The Fruit of the Holy Spirit is one of the most important things we need to work on in our our walk with God. You have the fruit in you if you are a Christian. It has to be developed, it has to grow.
If we learn how to live in the Fruit of the Spirit it will bring tremendous ease and peace and fulfillment to our lives.
Gal. 5:22 – 23 Amplified Bible
“But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].”
We will not operate in any of the fruit of the Spirit without self control. The fruit of the Spirit is not about how we feel, or about our personalities, but about what we choose to do.
If you wait to feel like being nice, then you may hit it occasionally on one of your good days, but most likely you will experience quite a few days when you don’t feel like being nice. You can be saved, full of the Holy Spirit and operate in many gifts, but there still will be times when you feel like smacking someone upside the head.
It takes self-control to be good, gentle, patient, and to love someone. We have to discipline our thoughts. We have to discipline our mouth. Maybe you don’t think that you have any discipline. Yes, you do! If you are saved, you have discipline and self-control within you. You may not have developed it, and you may not want to use it, but it is there.
1 Timothy 1:7 Amplified Bible
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”
Let’s think about Peter walking on water for a minute. It was his love for God that prompted Peter to have a desire to come closer to Jesus. Peter refused to let a body of water keep him away from his Master.
Peter’s mind was made up once he got out of the boat. His mind was fixed on Jesus. He operated in complete self control by refusing to give into doubt. He didn’t have the spirit of fear or timidity, but of love for His Jesus and self control and a sound mind!
Looking back at that verse did it say, “well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control?” Yes, it did! But, before you get really discouraged thinking you can’t do it remember this; because self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, it is the result of His help and grace, and the outworking of His life in the believer. That is the beauty of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is His working in us to help bring that fruit to maturity in all of us. He has His part and we have ours.
The Holy Spirit is not going to ZAP you with self-control, no, it has to be worked out in us. We have to learn to take it as our own and walk in it. We need to learn to be disciplined in all areas of our life.
I thank God for the fruit of self-control. We would be in an irreconcilable mess continually in our lives if God had not equipped us with this wonderful, helpful fruit. Don’t ever say, “I just have no self-control.” Begin to say what God’s Word says about you, “I have the fruit of self-control, and I am able to do whatever I need to do in any situation because God is my strength.”
What we focus on is what we develop in our life. Anything you don’t focus on will not be developed in your life.
If you have any areas in your life where you feel you need to use more self-control then this is the perfect place for you to be today!
Learn to be a good fruit inspector. When I go to the store and buy fruit I look it over. Cause I found out that sometimes just because a piece of fruit looks good on the outside that doesn’t mean that it is good on the inside. A lot of Christians can dress it up and take it to church and learn all the religious language but that doesn’t mean there is any fruit. A person is not spiritual just because they go to church, they are not spiritual just because they have a Bible, their not spiritual because they talk the talk or wear Christian t-shirts. You will know them by their fruit. We need to learn to pay much more attention to the fruit in people’s lives and we need to pay attention to the fruit in our own life.
Matthew 7:15 – 20 Amplified Bible
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves. You will fully recognize them by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so, every healthy (sound) tree bears good fruit [worthy of admiration], but the sickly (decaying, worthless) tree bears bad (worthless) fruit. A good healthy tree cannot bear bad (worthless) fruit, nor can a bad (diseased) tree bear excellent fruit [worthy of admiration]. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. Therefore, you will fully know them by their fruits.”
Let me give you an example:
I just got off the phone with someone and it was a hard phone conversation. The other person proceeded to tell me why her and husband were not coming to church. Her words were upsetting me. The more we talked, the more I knew I had to end the conversation for my mental well being. Still this person expressed “in love” more of what she felt about myself and other people in our church. Many times when I talked to this person in the past she would tell me all the bad she thought about and seemed to do it with a smile on her face and her voice would drip with sweetness but the meaning of her words were evil and criticizing. For years I would put up with this, thinking I had to be nice and show mercy and grace and love towards her because that was the “Christian thing to do.” But this day, after I ended the conversation in tears, a friend of mine came to my door. She could see that I had been crying. I tried to act like I was okay, but she read right through me. Finally I shared briefly what had happened. The first words she said to me were, “What fruit is she producing?” Wow, an eye opener! I never thought about this person’s fruit, thinking that I might be judging them. But there is a difference.
