The Paradox Of Freedom!
"A person without self-control
is like a city with broken-down
walls".
Proverbs 25: 28
One of life’s paradoxes is how self-discipline
gives us freedom. People without self-control
live under the all tyranny of whatever
desires
master them—pleasure, sleep, sex,
indulgence, addictions, or hatred.
When the Lord becomes the King of our life,
He enables us to grow in that quality of self-
control. It’s a fruit of the Spirit. As we release
from our vices, we’re increasingly free to live
healthy and happy lives.
To many people, the
word freedom means doing
anything you want whenever and wherever you
want. But true freedom is impossible without our
constraint. Limitations don’t bring confinement—
they enable freedom.
Paul told Timothy, “For the Spirit God gave us
does not make us timid, but gives us power, love
and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). Galatians
5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace…self-control.”
Identify any area of life in which you find your
self in bondage. Ask God to help you to allow
His Spirit to work in your heart so that you will
experience true
freedom.
Jesus, who lived such a remarkable
life, has sent His Spirit to dwell in you.
His goal is to reproduce Himself through
you—the courage, the self-control, the
love, everything.
Charles Stanley