“NO ONE IS SO BAD AS THE DEVIL, AND NOTHING IS SO BAD AS A LIE.”

“EVEN AS NOTHING IS SO ENCOURAGING AND REFRESHING TO THE

HUMAN EYE AS LIGHT, SO NOTHING IS AS EMPOWERING AND

LIBERATING TO THE HUMAN MIND AS TRUTH.”

So many, and in particularly perfectionists, easily buy into this lie! It has been said and rightly so:

“PERFECTION IS A TRULY LAUDABLE GOAL, BUT PERFECTIONISM IS JUST AS

 TRULY A NEUROTIC ILLNESS.”

So many religious people who lose control for a moment in time just give up, give in and quit on the disciplines of self-control. They will say things like, “I feel so unworthy, what’s the use anyway.” Or, "I am just plain no good, there is no hope for someone like me."

First of all, this is often nothing but a cover-up! A cover-up for what? A cover-up for a cop-out! Underneath all of this is the fact that now they have found a excuse to lose control and give in. Now they don’t have to put forth the effort of self-control and self-discipline anymore. Their throwing in the towel is the easiest way out of the pain of self-denial in the discipline of self-control.

Second, if we fail and fall into that same sin again that we thought we had under control, it does not mean that this is the end. If you will:

“IF I FALL INTO SIN, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT I HAVE FALLEN AWAY

FROM THE LORD.”

“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to

cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

God is right there waiting to forgive if we are willing to confess. But I did it so many times before, and now I have done it again. Isn't there an end to His forgiveness? Both of the above Scriptures are in the ongoing present tense. If we continue to confess, He continues to cleanse. Praise God that the blood of Jesus never loses its power and never stops cleansing. If it did, we would be lost and self-control would then be an exercise in futility.

Don't put it off! I guarantee that if we lose the purity that we have enjoyed by slipping in the mud again, and we don't confess it to the Lord and seek His forgiveness, we leave ourselves naked and unguarded against the assaults of the enemy of our souls, the "Great Accuser." (Revelation 12:10) Satan will stomp our faces in it, with the goal that having rubbed our spirits in the muck and shame of our sin and guilt long enough, he can bind us up in a state of uncontrollable sin, guilt and death. He wants us to give up in despair and fatalism and thereby quit on this stuff of restarting and self-control.

Confession of sin is not for God so much as it is for us. After all, He knows it before we confess it. Why not confess it when we can’t conceal it anyway. It is God’s requirement for our forgiveness and restoration, and when we do, it will be like cleaning a dirty window in our soul to let in the warmth and power of the Sonlight of God's love again.

Yes it is painful to have to confess our sin to God, but that is good for us. You and I must understand the following principle:

"NO ONE CAN TRULY EXPERIENCE HOW UNHOLY SIN IS UNTIL HE CONFESSES

IT TO THE HOLY GOD." 

“THE PAIN THAT WE FEEL IN CONFESSING OUR SIN WILL BE NOTHING COMPARED

TO THE PEACE OF BEING FORGIVEN OF IT AND THE POWER WE RECEIVE

 TO REGAIN CONTROL OVER IT.”

“QUITTERS ARE LOSERS, RESTARTERS ARE WINNERS.”

It reminds me of one who said, “In 1838 I was defeated for speaker. In 1840 I was defeated for elector. In 1843 I was defeated for congress. In 1848 I was defeated for congress. In 1855 I was defeated for the U.S. Senate. In 1856 I was defeated for Vice President. In 1858 I was again defeated for the U.S. Senate. But in 1860, I became President of the United States.” –Abraham Lincoln.

I am sure of that the majority of Christians in Heaven would if they could speak about the rhythm of their lives on earth in this manner:

“I TRIED, I FAILED, I TRIED, I FAILED, I TRIED AGAIN AND SUCCEEDED.”

YES WE CAN!

“…I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

So do we! I mean, it is hard enough for most people to share their spiritual life, let alone their spiritual failures. Not only with God, but even more so with others! I was brought up in a background in which you didn't even share your spiritual victories, let alone your spiritual defeats. After all, public persona was everything in the church, and if you shared victory over a sin, people would then put two and two together and conclude that you must have lived like a degenerate for a long time. There goes your image!

The fact remains, there are many sins and snares that will never be overcome by self-concealment. Self-concealment is a sure way to be robbed of the victory of self-control. We read in Matthew 18:19-20,

“If TWO, TWO, TWO of you agree on earth about anything…, it shall be done for

them (not for you, her or him) but for THEM by My Father

Who is in Heaven.”

The Holy Spirit wants to use a "Prayer-Paraclete" (one who comes along side of) who can help you pray in faith not only for forgiveness, but for ongoing self-controlled victory over this besetting sin. Such faith-agreement in prayer brings a whole new dimension to our prayer life, and a new high voltage to God’s controlling power in us and through us, for it brings the accountability factor into our lives that has been missing. Jesus assures us here that in the battles and issues of Christian living and warfare:

"TWO ARE ALWAYS BETTER THAN ONE."

Oh I know that this is hard! For me too! It can’t be with just anyone. It must be with those who display vividly the "Agape-Love" of God, for that is in the only love that covers a multitude of sins. (I Peter 4:8) That is the only love that will cover and not expose, conceal and not reveal. Only the "Agape Heart" will protect your time together before God as a "Sacred And Secret Confession Booth" and not turn traitor and make the secret place a "Public Lynching."

Even then it certainly is not easy to let others see us and pray with us as we really are, and not as we want them to see us. But James 5:16 commands us to cut through all of that pride and thereby come into the power of God. We read in no uncertain terms,

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you

may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can

accomplish much.”

“ONLY WHEN WE LET OURSELVES BE KNOWN TO GOD AND TO THE GODLY, WILL
 
WELCOME TO KNOW AND TAKE CONTROL OF OURSELVES FOR GODLINESS.”

