intimately.
2 Peter 1:3-11 Everything that goes into a life of pleasing
God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and
intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever
received! 4 We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you —
your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on
a world corrupted by lust.
5 So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been
given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual
understanding, 6 alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, 7 warm
friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the
others. 8 With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will
grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your
experience of our Master Jesus. 9 Without these qualities you can't see what's
right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the
books.
10 So, friends, confirm God's invitation to you, his choice
of you. Don't put it off; do it now. Do this, and you'll have your life on a
firm footing, 11 the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal
kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language ©
2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
Mastering our own selves is an exercise. The first day we
try to control our mind or emotions we are weak, but after several days we will
see some progress. Our mastery muscles will grow like our strength as if we are
strength training. But in order to grow we have to do the hard things, we have
to punch the punching bag, not the air. We have to lift weights that are
heavier than what we could handle last week. We have to put our body into
subjection to our training. If it hurts to lift a weight, or if it is hard, we
do it anyway. By pushing through “easy” we will see results. This is why Paul
mentions that overseers have to already be good at this. Paul uses another
variation of the same word here.
Titus 1:7G1163For it
is necessary G1063 G3588the G1985overseer
G410to be
without reproach, G1510.1 G5613as G2316God's G3623manager;
G3361not G829self-willed,
G3361not G3711prone
to anger, G3361not G3943intemperate
in the use of wine, G3361not G4131a
brawler, G3361not G146profiting
through vice;
8G235but G5382hospitable,
G5358friend
of good men, G4998discreet,
G1342just, G3741sacred,
G1468self-controlled,
9G472holding
to G3588 G2596[3according
to G35884the G13225teaching
G41031 the trustworthy
G30562word],
G2443that G1415he
might be able G1510.3 G2532both G3870to
encourage G1722in G3588the G1319[2teaching
G3588 G51981sound],
G2532and G3588[2the
ones G4833disputing
G16511to
reprove]
1468 LSJ Gloss: ἐγκρατής in possession of power
Dodson: ἐγκρατής self-controlled.
Thayer:
1) strong, robust
2) having power over, possessed of (a thing)
3) mastering, controlling, curbing, restraining
3a) controlling one's self, temperate, continent
2) having power over, possessed of (a thing)
3) mastering, controlling, curbing, restraining
3a) controlling one's self, temperate, continent
ἐγκρατής egkratēs eng-krat-ace' From G1722 and G2904; strong in a thing (masterful), that is, (figuratively and reflexively) self controlled (in appetite, etc.)KJV Usage: temperate.
The word intemperate
#3943 means “drunken or given to wine”. The idea is that being intemperate
leads to drunkenness. Being self-controlled leads to strength and mastery. Paul
uses another word for self-control when writing to Titus which also means “sound
mind”, sophron. This alludes to a
sound mind and self-controlled as the same thing. Old men should be of sound
mind, the translators used the word discreet
which doesn’t really communicate well in our day and time.
Titus 2: 2G4246Old
men G3524are to
be sober, G1510.1 G4586serious,
G4998discreet,
G5198being
sound G3588in the
G4102belief,
G3588in the
G26love, G3588in the
G5281endurance
4998 LSJ Gloss: σώφρων of sound mind
Dodson: σώφρων self-controlled, temperate of sound mind, self-controlled,
temperate, sober-minded, modest, chaste.
Thayer:
1) of a sound mind, sane, in one's senses
2) curbing one's desires and impulses, self-controlled, temperate
2) curbing one's desires and impulses, self-controlled, temperate
σώφρων sōphrōn so'-frone From the base of G4982 and that of G5424; safe(sound) in mind, that is, self controlled(moderate as to opinion or passion) KJV Usage: discreet, sober, temperate.
Sophron
suggests
that one can go too far in being uncontrolled, so much so that one’s mind
becomes unsound. As compared to egkrates which
isn’t only about the mind but the body, sophron
has more to do with the mind and the emotions being under our own control
and not the control of something else.
