In Control?

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:24-27

Doesn’t it just make you mad when …

- You forget to bring your project to school & the teachers thinks that you didn’t do your work & gives you an F?’

- You turn on the television to watch the latest episode of Heroes and it’s being preempted so the president can talk about meeting with people you’ve never heard of in some place you’ve never heard of to discuss something you don’t care about?

- You told your parents about your God-given dream to become one of the most powerful musician/preacher (Worship Leader) in this world & they just say “That’s stupid! You’re just a kid who knows how to play drums. You live in a small town with nothing special. We’ve never amount to anything & we’ve never done anything spectacular! What makes you think you can become that? Don’t’ waste your time!”

- You put your heart & soul to your drumming & post it on YouTube just to hear tons of people say “you are horrible” or “I can do better than that” or just simply “You suck!”?

Lot’s of things can make you mad. Sometimes it can seem the whole world is waiting for a chance to get on your nerves. But it’s not.

What is happening, though, is that every day you face a lot of choices that challenge your self-control. Self-control is your ability to control your temper & your actions. It’s not like being double-jointed, though, in that “some people are and some people ain’t.” It’s like any choice between right & wrong: Sometimes you make the right choices (exercise self-control), and sometimes you don’t.

No matter how many times something or someone gets on your “last nerve,” no matter how often you’re tempted to lose your cool, or to blow off some steam, you need to recognize that being self-controlled is a choice you make. And, with God’s help, you’ll be able to choose self-control more and more often.

Self-control is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. (See Galatians 5:22-23.) If you’re controlled by God’s Spirit, you’ll have self-control. Does that make you a robot? Certainly not! You still have the freedom to choose self-control or to blow your cool. You can choose what to do: get mad or use self-control. You can heed or ignore the psalmist’s warning, “Don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you. Think about it overnight and remain silent” (Psalm 4:4).

REFLECT: What was the last thing that you got really upset? How did you respond? How could you have responded differently?

PRAY: “Lord, stop me when I start to get angry. Help me to see my choices. And give me strength to make the right choices, especially when _____________. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.