“TO LIVE IN SELF-CONCEALMENT FROM GOD AND THE GODLY IS TO LIVE IN SELF-

FLATTERY AND SELF-DEFEAT.”

Haven’t you ever said things like, “My neighbors drive my up the wall,” or, “So and so certainly has a way of bringing out the worst in me?” In other words, we put the blame on them for getting out goat, all the while forgetting that the goat was already there just waiting to be gotten.

And then of course, we can always fault our parents and our church/pastor for our shortcomings. You know how it goes, “My parents were too strict, and that is why I rejected religion and accepted the ways of the world.” Or again, “My parents didn’t teach me correctly, they just had a whole bunch of do’s and don’ts. That is why I got turned off and got into such a mess.” And as far as the church is concerned, “It was too strict,” or, “It was too boring,” or, “It was too liberal.” On and on the spiritual and moral blame games go, each time putting self-control further and further out of reach.

“IF WE ARE EVER TO DEVELOP SELF-CONTROL, WE MUST PRAY TO GOD FOR

GRACE TO BE ABLE TO NEVER THINK OR SPEAK THE ACCUSING AND

EXCUSING PRONOUN ‘THEY’ AGAIN!”

I must admit sadly that it has taken me too many years to learn in the school of experience the perfect wisdom of I Thessalonians 5:15 and Romans 12:21,

“SEE THAT NO ONE REPAYS ANOTHER WITH EVIL FOR EVIL….”

Secondly, God tells us flat out in I Thessalonians 5:15 and Romans 12:21 that we are responsible for controlling our reactions for good and not for evil. I mean to say, think about it for a moment, what if God had reacted to our sinfulness by only repaying us for our evil, with evil, and not restoring us for our good!? Hey folks,

"IF GOD WAS AN EVEN-STEVEN RETALIATORY GOD, WE WOULD ALREADY BE

ETERNALLY FRIED."

“WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS FOR WE CANNOT CONTROL

THEM.  WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR REACTIONS FOR

WE CAN CONTROL THEM.”

We pastored in Wyckoff, New Jersey for several years, as well as making many hospital -pastoral calls in Manhattan, New York City. I learned to love New Jersey, the mountains of upstate New York, and the Jersey shore. More than that, we loved our church in Wyckoff, and that love has only grown throughout the years.

Coming from Michigan, it was my first experience with culture shock. You haven’t lived if you haven’t driven a car in New Jersey or New York City. I am sure that there would be those who would immediately say that New York City drivers are the world’s most reckless, barbaric and uncouth drivers on the planet. But New Jersey drivers also have an attitude as well, and it isn’t always or even mainly kindness let me tell you. New Jersey drivers never give an inch and will always take two inches even if there is only one. They see all other drivers as their combatants, and if one of them ticks them off for whatever reason, they see that one as their mortal enemy.

Listen, if another driver cuts us off, we are to control our spirits and forgive instantly even as we have been forgiven by Christ. But you know as well as I do what the natural New Jersey or anywhere else reaction is:

“YOU DUMB JERK, YOU ARE GOING TOBE BUZZARD BAIT BEFORE THE

NEXT EXIT.”

“THE MAIN PURPOSE OF CHRIST IN US IS OUR ACTIONS, AND THE MAIN PROOF

OF CHRIST IN US IS OUR REACTIONS.”

Or brother, are you kidding me? Struggle free? Forget it! We all struggle with events and people, and there is not anyone who is free of the struggle of self-control. Remember this when you are about to give up on it:

“SELF-CONTROL IS NEVER A PIECE OF CAKE BUT ALWAYS A MUSCLE

 IN THE MAKING.”

We must also remember something not only instructive but very empowering. It is this, namely, that Jesus Christ struggled too. Yes, even Jesus! In fact, more like, “Above all, Jesus!” Have you ever heard of what is referred to in theological circles as:

“THE GETHSEMANE EMOTION?”

There are those times in our lives when there is enormous conflict between what our emotions feel and desire and what God demands. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, facing the agony of Hell for my sins and your sins on the cross, cried out to His Father in Heaven in Matthew 26:39,

“ …My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will,

but as Thou wilt.”

Oh come now, don’t be shocked! Jesus was at that moment facing for us what we can’t even begin to imagine, and because of Him will never have to experience. No one ever went through the external stimuli and the internal responses that Jesus felt in Gethsemane. All Hell was coming at Him, and the perfect Son God in His human flesh wanted to turn tail and run.

Any other man's internal reaction would have been, “No way!” But Jesus said to His Father, “Thy way.” And the great good news is this, that if Jesus controlled Himself there and then to obey the Father's will, we can exercise self-control anywhere with Jesus Christ in us.

YES WE CAN!

Don’t be ashamed of your struggle! Those times that you are racked with powerful external pressures and surging internal emotions not to do God's will! Go to God, don’t deny it! Don’t repress it! Don’t you dare put on fake “Holy Garb” and a plastic “Pious Face.” He says through all of that anyway. Go to your Heavenly Father and in all transparency lay it and yourself before Him in prayer:

“MY FATHER, HERE ARE MY CIRCUMSTANCES AND MY DESIRES, AND I CONFESS

THAT IN ME THERE IS A STRONG DESIRE TO GO THE WRONG WAY. BUT

DEAR GOD, NOT MY WANTS BUT YOUR HOLY WILL BE

 DONE IN MY LIFE.”

What is the self-controlled Christlike life but the total submission of our will to God's will? How did Jesus do that, and how could He exercise such incredible self-control when self wanted to run away from such a terrorizing prospect? Jesus diverted the attention of his entire mind and bent of his will to the will of His Father, and He declared His Father's will to be His choice. He kept the Divine Will as His central focus which is the key to a self-controlled Godly response! 

All self-control is rooted in "The Gethsemane Emotion" and "The Gethsemane Choice." I think that we can safely say that Jesus prayed that prayer not only for our ultimate salvation, but for our example. I believe that anyone who is serious about a self-controlled life for the glory of God best be lifting up Christ's prayer again and again. Without it, we all are placing ourselves about a fingernail's sliver from destruction.