1 Peter 4:6G1519[2in
G37783this G10631For] G2532also G3498to the dead
G2097was
announced good news, G2443that G2919they
should be judged G3303indeed
G2596according
to G444men G4561in the flesh,
G2198but
should live G1161 G2596according
to G2316God G4151in
spirit.
7G3956But of
all things G1161 G3588the G5056end G1448approaches.
G4993Be of
sound mind G3767then G2532and G3525be
sober G1519in G3588the G4335prayers!
4993 LSJ Gloss: σωφρονέω to be sound of mind
Dodson: σωφρονέω I am sober-minded, exercise self-control I
am of sound mind, am sober-minded, exercise self-control.
Thayer:
1) to be of sound mind
1a) to be in one's right mind
1b) to exercise self control
1b1) to put a moderate estimate upon one's self, think of one's self soberly
1b2) to curb one's passions
1a) to be in one's right mind
1b) to exercise self control
1b1) to put a moderate estimate upon one's self, think of one's self soberly
1b2) to curb one's passions
σωφρονέω sōphroneō so-fron-eh'-o From G4998; to be of sound mind, that is, sane, (figuratively) moderate KJV Usage: be in right mind, be sober (minded), soberly.
This form of the word sophron,
sophroneo, implies “self-control of
the mind, sane”. Peter is trying to explain that we have to stay as sound
minded and self-restrained as possible. The Amplified smooths this section out
a bit.
1 Peter 4:5-8 But they will have to give an account to Him
Who is ready to judge and pass sentence on the living and the dead. 6 For this
is why the good news (the Gospel) was preached [in their lifetime] even to the
dead, that though judged in fleshly bodies as men are, they might live in the spirit
as God does. 7 But the end and culmination of all things has now come near;
keep sound minded and self-restrained and alert therefore for [the practice of]
prayer. 8 Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for
love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of
others]. [Prov 10:12.] AMP
Another aspect of sound mind/self-control is in demonic
possession. When one’s mind is controlled by a spiritual entity, it is unsound.
In contrast, the Holy Spirit does not control our mind, but evil spirits can.
The Holy Spirit helps us by teaching us, demons confuse us, attempt to mislead
us, and sometimes take control of our mind/brain function. Notice this man in
the following verse that had a legion of demons controlling him.
Mark 5:15G2532And G2064they
came G4314to G3588 G*Jesus;
G2532and G2334viewing
G3588the G1139demon-possessed
G2521sitting
down G2532and G2439being
dressed G2532and G4993being
of a sound mind, G3588the
one G2192having
G3588the G3003legion;
G2532that G5399they
feared
Let’s look at this section. There was a man living in tombs
who was under the power of an unclean spirit. He was so wild and out of
control, chains and shackles could not hold him. Now let me point out, this is
not normal strength, but abnormal strength. A spiritual force made this man
stronger than he should have been. This man was not self-controlled or
self-disciplined. This man was not the master over his body, or mind, or
emotions. He could not rid himself of the demons that entered into him.
Mark 5:1-14 THEY CAME to the other side of the sea to the
region of the Gerasenes. 2 And as soon as He got out of the boat, there met Him
out of the tombs a man [under the power] of an unclean spirit. 3 This man
continually lived among the tombs, and no one could subdue him any more, even
with a chain; 4 For he had been bound often with shackles for the feet and
handcuffs, but the handcuffs of [light] chains he wrenched apart, and the
shackles he rubbed and ground together and broke in pieces; and no one had strength
enough to restrain or tame him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the
mountains he was always shrieking and screaming and beating and bruising and
cutting himself with stones. 6 And when from a distance he saw Jesus, he ran
and fell on his knees before Him in homage, 7 And crying out with a loud voice,
he said, What have You to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? [What is
there in common between us?] I solemnly implore you by God, do not begin to
torment me! 8 For Jesus was commanding, Come out of the man, you unclean
spirit! 9 And He asked him, What is your name? He replied, My name is Legion,
for we are many. 10 And he kept begging Him urgently not to send them [himself
and the other demons] away out of that region. 11 Now a great herd of hogs was grazing
there on the hillside. 12 And the demons begged Him, saying, Send us to the
hogs, that we may go into them! 13 So He gave them permission. And the unclean
spirits came out [of the man] and entered into the hogs; and the herd,
numbering about 2,000, rushed headlong down the steep slope into the sea and
were drowned in the sea. 14 The hog feeders ran away, and told [it] in the town
and in the country. And [the people] came to see what it was that had taken
place. AMP
The crazy thing about this man is he is hurting himself by
cutting himself or bruising himself. He was trying to kill himself to get free.