Being a fruit inspector you look for what is healthy and able to bring nutrients and refreshing to the one who will partake of it. Judging someone is looking at their actions and behavior, but inspecting their fruit is looking at what happens after they act. Do they leave a wake of destruction behind them?
Before we look at anybody else, we first have to look at ourselves. Is there a wake of destruction behind your actions? What fruit are people picking from your tree? Let us be people who produce good healthy fruit for others to enjoy. Believe it or not your life can help others grow. My heart and my mission in life is to help people be transformed by the power of God. Too often in our churches today there are unhealthy, unripe, and spoiled fruit. You put all that unclean, rotten fruit into one basket and it will lead to spoiling the entire bunch. Why do we think we can sit in church and not deal with our rottenness? We can and do affect others. Remember one rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel. I don’t know about you, but I want to be the fruit that never affects others negatively. It is time we grow in Christ and mature to be healthy, ripe, nourishing fruit. Don’t be the rotten apple and sit in stubbornness and pride and think it is okay. It is not. Again you help others to grow and become healthy. Get yourself cleaned up and be affective for the body of Christ!
Sometimes we have our pet areas and we almost kind of excuse it away by saying, “Well you know I just, I just can’t control myself in that area.” First of all that is an un-true statement. You can control yourself if you really want to. You have to want to. It has to be important to you. If something is important to you you will do anything to make it happen. It becomes your focus. You might even be driven to obtain or accomplish it. You will use self-control to stay focused for your desired goal. Again, you can control yourself if you really want too.
There are three major areas we can look at that encapsulates our life where we need to apply self-control:
1. Physical Self-Control
Food: Most of us don’t want to admit it, but we’ve grown accustomed to overeating. It’s time to repent and develop some self-control in this area. I have to admit I struggle with this at times too. What has helped me lately is to tell myself, “Am I pleasing God when I eat this?” I know, I know, it is like when that phrase; “What would Jesus do?” was popular and my Youth pastor would tell us if we are in a car with a boy and hormones are raging ask yourself; “What would Jesus do?” But there is some truth to this. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We only live on this earth once. How are you taking care of your body? Are you making good choices or bad? (Trust me I am preaching to my self here)
Mouth: It seems like the mouth is the hardest area to control. What goes in it and what comes out of it. Such a small organ and it causes so many problems. Amen!
Sinful desires: Speaking of hormones, we have to be aware of our flesh and the desires it craves daily. We can have self-control with our bodes. We don’t have to lust after or pursue fulfilling these fleshly desires.
If you are single, or even if you are married, the enemy will try and put temptations in front of you physically. God did create us to have a sexual drive, but we can have self-control with it. God created us to have this desire to replenish the earth and to have pleasure in marriage with one man and with one woman.
Apply some self-control with your thoughts even before your hormones rage. When you thoughts start to wonder in the wrong direction, immediately use self-control and get your mind on something else. We can talk long on this issue, but for lack of time, bring this to God in prayer, and seek outside help if need be.
Financial: Are you honoring God with the money you get? Too often we see something and want it, and have to have it. We have to get a hold of our spending. Ask God if you are to have it or not. If He says, “Yes” He will provide the funds to obtain it.
Don’t get caught up in putting something on credit just to have it today. If this is you, start paying off the smaller credit cards first and then, once it is paid off, put that money from your regular payment onto the next card until it is paid off. It put pressure on you. It’s stealing from your walk with God. Do you know what the answer is? Buckle down and get out of debt!
Well…
The enemy uses this with many people to put them in bondage and be a slave to it. We don’t have to have what we desire all the time. It actually is a healthy thing to save the money and pay cash for it. Even so, we probably don’t need half of the things we buy.
Be good stewards of your money and God will bless you and provide for your needs. Have self-control and live within your budget. Have self-control and pay your tithes. Sometimes we feel like giving to the church and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we feel like saving our money and sometimes we don’t. Self-control is desperately needed in our finances. Remember we want to give God glory in everything we do, including our finances.
