Don’t speak just to give people a piece of your mind. Speak because you want to contribute to their well being. And if you do that, you will know the difference between speaking the truth in and of itself and speaking the truth in love. Because love always considers the outcome.
Death to self isn’t to be confused with the death of self. Jesus does not condone self-hatred. If anything, Jesus elevates our worth beyond what we could ever claim or measure! But self-denial and self rejection are two different things. An example of self-rejection would be, “I’m disgusting and worthless.” An example of death to self would be, I deeply want to fight back with my words but I recognize that I don’t have to follow that instinct anymore.” It’s letting go of a lesser life in order to let your new life in Christ to emerge.
I often say to others that I have “teeth marks on my tongue” from choosing NOT to speak when I am criticized or accused of something! Proverbs 10:19 says, “… he who holds his tongue is wise.” I want to develop a higher standard of self-control, asking God to help me filter my words.
Waiting on the Lord’s promises can be difficult, but mastering our immediate desires will allow us to step out from under man’s timing to prepare for God’s. The goal for any believer is to stay in step with what the Lord is doing and not to move ahead or behind this pace.
We do not walk away from others to punish them; we turn away so the embers of anger can cool and reason can again rule our hearts.
Prayer is a choice. For us to pray to give thanks, or to voice our questions and doubts shows that we are choosing to leave an opening in our spirits. Without this opening, there is no vessel, no place into which God can breathe.
A man must first submit to the law of God, and then he will rule as an intelligent being over all around him. His intellect will reign as it was originally created to reign, with judgment and self-restraint, with courage and justice. Now he will calm his wrath with the gentleness of his desire, now quieten his desire with the austerity of his wrath; and he will know that he is a king.
Free will is not the liberty to do whatever one likes, but the power of doing whatever one sees ought to be done, even in the very face of otherwise overwhelming impulse. There lies freedom, indeed.