No, none of us have it easy. Victory comes through agonizing struggle many times. But in all of this remember the following truth:

“NO ONE KNOWS THE INCREDIBLE POWER OF EVIL LIKE THOSE WHO DEFY AND

 RESIST IT. BUT THEY ARE ALSO THE ONLY ONES WHO KNOW THE THRILL

 OF VICTORY OVER IT, WHILE ALL OTHERS KNOW ONLY THE

AGONY OF DEFEAT." 

Lie! A terribly big lie! By our words we can either kill or give life to our spirits. By our words we can either kill or give life to the spirits of others. We read words like these in Proverbs 18:21,

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue….”

In the British Navy, and on every British ship, there is something that is referred to as “The Still.” “The Still” begins with a whistle blown loudly that signals a time for everything and everyone to “Be Still.” Generally before a battle that whistle is blown, and everyone stops what they are doing, stands at attention and says:

“I’M BRITISH! I’M TRAINED! I CAN DO IT!”

We must note carefully that no one says something like, “I’m a gunner.” No, no, no! They say together:

“I’M BRITISH! I’M TRAINED! I CAN DO IT!”

“IT IS NOT WHAT THEY DO, BUT RATHER WHO THEY ARE IN THE

FIRST INSTANCE THAT MAKES ALL

OF THE DIFFERENCE.”

This is not just psyching themselves out! This is confessing who they are, mighty trained Brits and instruments in the hands of the British Navy.

So likewise, when we are facing the enemy, a temptation, a bad lingering habit again, an irritant of circumstances or people, a weakness, then we too each time must “Blow The Still.” We must stop all that we are doing and shout aloud:

“I’M A CHRISTIAN! I’M HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERED! I CAN CONTROL

MYSELF! I CAN DO IT!”

“I’M GOD’S SON! I’M A CHRISTIAN! I’M EMPOWERED BY HOLY

SPIRIT  DUNAMIS! I CAN DO IT!”

“I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.”

You may recall that when the two spies named Caleb and Joshua “Blew The Still” as they stood before the people of Israel and said about the “Promised Land” before them:

So many, and in particularly perfectionists, easily buy into this lie! It has been said and rightly so:

“PERFECTION IS A TRULY LAUDABLE GOAL, BUT PERFECTIONISM IS JUST AS

 TRULY A NEUROTIC ILLNESS.”

So many religious people who lose control for a moment in time just give up, give in and quit on the disciplines of self-control. They will say things like, “I feel so unworthy, what’s the use anyway.” Or, "I am just plain no good, there is no hope for someone like me."

First of all, this is often nothing but a cover-up! A cover-up for what? A cover-up for a cop-out! Underneath all of this is the fact that now they have found a excuse to lose control and give in. Now they don’t have to put forth the effort of self-control and self-discipline anymore. Their throwing in the towel is the easiest way out of the pain of self-denial in the discipline of self-control.

Second, if we fail and fall into that same sin again that we thought we had under control, it does not mean that this is the end. If you will:

“IF I FALL INTO SIN, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT I HAVE FALLEN AWAY

FROM THE LORD.”

“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to

cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

God is right there waiting to forgive if we are willing to confess. But I did it so many times before, and now I have done it again. Isn't there an end to His forgiveness? Both of the above Scriptures are in the ongoing present tense. If we continue to confess, He continues to cleanse. Praise God that the blood of Jesus never loses its power and never stops cleansing. If it did, we would be lost and self-control would then be an exercise in futility.

Don't put it off! I guarantee that if we lose the purity that we have enjoyed by slipping in the mud again, and we don't confess it to the Lord and seek His forgiveness, we leave ourselves naked and unguarded against the assaults of the enemy of our souls, the "Great Accuser." (Revelation 12:10) Satan will stomp our faces in it, with the goal that having rubbed our spirits in the muck and shame of our sin and guilt long enough, he can bind us up in a state of uncontrollable sin, guilt and death. He wants us to give up in despair and fatalism and thereby quit on this stuff of restarting and self-control.

Confession of sin is not for God so much as it is for us. After all, He knows it before we confess it. Why not confess it when we can’t conceal it anyway. It is God’s requirement for our forgiveness and restoration, and when we do, it will be like cleaning a dirty window in our soul to let in the warmth and power of the Sonlight of God's love again.

Yes it is painful to have to confess our sin to God, but that is good for us. You and I must understand the following principle:

"NO ONE CAN TRULY EXPERIENCE HOW UNHOLY SIN IS UNTIL HE CONFESSES

IT TO THE HOLY GOD." 

“THE PAIN THAT WE FEEL IN CONFESSING OUR SIN WILL BE NOTHING COMPARED

TO THE PEACE OF BEING FORGIVEN OF IT AND THE POWER WE RECEIVE

 TO REGAIN CONTROL OVER IT.”

“QUITTERS ARE LOSERS, RESTARTERS ARE WINNERS.”

It reminds me of one who said, “In 1838 I was defeated for speaker. In 1840 I was defeated for elector. In 1843 I was defeated for congress. In 1848 I was defeated for congress. In 1855 I was defeated for the U.S. Senate. In 1856 I was defeated for Vice President. In 1858 I was again defeated for the U.S. Senate. But in 1860, I became President of the United States.” –Abraham Lincoln.

I am sure of that the majority of Christians in Heaven would if they could speak about the rhythm of their lives on earth in this manner:

“I TRIED, I FAILED, I TRIED, I FAILED, I TRIED AGAIN AND SUCCEEDED.”

YES WE CAN!

“…I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

So do we! I mean, it is hard enough for most people to share their spiritual life, let alone their spiritual failures. Not only with God, but even more so with others! I was brought up in a background in which you didn't even share your spiritual victories, let alone your spiritual defeats. After all, public persona was everything in the church, and if you shared victory over a sin, people would then put two and two together and conclude that you must have lived like a degenerate for a long time. There goes your image!

