Don’t you hate self-sabotage? You know, those times when you are planning to do something that is good for you, but then you’re forced to battle the inner toddler that wants to do the opposite. There was someone who had this same struggle in the New Testament, and he wrote these words in Romans 7:15:

"For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I."

The apostle Paul was writing about the battle with self, also known as the a lack of temperance.

According to the Strong’s Concordance, temperance is another word for “self-control.” It’s that very difficult spiritual workout of learning how to have the mastery over our desires, passions, and appetites. And when the definition says “appetites,” that’s not just referring to food. Some people have an appetite for power, while others have an insatiable desire for pleasure.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary includes this definition for temperance: “Patience; calmness; sedateness; moderation of passion.”

So how can we achieve this calm, patient, management of the self? Let’s consider three truths from Scripture, and then you can pray for God to show you where to begin.

Apply: Living What We Learn by Francie Taylor

Olive Petal KJV Snap Flap Bible

Minerals for the Mind: A Study of Romans 12 by Kathy Ashley

The Mirror of God's Word: A Biblical View of Physical Beauty by Robin Parton

Fret Not: Peace of Mind in Perilous Times by Tim Zacharias

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