Daily Devotional: Monday, March 1

Speaker: Ben Sigman

Theme: Self-Control

Weekend Music links on iTunes: Happy Day by Tim Hughes; No Not One by Christy Nockels; Sing to the King by Passion Worship Band; Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) by Chris Tomlin.

READ: 2 Peter 1:6-8

THINK: As a kid, teenager, young adult and now middle aged man, self-control has probably been the weakest link in my Christian walk. Soon after I became a Christian, I started feeling guilty about my sins but especially those regarding self control. This was a very good thing because it meant that the Holy Spirit was working on my conscience to mold me to be more like Christ... And part of that is pointing out my sins and my need for repentance.

Being a Christian teenager for me seemed like an oxymoron. It just didn't seem possible that they were to go together. But still the Holy Spirit was working on my conscience and my sins. Things didn't improve much in college but shortly after, things really started to change. I wasn't surrounded by 70 guys all encouraging me to sin, I was all by myself and able to clearly hear listen the Holy Spirit telling me that what I was doing was wrong.

I started to work on separating myself from people, places, things and situations that caused me to stumble in the past. Day after day, hour after hour, I would work on putting away the sins that would cause me to fall. A book that was incredibly valuable in my Christian walk was called, "The Vanishing Conscience" by John MacArthur. It talks about sins, why we sin and steps on overcoming sin. My goal became - and still is - to grow closer to the Lord and farther away from my previous lifestyle. Satan had shoved me so low in my own guilt from sin that I was useless in doing the Lord's work. I now feel a freedom and purpose as I live how God wants me to live - not always perfectly - but certainly better and better each day!  

DO: We all sin. As Christians we know that Christ died for our sins, but the evil one wants you to feel that your sin makes you unworthy of Christ's love... and that is simply not true. It's Jesus' who makes us worthy and nothing can ever change that!  

PRAY: Dear Heavenly Father, provide me the strength to get real with my sin. Lord, help me to understand my areas of weakness especially when it comes to self-control.  Show me how to work toward removing the temptations that cause me to stumble. Father I pray for people who can walk alongside me and encourage me to live for you. When I do stumble remind me to immediately ask for your forgiveness. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.

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