The fact remains, there are many sins and snares that will never be overcome by self-concealment. Self-concealment is a sure way to be robbed of the victory of self-control. We read in Matthew 18:19-20,

“If TWO, TWO, TWO of you agree on earth about anything…, it shall be done for

them (not for you, her or him) but for THEM by My Father

Who is in Heaven.”

The Holy Spirit wants to use a "Prayer-Paraclete" (one who comes along side of) who can help you pray in faith not only for forgiveness, but for ongoing self-controlled victory over this besetting sin. Such faith-agreement in prayer brings a whole new dimension to our prayer life, and a new high voltage to God’s controlling power in us and through us, for it brings the accountability factor into our lives that has been missing. Jesus assures us here that in the battles and issues of Christian living and warfare:

"TWO ARE ALWAYS BETTER THAN ONE."

Oh I know that this is hard! For me too! It can’t be with just anyone. It must be with those who display vividly the "Agape-Love" of God, for that is in the only love that covers a multitude of sins. (I Peter 4:8) That is the only love that will cover and not expose, conceal and not reveal. Only the "Agape Heart" will protect your time together before God as a "Sacred And Secret Confession Booth" and not turn traitor and make the secret place a "Public Lynching."

Even then it certainly is not easy to let others see us and pray with us as we really are, and not as we want them to see us. But James 5:16 commands us to cut through all of that pride and thereby come into the power of God. We read in no uncertain terms,

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you

may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can

accomplish much.”

“ONLY WHEN WE LET OURSELVES BE KNOWN TO GOD AND TO THE GODLY, WILL
 
WELCOME TO KNOW AND TAKE CONTROL OF OURSELVES FOR GODLINESS.”

“TO LIVE IN SELF-CONCEALMENT FROM GOD AND THE GODLY IS TO LIVE IN SELF-

FLATTERY AND SELF-DEFEAT.”

Haven’t you ever said things like, “My neighbors drive my up the wall,” or, “So and so certainly has a way of bringing out the worst in me?” In other words, we put the blame on them for getting out goat, all the while forgetting that the goat was already there just waiting to be gotten.

And then of course, we can always fault our parents and our church/pastor for our shortcomings. You know how it goes, “My parents were too strict, and that is why I rejected religion and accepted the ways of the world.” Or again, “My parents didn’t teach me correctly, they just had a whole bunch of do’s and don’ts. That is why I got turned off and got into such a mess.” And as far as the church is concerned, “It was too strict,” or, “It was too boring,” or, “It was too liberal.” On and on the spiritual and moral blame games go, each time putting self-control further and further out of reach.

“IF WE ARE EVER TO DEVELOP SELF-CONTROL, WE MUST PRAY TO GOD FOR

GRACE TO BE ABLE TO NEVER THINK OR SPEAK THE ACCUSING AND

EXCUSING PRONOUN ‘THEY’ AGAIN!”

I must admit sadly that it has taken me too many years to learn in the school of experience the perfect wisdom of I Thessalonians 5:15 and Romans 12:21,

“SEE THAT NO ONE REPAYS ANOTHER WITH EVIL FOR EVIL….”

Secondly, God tells us flat out in I Thessalonians 5:15 and Romans 12:21 that we are responsible for controlling our reactions for good and not for evil. I mean to say, think about it for a moment, what if God had reacted to our sinfulness by only repaying us for our evil, with evil, and not restoring us for our good!? Hey folks,

"IF GOD WAS AN EVEN-STEVEN RETALIATORY GOD, WE WOULD ALREADY BE

ETERNALLY FRIED."

“WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS FOR WE CANNOT CONTROL

THEM.  WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR REACTIONS FOR

WE CAN CONTROL THEM.”

We pastored in Wyckoff, New Jersey for several years, as well as making many hospital -pastoral calls in Manhattan, New York City. I learned to love New Jersey, the mountains of upstate New York, and the Jersey shore. More than that, we loved our church in Wyckoff, and that love has only grown throughout the years.

Coming from Michigan, it was my first experience with culture shock. You haven’t lived if you haven’t driven a car in New Jersey or New York City. I am sure that there would be those who would immediately say that New York City drivers are the world’s most reckless, barbaric and uncouth drivers on the planet. But New Jersey drivers also have an attitude as well, and it isn’t always or even mainly kindness let me tell you. New Jersey drivers never give an inch and will always take two inches even if there is only one. They see all other drivers as their combatants, and if one of them ticks them off for whatever reason, they see that one as their mortal enemy.

Listen, if another driver cuts us off, we are to control our spirits and forgive instantly even as we have been forgiven by Christ. But you know as well as I do what the natural New Jersey or anywhere else reaction is:

“YOU DUMB JERK, YOU ARE GOING TOBE BUZZARD BAIT BEFORE THE

NEXT EXIT.”

“THE MAIN PURPOSE OF CHRIST IN US IS OUR ACTIONS, AND THE MAIN PROOF

OF CHRIST IN US IS OUR REACTIONS.”

Or brother, are you kidding me? Struggle free? Forget it! We all struggle with events and people, and there is not anyone who is free of the struggle of self-control. Remember this when you are about to give up on it:

“SELF-CONTROL IS NEVER A PIECE OF CAKE BUT ALWAYS A MUSCLE

 IN THE MAKING.”

We must also remember something not only instructive but very empowering. It is this, namely, that Jesus Christ struggled too. Yes, even Jesus! In fact, more like, “Above all, Jesus!” Have you ever heard of what is referred to in theological circles as:

“THE GETHSEMANE EMOTION?”

There are those times in our lives when there is enormous conflict between what our emotions feel and desire and what God demands. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, facing the agony of Hell for my sins and your sins on the cross, cried out to His Father in Heaven in Matthew 26:39,

“ …My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will,

but as Thou wilt.”

