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Self controlled, not a control freak!
'...the fruit of the spirit is...self -control...' Galatians 5:22-23
Everyone knows a control-freak; you know the type. Everything has to be done their way, but if anything goes wrong, it's something or someone else's fault; the weather, the devil, the in-laws! These blame games are just the surface of a need to manipulate every situation. But people don't like being manipulated, so control-freak's relationships end up turning into power struggles, and then the more they try to control, the worse they feel; the worse they feel, the more they try to control. No-one wins. Don't let yourself be a control freak.
Instead, be self controlled. Understand that the devil can't do anything without your co-operation; and you don't have to give it!
Listen, other people's actions and attitudes aren't your problem, but how you deal with them is. Remind yourself that:
a) the one person you need to control is you b) sometimes you just have to hand people to God, and let Him deal with them
c) you must ask daily for the Holy Spirit's power to help you control your reactions (check out 2 Timothy 1:7). If you do that, you'll avoid becoming a blamer and turning relationships into war zones.
Knowing that 'the fruit of the spirit is ...self-control' means understanding that the spirit won't control you, or help you control others - but will empower you to control yourself.
Being self-controlled helps you to leave behind the problem to become part of the solution that God is bringing about.
written by Bob Gass