-How do you take care of yourself?
-Do you get seven or eight hours of sleep a night? Drink half your body weight in water? Some of you say, “Wait a minute I would drown!” You may say, “I don’t like water!”
-Do you control your eating?
-Do you exercise?
-Do you take excellent care of what God has given you?
-Is your car dirty and full of trash?
-Take care of your home?
-Take care of your apartment?
-How do you look when you go out? Do you even look to see if you look okay? Tell yourself, “I’m going out to represent God!”
We do you do it all for the love of God! We are His representatives on earth. We are representing The Most High! The Most Excellent! The King of kings. The Lord of Lords! We, the Bible says, are His personal representatives.
You don’t have to feel like doing it, just do it for the love of God. Not to earn His love, but to show your love for Him! Do it because you want to represent Him well.
2. Spiritual Self-Control
What are you doing to grow spiritually? Our choices affect our growth. Choices are made by having self-control. Our flesh wants to take the lazy, easy road. Are you spending time with God in prayer daily? It takes self-control to be disciplined and cultivate a relationship with God.
We get pulled in so many directions. We have to purpose and choose ahead of time to go to church, and read our Bibles, and spend time with God. It is so worth it when we do. We are rewarded in many ways and feel refreshed after being in the presence of God.
3. Emotional Self-Control
This is a big area where the enemy tries and defeats us. How we act or react to circumstances in life have to do with our emotions. I have seen that self-control affects everything in my life, especially my emotions.
When our mind races into self-pity or anger we have to stop and tell ourselves to not go down that road. This is self-control.
When someone hurts you and you want to withdrawal, use self-control and don’t withdrawal, but press through and stand in the middle of your pressing emotion. Once you do, it will get easier the next time you are faced with being hurt.
See how self control is needed in our lives?
God wants us to overcome being offended. This is a tool of the enemy that he uses constantly in and out of the church today. Churches would be more healthy if people would just use self-control in how they act or react in the body of Christ.
Some of you have been going to church for years but still sit in your play pin crying for your bottle. It is time to get out of the play pin and into real life, overcoming issues in your heart instead of denying they are there. Every person has all the fruit of the spirit in them, including self-control.
It’s extremely important for us to learn that we can do what’s right with God’s help. Let’s understand that God never tells us to do anything without giving us the ability to do it. How silly that would be if God says, “I want you to do this, and this, and this, and Oh, by the way, I know you can’t so I am going to just sit up here and watch you struggle.”
God says we can, we are the ones who say we can’t. And as long as we believe we can’t, then we are not going to.
In the areas where you struggle tell yourself out loud several times a day, “I have the fruit of the Holy spirit within me and I am working with the Holy Spirit to develop that fruit everyday!” “Everyday I am growing in the fruit of the Spirit!” “I walk in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control!” “I am a self-controlled person!”
Do you behave at home behind closed doors differently then you behave in front of somebody else? Let’s just suppose you were having a royal temper tantrum in your house. You are mad at everybody. You are screaming at the kids, you are ranting and raving, you’re just mad! You’re saying every imaginable thing. You are really into this fit. You say things like, “I’m so sick and tired…” and “You guys better get this mess cleaned up… and I’m fed up with this and the door bell rings and you peep through the little peep whole and it’s me. Now, I just want to ask you, “How quickly could you control yourself?” Every single person here knows that you could quickly get it under control and it would take you less then thirty seconds. You would open the door, “Pastor Kris!” “Praise the Lord!” “Wow, this is wonderful, thank you Jesus!” “Kids, come and look who is here, you are not going to believe who’s here!” How many of you get my point?
You see, the problem is we can behave really well around people we want to impress, but here is something we need to understand; God sees everything and just because you go home and shut the door doesn’t mean He is not in there! And if ever we live to impress anyone it should be God!
All-seeing Eye
I don’t think any of us ever gets victory in our life until we learn to live before the “All-Seeing Eye!” The One Who sees everything, and learn to live for His glory and His honor and not just to impress people.
Learn to control yourself for the love of God. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey me.” When you love somebody you want to do what they want you to do. Even if you particularly don’t want to do it, you so want to please them and you will do it because you love them.