Oh come now, don’t be shocked! Jesus was at that moment facing for us what we can’t even begin to imagine, and because of Him will never have to experience. No one ever went through the external stimuli and the internal responses that Jesus felt in Gethsemane. All Hell was coming at Him, and the perfect Son God in His human flesh wanted to turn tail and run.

Any other man's internal reaction would have been, “No way!” But Jesus said to His Father, “Thy way.” And the great good news is this, that if Jesus controlled Himself there and then to obey the Father's will, we can exercise self-control anywhere with Jesus Christ in us.

YES WE CAN!

Don’t be ashamed of your struggle! Those times that you are racked with powerful external pressures and surging internal emotions not to do God's will! Go to God, don’t deny it! Don’t repress it! Don’t you dare put on fake “Holy Garb” and a plastic “Pious Face.” He says through all of that anyway. Go to your Heavenly Father and in all transparency lay it and yourself before Him in prayer:

“MY FATHER, HERE ARE MY CIRCUMSTANCES AND MY DESIRES, AND I CONFESS

THAT IN ME THERE IS A STRONG DESIRE TO GO THE WRONG WAY. BUT

DEAR GOD, NOT MY WANTS BUT YOUR HOLY WILL BE

 DONE IN MY LIFE.”

What is the self-controlled Christlike life but the total submission of our will to God's will? How did Jesus do that, and how could He exercise such incredible self-control when self wanted to run away from such a terrorizing prospect? Jesus diverted the attention of his entire mind and bent of his will to the will of His Father, and He declared His Father's will to be His choice. He kept the Divine Will as His central focus which is the key to a self-controlled Godly response! 

All self-control is rooted in "The Gethsemane Emotion" and "The Gethsemane Choice." I think that we can safely say that Jesus prayed that prayer not only for our ultimate salvation, but for our example. I believe that anyone who is serious about a self-controlled life for the glory of God best be lifting up Christ's prayer again and again. Without it, we all are placing ourselves about a fingernail's sliver from destruction.

No, none of us have it easy. Victory comes through agonizing struggle many times. But in all of this remember the following truth:

“NO ONE KNOWS THE INCREDIBLE POWER OF EVIL LIKE THOSE WHO DEFY AND

 RESIST IT. BUT THEY ARE ALSO THE ONLY ONES WHO KNOW THE THRILL

 OF VICTORY OVER IT, WHILE ALL OTHERS KNOW ONLY THE

AGONY OF DEFEAT." 

Lie! A terribly big lie! By our words we can either kill or give life to our spirits. By our words we can either kill or give life to the spirits of others. We read words like these in Proverbs 18:21,

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue….”

In the British Navy, and on every British ship, there is something that is referred to as “The Still.” “The Still” begins with a whistle blown loudly that signals a time for everything and everyone to “Be Still.” Generally before a battle that whistle is blown, and everyone stops what they are doing, stands at attention and says:

“I’M BRITISH! I’M TRAINED! I CAN DO IT!”

We must note carefully that no one says something like, “I’m a gunner.” No, no, no! They say together:

“I’M BRITISH! I’M TRAINED! I CAN DO IT!”

“IT IS NOT WHAT THEY DO, BUT RATHER WHO THEY ARE IN THE

FIRST INSTANCE THAT MAKES ALL

OF THE DIFFERENCE.”

This is not just psyching themselves out! This is confessing who they are, mighty trained Brits and instruments in the hands of the British Navy.

So likewise, when we are facing the enemy, a temptation, a bad lingering habit again, an irritant of circumstances or people, a weakness, then we too each time must “Blow The Still.” We must stop all that we are doing and shout aloud:

“I’M A CHRISTIAN! I’M HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERED! I CAN CONTROL

MYSELF! I CAN DO IT!”

“I’M GOD’S SON! I’M A CHRISTIAN! I’M EMPOWERED BY HOLY

SPIRIT  DUNAMIS! I CAN DO IT!”

“I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.”

You may recall that when the two spies named Caleb and Joshua “Blew The Still” as they stood before the people of Israel and said about the “Promised Land” before them:

“LET’S GO UP AND TAKE THIS LAND, FOR GOD HAS SAID THAT HE WOULD

GIVE IT TO US.”

“LET’S TAKE CONTROL – YES WE CAN.”

“WE ARE NOT ABLE. NO WE CAN’T.”

While Joshua and Caleb “Blew The Still,” the ten spies just plain "Blew It." Joshua and Caleb looked to the strength of God, while the sons of Israel looked to the greatness of the enemy and the comparative weakness of themselves.

How many ways does God convey in His word the pitiful weakness of man and his being close to death with his every breath. God says about all of us in Isaiah 2:22,

Nothing could be further from the truth! Uncontrolled anger is America’s great, festering ulcer of the soul. Anger is like drugs or booze. Anger makes us emotionally intoxicated and drunk with passion. When we are drunk on anger, we do and say things that wreck marriages and destroy lives. American society is not only filled with "Alcoholics" but with "Angerholics."

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put

away from you, along with all malice.”

There they are, for they all are first and second cousins. Where you find one, you will find the whole, rotten mafia family.

But did you notice what the first words are - LET ALL BITTERNESS be put away from you? Not some bitterness, but all bitterness must be driven out of our lives. Carefully note the ALLS. Not one rancid speck of bitterness against anyone may be allowed to settle into the soil of our hearts. It all starts because of some cruel word spoken or cruel deed done to us, and then before long roots of bitterness begin to grow in us as we fertilize and water them with feelings and words of disgust and resentment.

Then look what happens if we don't get rid of the first "All Of Bitterness." Then we are filled with the last all in our hearts, "ALL MALICE." The Greek word for "Bitterness" is "Pikria" which means most literally "Sharpness." Bitterness is a knife all the while being sharpened in us.

