Each day, God desires to speak truth of our identity to us through His word and Spirit. Due to the busy nature of daily life, our challenge is to take the time to slow down and listen closely.

It’s a privilege to be renewed daily with God’s truth. Renewal comes by reading the word and being in the Lord’s presence. A completely refreshed spirit, thinks the the way God thinks.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

(Romans 12:2)

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Loving God means to obey His Word, and His Word is not hard to obey.” ( 1 John 5:3 NLV)

The relationship we have with God is based on love. Because we love God, we obey Him. God’s rules are designed for our protection as an extension of His never-ending love for us. Walking in obedience requires complete trust on our part. An attitude of obedience to God signifies that we allow Him to have total control, as we rely on Him to be our guide. [Read more…]

*Are you new to my Fruit of the Spirit Devotion Series? In order to get the best experience with the content, check out the following parts of this series before reading this one. 

Post 1 (Intro), Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5, Post 6, Post 7, Post 8

It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

(Philippians 2:13)

The last spiritual fruit is self-control, and it is all about being restrained and using discretion.With the help of the Holy Spirit, we develop the amount of control we have over our thoughts, words, and actions. Believers need self-control to be able to show God’s character in every situation. Self-control is also needed in order to truly demonstrate all other spiritual fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness.

With the power of the Holy Spirit working within us, we are able to have better control over what we do, what we think, and what comes out of our mouths. Because of the Holy Spirit, we have the ability to refuse to give in to our sinful nature, showing self-control in everything instead.

God wants us to have self-control so that we can live a life of selflessness. In terms of our relationships with others, we should always choose to believe the best about someone. As we practice self-control, we gain more  freedom! This is because practicing self-control leads to good stewardship and so much more. For example, when we take control over our thoughts, actions, and words, we are free from a number of things including: having a guilty conscious, living an unhealthy lifestyle, and giving in to over-indulgence. Freedom allows us to live in a manner that is reflective of Christ; with a good frame of mind and heart, having a positive influence on others.

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