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Self-Control - Do you have the Holy Spirit?


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#1 Tkulp

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Posted 20 September 2018 - 10:23 AM

As I was meditating on the Word and what the church world has  become, especially people in the church that are very publicly outspoken with their beliefs; very aggressive in seeing people get saved; a question came to my mind. Maybe someone here on the C&MA Deeper Life Forum would have an answer for me.

 

Jesus said that we would know, in regard to people’s lives, what kind of tree they were by the fruit that the tree produces. We are all to use the same evaluation on our individual lives to determine what kind of tree we are. Jesus also tells us that the Father is the gardener. The gardener will cut off, and burn, any branches that are not producing fruit.

 

Evidently ‘fruit’ is a very critical concept in our lives! Paul, in Galatians 5, lists very clearly the fruit that a life produces when they have the Holy Spirit, as well as the kind of works or fruit that a life controlled by the flesh produces.

 

With these clear facts or Truth in mind I would like to focus my question on just one of the fruits that should be very evident in the lives of all those who are led or controlled by the Holy Spirit; self-control.

 

How can anyone have the Holy Spirit, yet lack self-control?

The way that the Bible reads to me, it is impossible.

 

Each individual will have to answer, to God, for themselves. We all have had our individual weak areas. My areas of weakness used to be movies, internet and video games. The Lord impressed on my mind that I could not go forward in my relationship with Him until I changed the things that I delighted in. I had little self-control in those areas of my life. The Holy Spirit has changed my entire life. Romans 12:1-3

 

What controls you? For most it might be your stomach, taste, or appetites. Others may have issues with attitudes; emotions and the things that others do that can just set you off into fleshly speech and actions. {The flesh is to be totally dead, not mostly dead.} Maybe your area of weakness is the mind; easily bored, needing books, TV, sports, internet, social media, etc. to keep you entertained? No matter what; confession, repentance and humble obedience and submission to the Holy Spirit can and will change your life!

 

If you want to maintain any victories you may gain, you must remove all worldly influences and faithfully fill your life with Divine influences, namely the Scriptures as taught you by the Holy Spirit. Walk in obedience to what you know in your heart is good and right (fair and just) to do; as you would have done to yourself.

 

 

 

 

"For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from brambles.

 

The good person out of the good treasury of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury produces evil, for his mouth speaks from what fills his heart.

 

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and don't do what I tell you?

 

"Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them into practice — I will show you what he is like: …..  Luke 6:43-47   

 

 

 

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

 

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:19-23

 

 

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice — alive, holy, and pleasing to God — which is your reasonable service.

Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God — what is good and well-pleasing and perfect. 

 

For by the grace (especially the divine influence upon the heart (the thoughts or feelings (mind)), and its reflection in the life) given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.

 

 

May the Holy Spirit open your mind and spiritual eyes to understand and see, and thus live, the Truth!


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#2 reader

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Posted 23 September 2018 - 05:45 AM

Seems to me that each part of the "Fruit of the Spirit' builds upon another leading to self-control.  Without them in our lives there is little self control.  They point to this one thing.  May we be filled with the Spirit to have this vital portion of the Fruit. 



#3 Tkulp

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Posted 28 September 2018 - 10:16 AM

Thanks Reader for your response. My mind was focused on the idea of the reality or lack of reality regarding the Holy Spirit actually residing within each individual as evidenced by fruit; especially those who call themselves by the name of Christ, considering themselves to be ‘saved’, but are not demonstrating any evidence of deliverance from sin and self.

 

Does the Holy Spirit impact and influence our lives to the point that we could be found guilty of having the Holy Spirit if we were taken to court with the charge of being full of the Holy Spirit? (The court thing was a kind of popular idea in the churches of my youth.)

 

I had not thought of what Peter had to say regarding ‘self-control’. His focus was on a sort of circular growth concept, which is what I understand you to be thinking.

 

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to excellence, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love.”

 

“For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately.”

 

“But concerning the one who lacks such thingshe is blind. That is to say, he is nearsighted, since he has forgotten about the cleansing of his past sins.” 2 Peter 1:5-9

 

 

 

So is it possible that you have hit on the answer to my question?

 

Peter clearly says that what he is talking about is something that we should, or must do, since we have believed, make every effortthat we “may become partakers of the divine nature.”  

 

Is there a difference between our efforts (during a time when the self-life, the flesh, is not totally dead) and the realization of the “Divine Nature” the Holy Spirit truly living within and in control (the self-life totally dead, having no influence or control), which requires no effort to produce fruit, only being attached to the vine, Jesus Christ, day and night under only His influence; with zero influence from the world?

 

Jesus was very definite on his statement via John, that a good tree, “cannot produce bad fruit” nor a bad tree, produce good fruit!

 

John the Baptist would not baptize the Pharisees until their lives demonstrated the ‘fruits’ of repentance.

 

 Paul in Galatians is clearly comparing the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. If one can understand the difference between works and fruit; Fruit is the natural product that a plant, animal or human produces to reproduce its self, to preserve the species. In our day of deception and the false, the attempt is being made to create clones or imitations which cannot stand up to the tests of True Life.

 

An individual, who is blind, can have experienced the new birth, and the Divine Nature, but not continued to make every effort, to add to their faith, excellence, and to excellence, knowledge, etc.; they will not be effortlessly producing good fruit.

 

They are either blind, not attached to the vine, or they are attached to the vine, but barren, not producing fruit consistent with the plant, that they are supposed to be part of.

 

They may have a bit of self-control, at times, as a work or effort on their part, but it is not the free flowing, work of the sap, of the life, of Jesus Christ, flowing from the vine into the branch, producing a growing, in volume and quality, of real fruit. The true branch will either be pruned, to produce more and better fruit; or if there is no fruit being produced, the fruitless branch is soon to be cut off of the vine, gathered up, and burned.

 

I would relate the pruning to what the writer of Hebrews calls the discipline that is given to the real children of God; which, if one is not receiving, they are considered to be illegitimate, not a real child of God.

 

My conclusion is that I must first ‘make every effort’ to grow in purity and holiness and then present myself as a living sacrifice, pure, holy and acceptable, which is really what is my reasonable service (in order not to be blind); God only wanted the best pure sacrifices in the Old Testament.

 

A sacrifice that is living would be an individual that has completely died to the self and flesh (control of the senses), no longer conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of the mind by the Holy Spirit; the Divine Influence that they choose to sit under day and night (The Divine influence that is real grace as defined by Strong’s Dictionary, that changes my life, so that I now produce only the pure ‘fruit’ of the Holy Spirit.) Romans 12:1-3

 

Thanks again for your comment!!