If bitterness is left to its sharpening propensity, it will in the end fill us with "All MALICE." That's bad, really bad, for the Greek word for "Malice" is "Kakia" which means just plain "Bad." If you will, "Bad To The Bone." The path from "Pikria" to "Kakia" brings you into a state of being totally 0ut of control. The word malice has at its evil essence the desire to hurt or destroy someone with the now razor sharp weapon of bitterness. This scenario is carried out everyday in murders and torture in American homes, neighborhoods, and places of business.

Follow me closely! We go through a process from "Pikria" to "Kakia," from feeling badness to being badness. Wrath has to do with the mind as we obsess in our thinking about the dastardly and despicable thing that the crudball did to us. Anger has to do with the emotions. Bitterness begins not only to ferment in or heads but also in our hearts. Then we constantly rant and rave about the scoundrel which is Clamor, as well as evil names and expletives against the scoundrel flowing out of our mouths which is Slander. By this time if looks and words could kill, the bum would be dead and buried.

But, the real point is, if you don't get rid of the first all, you end up with the last all, and find yourself in court for first degree murder. It gives meaning to the cliche,

God says, “Nip it, all of it!” Put bitterness away from you, and when you do all of the other gunk will leave with it. And the only way to do that is to forgive the offender on the spot! (Verse 32) If we don’t forgive:

“THEN INSTEAD OF BECOMING AGENTS OF RECONCILIATION, WE BECOME

BEASTS OF PREY."

We know that we can forgive no matter how huge or deep the hurt, because God commands us to put bitterness away from us, and He would never command us to do what His power iof forgiveness in us can’t accomplish. However, I also know of upstanding church members who are in life prison sentences and/or on death row in state prisons because they would not forgive their spouses of certain offenses, and they finally turned their bitterness and unforgiveness into acts of unspeakable acts of horror and bloodshed. And then later, as is so often the case:

“THEY CRY OUT FOR THE MERCY ANDTHE FORGIVENESS WHICH THEY

TOTALLY DENIED OTHERS.”

Yes, we are back to this big fat lie again. We must deal with it in far more depth. We must listen to this closely now:

“IT IS NEVER TRUE IN CHRIST TO SAY, ‘I CAN’T.’”

“IN CHRIST, ‘I CAN’T’ IS ALWAYS A LIE. APART FROM CHRIST

‘I CAN’T’ IS ALWAYS THE TRUTH.”

There are two great principles in all of this that we must get deep into ourselves. The first principle is this:

“IN CHRIST FOR THE CHRISTIAN IT IS NEVER A MATTER OF WEAK OR

STRONG, LOW OR HIGH SELF-CONTROL. IT IS ALWAYS A

MATTER OF THINKING AND SPEAKING

TRUTH OR LIES.”

“THE TRUTH OF THINGS IS THE ONLY REFUGE AGAINST THE FEEL

OF THINGS.”

We must tell ourselves the truth, no matter what we are feeling, for feelings are good servants but bad masters. And the truth is Philippians 4:13,

“I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.”

There is a book entitled Telling Yourself The Truth, the essence of which is this, “You may not believe anything anyone else says, but you do believe everything you tell yourself." So it is essential that you tell yourself the truth.

“Behold, Thou dost desire truth in the innermost being (inward parts)….”

God wants us to have truth in the “Control Central” of our being. If you will, truth in the heart of hearts! Whether we know it or not, there is a multi-dimensional “Internal Monologue” taking place deep within us 24 hours a day. Even while we sleep, that internal monologue talks to us deep within. Either it is a truth monologue or an untruth monologue. That is why it is so critically important to have truth at the inner core of our being.

“Thy Word have I treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.”

There it is! Self-control is having the truth of God’s Word permeating our inner self. The problem is that Christians are hearing and being told untruths in this world 24/7. Then the truth of God’s Word gets shoved off on some shelves somewhere inside of us. I have seen this happen again and again, as for example homosexuality being characterized as genetic, and therefore the gay community cannot help themselves, for they were born that way.

Untruth then begins to shelve truth, and truth gets stuck off on the side even in believers. Untruth then controls the mind, the emotions and the actions of many homosexuals who were brought up in the church. Untruth is at the center of their internal monologue.

In this day of rampant and uncontrolled untruths in people’s internal monologue, for many people we must help them locate the misbeliefs/untruths in that internal monologue. Hear me:

“UNTRUTHS WILL ALWAYS BE AT THE HEART OF UNCONTROLLED, SINFUL

 PATTERNS IN OUR LIVES.”

“WRITE DOWN THE REASONING BEHIND YOUR SINFUL, UNCONTROLLED

PATTERNS AND YOU WILL FIND THAT THEY IT IS FILLED

WITH UNTRUTHS. ALWAYS!”

“WHEN YOU SPEAK TRUTH TO UNTRUTH, YOU WILL DEVELOP THE MUSCLE

OF SELF-CONTROL BECAUSE YOU NOW HAVE THE STRONG HEARTBEAT

OF GOD AND NO LONGER THE HEARTBEAT OF THE DEVIL.”

“FOR THE HEARTBEAT OF GOD SENDS THE CONSTANT SUPPLY OF THE

BLOOD OF TRUTH TO THE MUSCLE OF SELF-CONTROL.”

Now let’s apply this concretely to some real-life situations. The unmarried girl who professes to be a Christian becomes pregnant and says, “I couldn’t help myself! We were drawn together like magnets. I couldn’t say no!” That is her internal monologue, and whether she knows it or not, it is full of lies.

Lie #1 is when she says, “I couldn’t help it.” The truth is that with Christ she was not helpless, for with Christ’s help through the dunamis of the Holy Spirit she could have stopped. Psalm 121:1 assures us:

“I will lift up mine eyes to the mountains, from whence shall my help come?”

“My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

“He will not allow your foot to slip….”

Lie #2 is the implication that, “I can’t means I need.” Because we love each other so much, we need each other, and because we need each other, we must have all of each other. She is confusing “I need” with “I want.” She is confusing “I can’t” with "I want." It isn’t a matter of need, but of want. That is also why it is so difficult to counsel adulterers, those who are being unfaithful to their spouses. They confuse “I Can’t Stop” with “I Want” and "I Want"with "I Need." And whatever Lola wants, Lola needs.

