Did you become a Christian thinking that your life would now become easier? Had you heard promises from the Bible and thought pledging allegiance to the Lord would bring all those promises to you immediately? Down the road a few years were you disillusioned and weakened in your faith when the things you hoped for did not come true?

I try to remind myself that we are never promised anything, and that what control we can exert is not over the events that befall us but how we address ourselves to them.

Jeanne Duprau

Welcome to Humanity 101. We are told to give our lives to Jesus and He will exchange them for something greater. The something greater rarely means material things.

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

Isaiah 61:3

How do you control your thoughts, your behaviors, your emotions?

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Proverbs 25:28 RSV

Self-control is mentioned many times in the Bible. It is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit alive and active in our lives. We are taught in the New Testament to walk in the Spirit and put to death the things of the flesh. We are to long for the fruit of the Spirit.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Galatians 5:22-24 RSV

The most difficult thing to control is myself and my response to events in life. The only thing I can possibly hope to control is myself and my reactions. We have mistakenly thought that we need to control others, but not so, my friend, not so!

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

2 Peter 1:5-7 ESV

Yes, God has given us promises, but we need to read those promises carefully and ask for wisdom regarding them lest we misunderstand and go bumbling about accusing God of being untrue or unfaithful to His word.

Self-control is the best answer to most of my troubles. How about yours?