TITUS 2--THE VIRTUE OF SELF-CONTROL

TITUS 2 CLASS—THE VIRTUE OF SELF-CONTROL

Paul commands the older women to teach the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, to exercise self-control. Self-control is one of the virtues that is required of every group Paul addresses in Titus 2.
Self-control is just what it sounds like: controlling self, with all of its impulses, thoughts, feelings, behavior. That sounds like a full time job! Praise God that whenever He gives us a command, He also provides the grace to obey it! However, it is not “let go and let God”. It requires effort and co-operation with the Holy Spirit. Col. 1:29 gives us that wonderful balance of our striving and His doing the work: “For this I toil, struggling with all this energy that HE powerfully works in me.”

We need to build walls of self-control. Proverbs 25:28
We face enemies on 3 fronts: the world (John 15:19, the devil (I Peter 5:8, and the hardest one of all—our own flesh (I Peter 2:11). Who said, “We have discovered the enemy, and it is US!”?

Sinful thoughts become sinful feelings, and sinful feelings lead to sinful behavior.
1. Thoughts—over 10,000 thoughts pass through our minds in 1 day
II Cor. 10:5—taking EVERY thought captive to the obedience of Christ
“Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself.” –Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Talk to yourself with Scripture.

2. Feelings register what is happening in our thoughts. We see an example of change in feelings, or attitude in the story of Hannah in I Samuel. She was sad and bitter because she was barren. After she took it to God, the Bible says she “went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.” She experienced joy prior to God’s answering her request. Hannah had attitude change. We live life between the ears. Madame Guyon said we can be radiant in a dungeon; dismal in a palace.

3. Behavior involves eating, sleeping, speaking, time, finances, work, lovelife—behavior is life! All of life must be lived under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. There is one behavior that will promote self-control in every area of life: meeting with God daily to read the Owner’s Manual for life, and communing with him. How often do we face pressures and problems? How often do we need guidance and power? How often do we need encouragement? DAILY
Do you struggle with self-control in a particular area in your life?
We cannot do this “all by myself”. Don’t take a deep breath and muster resolve. John 15:5 reminds us: “Apart from Me you can do nothing—I like to read that as no thing.”