The fact is that she wanted/needed sex with her boyfriend much stronger than she wanted/needed fellowship with God. The Christian life could well be summarized by Psalm 73:25,

“Whom have I in Heaven but thee? and besides Thee, I desire
 
nothing on earth.”

She wanted/needed someone besides and more than God, and got what she wanted/needed.

And what is more, Americans and yes even American Christians in their greediness have equated wants with needs, and they think that whatever they want they must have! And with that mindset:

“PEOPLE HAVING CONVINCED THEMSELVES THAT WHAT THEY WANT IS A

NECESSITY. THAT MEANS FOR THEM OF COURSE THAT LIVING

WITHOUT THEIR WANTS IS AN IMPOSSIBILITY.”

“IF SOMETHING IS NECESSARY, THEN THE OPPOSITE WHICH IS NOT

HAVING IS IMPOSSIBLE.”

Lie #3 is made obvious by the fact that we really don’t need anything or anyone but Christ. Her point was that she absolutely needed her boyfriend and sex with him. Jesus contradicted this by His words to Martha in Luke 10:42,

“But only a few things are necessary, really only one….”

An absolute necessity is a matter of life and death. Jesus is the only life and death necessity I know of. His words to Martha are profound and powerful. They soak up everything like a blotter soaks up ink. He saying:

The Apostle Paul at times was lacking all things earthly, and yet he was content because in Christ he had found all things necessary. (Philippians 4:11-12) Paul makes these far-out -sounding statements that though he had nothing, yet he had everything. In whatever state Paul found himself, he was infinitely more contented than the richest heathen on earth. What was he, a wacko? No, he was one of the few right-minded people in the universe. Jesus is the plus who fills to overflowing every minus. That is why Christians sing,

“HE’S ALL I NEED, HE’S ALL I NEED, JESUS IS ALL I NEED.”

“LET’S GO UP AND TAKE THIS LAND, FOR GOD HAS SAID THAT HE WOULD

GIVE IT TO US.”

“LET’S TAKE CONTROL – YES WE CAN.”

“WE ARE NOT ABLE. NO WE CAN’T.”

While Joshua and Caleb “Blew The Still,” the ten spies just plain "Blew It." Joshua and Caleb looked to the strength of God, while the sons of Israel looked to the greatness of the enemy and the comparative weakness of themselves.

How many ways does God convey in His word the pitiful weakness of man and his being close to death with his every breath. God says about all of us in Isaiah 2:22,

Nothing could be further from the truth! Uncontrolled anger is America’s great, festering ulcer of the soul. Anger is like drugs or booze. Anger makes us emotionally intoxicated and drunk with passion. When we are drunk on anger, we do and say things that wreck marriages and destroy lives. American society is not only filled with "Alcoholics" but with "Angerholics."

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put

away from you, along with all malice.”

There they are, for they all are first and second cousins. Where you find one, you will find the whole, rotten mafia family.

But did you notice what the first words are - LET ALL BITTERNESS be put away from you? Not some bitterness, but all bitterness must be driven out of our lives. Carefully note the ALLS. Not one rancid speck of bitterness against anyone may be allowed to settle into the soil of our hearts. It all starts because of some cruel word spoken or cruel deed done to us, and then before long roots of bitterness begin to grow in us as we fertilize and water them with feelings and words of disgust and resentment.

Then look what happens if we don't get rid of the first "All Of Bitterness." Then we are filled with the last all in our hearts, "ALL MALICE." The Greek word for "Bitterness" is "Pikria" which means most literally "Sharpness." Bitterness is a knife all the while being sharpened in us.

If bitterness is left to its sharpening propensity, it will in the end fill us with "All MALICE." That's bad, really bad, for the Greek word for "Malice" is "Kakia" which means just plain "Bad." If you will, "Bad To The Bone." The path from "Pikria" to "Kakia" brings you into a state of being totally 0ut of control. The word malice has at its evil essence the desire to hurt or destroy someone with the now razor sharp weapon of bitterness. This scenario is carried out everyday in murders and torture in American homes, neighborhoods, and places of business.

Follow me closely! We go through a process from "Pikria" to "Kakia," from feeling badness to being badness. Wrath has to do with the mind as we obsess in our thinking about the dastardly and despicable thing that the crudball did to us. Anger has to do with the emotions. Bitterness begins not only to ferment in or heads but also in our hearts. Then we constantly rant and rave about the scoundrel which is Clamor, as well as evil names and expletives against the scoundrel flowing out of our mouths which is Slander. By this time if looks and words could kill, the bum would be dead and buried.

But, the real point is, if you don't get rid of the first all, you end up with the last all, and find yourself in court for first degree murder. It gives meaning to the cliche,

God says, “Nip it, all of it!” Put bitterness away from you, and when you do all of the other gunk will leave with it. And the only way to do that is to forgive the offender on the spot! (Verse 32) If we don’t forgive:

“THEN INSTEAD OF BECOMING AGENTS OF RECONCILIATION, WE BECOME

BEASTS OF PREY."

We know that we can forgive no matter how huge or deep the hurt, because God commands us to put bitterness away from us, and He would never command us to do what His power iof forgiveness in us can’t accomplish. However, I also know of upstanding church members who are in life prison sentences and/or on death row in state prisons because they would not forgive their spouses of certain offenses, and they finally turned their bitterness and unforgiveness into acts of unspeakable acts of horror and bloodshed. And then later, as is so often the case:

“THEY CRY OUT FOR THE MERCY ANDTHE FORGIVENESS WHICH THEY

TOTALLY DENIED OTHERS.”

Yes, we are back to this big fat lie again. We must deal with it in far more depth. We must listen to this closely now:

“IT IS NEVER TRUE IN CHRIST TO SAY, ‘I CAN’T.’”