By the way, self-control is your friend. It’s not an enemy. It’s not something that every time you hear the word you dread it and say, “Oh no, self-control!”
Hebrew 12:11 Amplified Bible
“For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness — in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].”
Do you want to stay exactly where you are for the rest of your life, or a year from now, or two years from now do you want to be a different person with peace and joy and hope and power?
If you want to have a change in your life then you have to change something that you are doing. You have to change your thinking, change your actions, change your habits. God will help us do that. It’s not about works of the flesh saying, “I’m gonna control myself, bless God, I’m gonna control myself!” No you won’t. What you need to do is study what the Bible says about it and say, “God I want to do this for Your honor and Your glory and I do have a problem in this area and I need Your help!”
Have you ever thought you are just not a very disciplined or self-controlled person? Has that just been the general attitude about yourself? I don’t want you thinking like that anymore, I don’t want you talking like that anymore. If you want to have what God wants you to have, you have to get into agreement with God. Stop agreeing with the devil if you don’t want his plan for your life.
Say, “I have self-control!” “I operate in self-control!” “God helps me control myself!”
Now I can pretty much promise if you just start to even say that several times a day, you will start to see a difference. You add prayer to that. You start asking God to help you. You see, if you are focusing on, “I don’t have any self-control,” then you will believe you don’t have any self-control. But if you believe what the Word, says then you are going to see that fruit in your life.
2 Cor. 5:14 – 15 Amplified Bible
“For the love of Christ controls and urges and impels us, because we are of the opinion and conviction that [if] One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake.”
Jesus died so that we no longer have to live selfish, self-centered lives. He died so that we can die to things that are not healthy for us by simply saying, “No!” No! No! I am a person of self-control.
The love of Christ is our motivator and this helps control us. The more you love God, the more you are going to be willing to control yourself.
Use your time wisely. You know we really only have a short time here on earth. Learn to number your days and don’t waste them.
Discipline yourself to serve and help others. Do it on purpose. Discipline your words and thoughts and attitudes and do it all for the love of God.
Self-control is about controlling your actions when you don’t want to do what’s right, but you control yourself to do what’s right anyway. Self-control is our friend. We need to thank God that He has given us this ability, and put this wonderful fruit in us that we don’t have to be controlled by our feelings and our mind and our will. We have self-control! That’s good news!
Everybody should be thrilled to find out that you don’t have to be pushed around by the devil and be led around by your feelings and your own thoughts. You can actually say, “I feel like choking you, but the Bible says I am to forgive you, so I can control myself and do it!
Eph. 5:22 Amplified Bible
“Wives, be subject (be submissive and adapt yourselves) to your own husbands as [a service] to the Lord.”
I had a hard time with the word submit. I never had a dad growing up. Didn’t know what it was like to have a man around the house. All the men I knew were either abusive or absent. My step father beat my sister and I, along with our mother. I was rapped at the age of 18. Why would I submit to a man when I made it in life without one?
“Wives, be subject (be submissive and adapt yourselves) to your own husbands as [a service] to the Lord.”
You might say, “Well, you don’t know what I have to go through with that Jerk in my life.” Most of the stuff we start fights over is not anything earth shaking. There are times we are in a bad situation or our safety is compromised, but nothing earth shaking. Usually it is just pride, and rebellion, and we don’t want anybody telling us what to do.
Why does God tell us to submit?……… Because there has to be order. If there is no order you have chaos.
Eph. 6:1 Amplified Bible
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord [as His representatives], for this is just and right.”
So God is even telling kids, “You need to submit to your parents as a service to the Lord.”
Everyone has someone they need to submit under. Everyone has an authority over them.
Eph. 6:2 Amplified Bible
“Honor (esteem and value as precious) your father and your mother – this is the first commandment with a promise (Ex. 20:12). That it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.”
