The Fruit of The Spirit Series: Self-Control

Happy Friday! I can't believe this series is already coming to an! I am so glad to have had each one of these women sharing their heart on The Fruit of The Spirit! It was my first guest-post series and it was so much fun! So thank you, to each one of you who participated! Sarah from Life with The Casterlines is going to be closing us out today! She is so sweet and so cute, so funny! Be sure to check out her Facebook, Twitter, Follow her on Instagram and Bloglovin' you won't regret it!!

Hello friend! My name is Sarah and I blog over at Life With The Casterlines {although I am taking the remainder of the year off as I re-brand and prepare to re-launch in 2015.} I am so excited and honored to be a guest on Mary-Keith’s blog today! She and I have come to be such great friends, even though we’ve never met before in real life. I love her blog, her fun personality, and her heart for Christ. When she invited me to be a part of this series I just knew that I had to say yes. Today I’m wrapping up the last of the fruits of the Spirit with self-control.

Self-control. Out of all of the fruits of the Spirit, I think self-control is the hardest for me to emanate. After all, what is the opposite of eating all the chocolate I want? Self-control. What is the opposite of talking bad about my husband when I’m out with my girlfriends? *gulp* Self-control.

I wish I could write to all of you sweet, beautiful people and give you a 10-step guide to how I conquered this fruit of the Spirit. Maybe bring you along on a riveting story with lots of twists and turns and a victorious ending. But unfortunately, my struggle against my flesh and my pursuit of total self-control is still very present and very near.

The good news is—that’s okay. After all, until we take our last breath we will all be in this process of sanctification. Not one of us is perfect {even when we pretend we are} and that’s the beauty in all of it. Rather than pointing out each other’s’ faults, we can choose to link arms and fight against our faults together by encouraging one another and pointing each other back to Christ. So while I can’t tell you how I managed to have a perfect “10” on my self-control score card, I would like to link arms with my sisters today and offer you some encouragement.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” -2 Peter 1:3

His divine power has given us everything we need. This right here is life. Glorious, shining, life. Sweet sister, through the power of God Himself, we have everything we need! We can look at every trial, every temptation, every heartache and respond with this one verse. We already have the victory over our flesh because we already have everything we need to live a godly life! Hallelujah!!

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” -2 Peter 1: 5-8

Increasing measure. Did you catch that as you read the Scripture? Peter didn’t say, “If you possess the qualities and are never-failing with them….”He said, “increasing measure.” This means that we are growing and increasing these qualities in our character, and as we continue to grow we will continue to be effective and productive in our knowledge of Christ!

“Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.” –Psalm 25:4-5

Show us Your ways, Lord. Is this your prayer? It certainly is mine. And this is the key to unlocking healthier fruits in our lives. The cry of our hearts should be, “Show us Lord! Teach us how to live for you!!” His divine power has already given us everything we need to live a godly life, and as we continue to grow in Him we are guaranteed to be effective and productive. So the only thing we need to do is ask! Apart from Him, we can do nothing. But with Him, we can do anything! By His divine power and our willingness to learn, we can and will grow in all of the fruits of the Spirit…even self-control.

I have so enjoyed reading this series and I’m so thankful for Mary-Keith and our friendship—and for all of you! The community I have gained through blogging has been absolutely incredible and I’m so grateful to be a part of it. As we close out 2014 and begin a new year, will you join me in asking the Lord for a fresh teaching of His ways? Will you ask Him to show you how to live for Him, and have a heart that is willing to be taught? I know that this one request will be far greater and have a far wider impact than any other New Year’s Resolution ever could!!

What fruit of the Spirit do you struggle with the most? Has the Lord shown you anything during this series that is making an impact in your life?