“IN CHRIST, ‘I CAN’T’ IS ALWAYS A LIE. APART FROM CHRIST

‘I CAN’T’ IS ALWAYS THE TRUTH.”

There are two great principles in all of this that we must get deep into ourselves. The first principle is this:

“IN CHRIST FOR THE CHRISTIAN IT IS NEVER A MATTER OF WEAK OR

STRONG, LOW OR HIGH SELF-CONTROL. IT IS ALWAYS A

MATTER OF THINKING AND SPEAKING

TRUTH OR LIES.”

“THE TRUTH OF THINGS IS THE ONLY REFUGE AGAINST THE FEEL

OF THINGS.”

We must tell ourselves the truth, no matter what we are feeling, for feelings are good servants but bad masters. And the truth is Philippians 4:13,

“I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.”

There is a book entitled Telling Yourself The Truth, the essence of which is this, “You may not believe anything anyone else says, but you do believe everything you tell yourself." So it is essential that you tell yourself the truth.

“Behold, Thou dost desire truth in the innermost being (inward parts)….”

God wants us to have truth in the “Control Central” of our being. If you will, truth in the heart of hearts! Whether we know it or not, there is a multi-dimensional “Internal Monologue” taking place deep within us 24 hours a day. Even while we sleep, that internal monologue talks to us deep within. Either it is a truth monologue or an untruth monologue. That is why it is so critically important to have truth at the inner core of our being.

“Thy Word have I treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.”

There it is! Self-control is having the truth of God’s Word permeating our inner self. The problem is that Christians are hearing and being told untruths in this world 24/7. Then the truth of God’s Word gets shoved off on some shelves somewhere inside of us. I have seen this happen again and again, as for example homosexuality being characterized as genetic, and therefore the gay community cannot help themselves, for they were born that way.

Untruth then begins to shelve truth, and truth gets stuck off on the side even in believers. Untruth then controls the mind, the emotions and the actions of many homosexuals who were brought up in the church. Untruth is at the center of their internal monologue.

In this day of rampant and uncontrolled untruths in people’s internal monologue, for many people we must help them locate the misbeliefs/untruths in that internal monologue. Hear me:

“UNTRUTHS WILL ALWAYS BE AT THE HEART OF UNCONTROLLED, SINFUL

 PATTERNS IN OUR LIVES.”

“WRITE DOWN THE REASONING BEHIND YOUR SINFUL, UNCONTROLLED

PATTERNS AND YOU WILL FIND THAT THEY IT IS FILLED

WITH UNTRUTHS. ALWAYS!”

“WHEN YOU SPEAK TRUTH TO UNTRUTH, YOU WILL DEVELOP THE MUSCLE

OF SELF-CONTROL BECAUSE YOU NOW HAVE THE STRONG HEARTBEAT

OF GOD AND NO LONGER THE HEARTBEAT OF THE DEVIL.”

“FOR THE HEARTBEAT OF GOD SENDS THE CONSTANT SUPPLY OF THE

BLOOD OF TRUTH TO THE MUSCLE OF SELF-CONTROL.”

Now let’s apply this concretely to some real-life situations. The unmarried girl who professes to be a Christian becomes pregnant and says, “I couldn’t help myself! We were drawn together like magnets. I couldn’t say no!” That is her internal monologue, and whether she knows it or not, it is full of lies.

Lie #1 is when she says, “I couldn’t help it.” The truth is that with Christ she was not helpless, for with Christ’s help through the dunamis of the Holy Spirit she could have stopped. Psalm 121:1 assures us:

“I will lift up mine eyes to the mountains, from whence shall my help come?”

“My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”

“He will not allow your foot to slip….”

Lie #2 is the implication that, “I can’t means I need.” Because we love each other so much, we need each other, and because we need each other, we must have all of each other. She is confusing “I need” with “I want.” She is confusing “I can’t” with "I want." It isn’t a matter of need, but of want. That is also why it is so difficult to counsel adulterers, those who are being unfaithful to their spouses. They confuse “I Can’t Stop” with “I Want” and "I Want"with "I Need." And whatever Lola wants, Lola needs.

The fact is that she wanted/needed sex with her boyfriend much stronger than she wanted/needed fellowship with God. The Christian life could well be summarized by Psalm 73:25,

“Whom have I in Heaven but thee? and besides Thee, I desire
 
nothing on earth.”

She wanted/needed someone besides and more than God, and got what she wanted/needed.

And what is more, Americans and yes even American Christians in their greediness have equated wants with needs, and they think that whatever they want they must have! And with that mindset:

“PEOPLE HAVING CONVINCED THEMSELVES THAT WHAT THEY WANT IS A

NECESSITY. THAT MEANS FOR THEM OF COURSE THAT LIVING

WITHOUT THEIR WANTS IS AN IMPOSSIBILITY.”

“IF SOMETHING IS NECESSARY, THEN THE OPPOSITE WHICH IS NOT

HAVING IS IMPOSSIBLE.”

Lie #3 is made obvious by the fact that we really don’t need anything or anyone but Christ. Her point was that she absolutely needed her boyfriend and sex with him. Jesus contradicted this by His words to Martha in Luke 10:42,

“But only a few things are necessary, really only one….”

An absolute necessity is a matter of life and death. Jesus is the only life and death necessity I know of. His words to Martha are profound and powerful. They soak up everything like a blotter soaks up ink. He saying:

The Apostle Paul at times was lacking all things earthly, and yet he was content because in Christ he had found all things necessary. (Philippians 4:11-12) Paul makes these far-out -sounding statements that though he had nothing, yet he had everything. In whatever state Paul found himself, he was infinitely more contented than the richest heathen on earth. What was he, a wacko? No, he was one of the few right-minded people in the universe. Jesus is the plus who fills to overflowing every minus. That is why Christians sing,

“HE’S ALL I NEED, HE’S ALL I NEED, JESUS IS ALL I NEED.”