If you have parents that your ignoring, that is not good. “Well, my parents didn’t treat me right!” My dad was never there. My mom and Dad were divorced when I was two years old. I never had my Dad in my life. For years I felt rejected and abandoned. When he did call me on the phone (maybe 5 times in my life) he would always get me confused with my older sister. He wasn’t there. Then one day, as I was in my prayer time, God told me to go and get my dad and take care of him. He was living in California. Ultimately I did go and get him and placed him in an apartment in my town. Soon I found out he had terminal lung cancer and had to place him in an Adult family home. But God brought reconciliation between the both of us. You can read more about my reunion with my dad here. (click link and scroll down to where you see the title: “I Saved Your Tricycle!”). I was able to ask my dad hard questions this little girl had throughout the years. It brought healing to both of us. Healing never would have happened if I wouldn’t have had self-control and obeyed the Holy Spirit’s prompting to go and get my Dad.
It will add power to your life if you begin to do what you are suppose to do, not because you feel like it or want to, but as a service to the Lord. Because of your love for Him. You can do a lot of things for the love of God that you wouldn’t want to do.
Self-control is about controlling your actions when you don’t want to do what’s right, but you control yourself to do what’s right anyway.
Self-control is our friend. We need to thank God that He has given us this ability, and put this wonderful fruit in us that we don’t have to be controlled by our feelings and our mind and our will. We have self-control! That’s good news!
Everybody should be thrilled to find out that you don’t have to be pushed around by the devil and be led around by your feelings and your own thoughts. You can actually say, “I feel like choking you, but the Bible says I am to forgive you, so I can control myself and do it!
I really don’t feel like giving my money away, but God says to do it! So, I can control myself and do it and even do it with a smile on my face. I don’t want to get up and clean my house today. I don’t want to wash that car, or do the laundry. I don’t want to do nothing but just lay here! Thank God for self-control. I will get up and do what I need to do and I’ll do it as a service to the Lord.
Eph. 6:4 Amplified Bible
“Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to resentment], but rear them [tenderly] in the training and discipline and counsel and admonition of the Lord.”
How are you handling disciplining your children? Are you a dictator? Are you harsh? Or do you take the time with them and love them as you are correcting them? Do you correct by example or by just your words?
Eph. 6:5 Amplified Bible
“Servants (slaves), be obedient to those who are your physical masters, having respect for them and eager concern to please them, in singleness of motive and with all your heart, as [service] to Christ [Himself]”
Servants, slaves, employees. Back then they were called servants and slaves. Let’s update it. Be obedient to those who are your bosses.
Listen, rebellion is the spirit of the anti christ. We have such a horrendous problem with rebellion. No body wants anybody telling them what to do. I get it. I’m very strong-willed. And like most people, I think my idea is better then yours so even if I was working for you and you told me what to do, I might have a problem. But thank God I’ve learned that I can’t be blessed in my life and be rebellious. You do it as a service to the Lord.
You can’t be blessed and be rebellious. Walk in self-control and obey the God-given authority in your life because you love God if you can’t think of any other reason!
Pastor Kris Belfils
It is virtually impossible to show forth the other eight fruit of the Spirit unless we walk in self-control.
How can we remain peaceful in the middle of an upsetting situation unless we exercise self-control? “Well, I wish I had more peace.” You won’t get it wishing. Are you seeing how valuable self-control is? You can get up every single day knowing you don’t have to let circumstances rule you. You are in control.
Self-control allows us to be patient when we feel impatient. You don’t wait to feel patience, but choose to be patient. I can’t be impatient just because I feel like it. It is not pleasing to God. I want to please God. I want to display the fruit of the Spirit because I want other people to become hungry for what I have.
How about faithfulness? People commit to do something when they’re in the height of emotions, and then when all the emotional stuff is over, they don’t feel like doing what they said they would do. Remember what is faithfulness: You do it over and over and over and over and over and over again. Does anybody remember that message?
How about humility? How can I exercise humility without self-control? You can’t. Remember the fruit of pride we looked at when we were looking at Gentleness? It takes a willing heart and courage to look at ourselves and see the areas we need to change in, but it is so worth the change. God can trust us with more. Our lives are more organized and blessed. We are not being lead by our emotions. The list goes on and on of the benefits of developing the fruit of the Spirit in us. As we abide in the Vine, we will produce much fruit.