And when he saw Jesus he ran to him, not away from him. He had no self-control
over his mind and was hurting himself to try to commit suicide. Yet he fell at
Jesus’ feet in homage to Him. The man was in conflict with the residing demons,
he could not stop them from tormenting him, but he wanted them to stop. Jesus
helped. The unclean animals, pigs, committed suicide once the demons came on them.
Amazing, by Jesus’ word, the man was set free and in his right mind.
Mark 5:15-19 And they came to Jesus and looked intently and
searchingly at the man who had been a demoniac, sitting there, clothed and in
his right mind, [the same man] who had had the legion [of demons]; and they
were seized with alarm and struck with fear. 16 And those who had seen it
related in full what had happened to the man possessed by demons and to the
hogs. 17 And they began to beg [Jesus] to leave their neighborhood. 18 And when
He had stepped into the boat, the man who had been controlled by the unclean
spirits kept begging Him that he might be with Him. 19 But Jesus refused to
permit him, but said to him, Go home to your own [family and relatives and
friends] and bring back word to them of how much the Lord has done for you, and
[how He has] had sympathy for you and mercy on you. AMP
This was quite a shock for the local people. They were
probably frightened of him and tried to avoid the area by the tombs. They may
have tried to help by chaining him up, but by not having and understanding of
spiritual matters and spiritual authority, they simply left the man to his own
torment. Now to see this man sitting in front of Jesus, wearing clothes, and
not writhing, foaming, or shrieking, was probably a very scary sight. Whatever
happened in this man’s life to allow so many demons to infiltrate his mind and
body we don’t know. We can guess it could have had something to do with opening
his mind as with drunkenness or drugs or possibly conjuring demons for his use,
but somewhere along the way he did not use temperance, self-control,
self-discipline to keep demons out. By allowing one demon access into one’s
mind opens the door for these social evil beings to invite others; Jesus
explains to us:
Luke 11:24-26 When the unclean spirit has gone out of a
person, it roams through waterless places in search [of a place] of rest
(release, refreshment, ease); and finding none it says, I will go back to my
house from which I came. 25 And when it arrives, it finds [the place] swept and
put in order and furnished and decorated. 26 And it goes and brings other spirits,
seven [of them], more evil than itself, and they enter in, settle down, and
dwell there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. AMP
It is not enough to simply cast out demons, one must
exercise self-control to keep one’s mind sound. This is Jesus’ point and it is
important for those in deliverance ministry to not expect that casting out
demons solves everything because the individual is responsible to keep his own
mind in subjection to the Spirit. Otherwise the deliverance minister will spend
all of his/her time casting out demons, but they will just keep coming back.
Joshua ben Sirach gives us some good wisdom for life and
for our new calendar year. If we keep these ideas in mind, and take
responsibility for our own mind, heart, thoughts, emotions, and our own
self-control, we will have a prolonged life.
Ecclus 37:30-34 My son, prove thy soul in thy life: and if it
be wicked, give it no power:31 For all things are not expedient for all, and
every kind pleaseth not every soul.32 Be not greedy in any feasting, and pour
not out thyself upon any meat:33 For in many meats there will be sickness, and greediness
will turn to choler.34 By surfeiting many have perished: but he that is
temperate, shall prolong life. Douay-Rheims