Because all these things are feelings. The minute we don’t get what we want, somebody is not moving as fast as we would like them too, we are in a hurry and now we are in a traffic jam. We are in a hurry and that is just when the clerk doesn’t have prices on the items we are buying and now you are just waiting and waiting.
You can either get upset and say, “For crying out loud this is ridiculous, this is plan ridiculous!” or you can say, “This is only a test. My fruit is being squeezed! Say, “Ha ha somebody is trying to pick my fruit.”
Pay attention to how you feel. If you are starting to lose your peace, use self-control! If you are starting to lose your joy, use self-control.
Self-control is your friend. It’s in you. You can use it anytime you want to to have a victory. No wonder the devil feeds nonsense into our head all the time, “Well, I’m just not a self-controlled person.” “Oh, I hate self-control, I hate discipline.” The enemy wants us to have a bad attitude towards it.
I have noticed the opposition gives away the very thing you CAN do by saying you CAN’T! What ever the enemy says you can’t do, turn it around and say the opposite right back in his face!
Pastor Kris Belfils
Now Paul was preaching to a man named Felix…
Acts 24:25 Amplified Bible
“But as he continued to argue about uprightness, purity of life (the control of the passions), and the judgment to come, Felix became alarmed and terrified and said, Go away for the present; when I have a convenient opportunity, I will send for you.”
How much more perfect could that be? Paul was preaching on what Felix didn’t want to hear and he said for Paul to go away and for another time. Paul was talking about controlling his passions and Felix didn’t want to hear it.
If you are waiting for a better time to take care of somethings God has been convicting you about there is no better time then right now.
Proverbs talks a lot about restraining yourself. It says, “Restrain yourself from hanging out with sinners whose lives are in a mess.” “Restrain your lips, Restrain your anger.”
He who has no control over his spirit is like a city broken down without walls. The world’s slogan is, “If it feels good, do it!” But that doesn’t work in God’s kingdom.
What about your mind when it comes to self-control. Set your mind and say, “I am going to set my mind and get the areas that are out of balance into balance in Jesus name.”
Mindsets are so important. It is unbelievable what a person can do with God once you made your mind up that you are going to do it. If you don’t make your mind up then nobody can help you. There is not enough miracles flying around to get you into victory if you won’t make your mind up. You have to make your mind up.
You need to know this too, when you finally decide to make the change, it’s gonna hurt. It won’t all be easy but it will be worth it.
1 Cor. 9:24 Amplified Bible
“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.”
How are you going to run your race?
1 Cor. 9:25 Amplified Bible
“Now every athlete who goes into training conducts himself temperately and restricts himself in all things…”
How many things? How many? ALL! “Got to control my thinking, got to control my mouth, control my attitude even when I don’t feel like it. work when I don’t feel like it.”
You might say, “I just don’t feel like doing all that!” Thank God for self-control! You don’t have to feel like it, you have got a friend! Self-control!
1 Cor. 9:25 Amplified Bible
“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]”
If a runner or an athlete can discipline themselves the way they do to win a trophy, surely we can do it to honor God and to be all that He wants us to be in His Kingdom.
1 Cor. 9:26 – 27 Amplified Bible
“Therefore I do not run uncertainly (without definite aim). I do not box like one beating the air and striking without an adversary. 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].”
We have to stop telling others what to do and not do it ourselves. We have to be an example.
I love this statement: “Preach at all times and when necessary use words.” Let your life be a sermon.
I challenge you to decide right now that you will live the remainder of your life giving glory to God in everything you do. As you make that decision and carry it out in your life, you will find your life to be exceptional beyond anything you could ever have imagined.
Love, faithfulness, goodness, patience, kindness, peace, humility, joy and self-control are the elements that make our lives exceptional; they are a reward in themselves. We were born to display them, and we will never be fulfilled without them.
Your sister in Christ,
Pastor Kris Belfils
http://www.krisbelfils.com
http://www.hopefellowshipspokane.com
http://www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com
We are in a war spiritually. This war has been going on even before Adam and Eve in the garden. Lucifer (satan, the devil) was cast out of heaven, along with a third of the angels (Isaiah 14:12), because satan wanted to be worshipped and lifted up. This was the beginning of the war of good vs. evil.
Pastor Kris Belfils 