Voice of Youths for Youth Month – 5 November 2021
Deacon Arlene Burton presents “The Voice of Youths for Youth Month – 5 November 2021”. Deacon Burton owns the copyright to this post. We reprint here with her permission.
Brothers, Sisters and Friends, we are hoping that you are well. However, if not, please let us know by sending your prayer requests.
Hi Everyone, it is Youth Month and we will be hearing from the voices of our youths some of the time. Anjesh Zodge who is a 14-year-old high school student, and a member of Grace Youth Ministry (GYM) does today’s encouragement. Be blessed.
Self- Control
Have you ever been so annoyed or angry at someone who is standing right in front of you? Did you ever have the urge to just sock them in the face as hard as you could? Now many of us will deny this but we all know that many of us have been guilty of doing so at some point in our lives, whether we like it or not. Why didn’t we, why didn’t we hit or attack that person? It is because of a little thing we have called self-control. Now that example may be a bit over the top for some people but self-control is an essential aspect of all our lives.
Self-control is defined as the ability to control your feelings, actions and emotions, especially in the most difficult and sensitive situations. This is a key part of us as humankind because it affects our well being. Now, self-control is typically divided into two different categories and to succeed in life, we need to be masters in both. The two categories of self-control are biblical and personal.
The above definition refers to personal self-control, which impacts biblical principles. The biblical definition could be simply described as being able to put our plans aside and let God take control; and, to be able to cope and understand that all that is happening is God’s doing/allowing, which will only do good for us. Let’s take a quick look at both and what the bible says about them.
Personal self-control is a part of everyone’s daily life. For example, you may be trying to cut down on calories and it has been taking so much willpower not to take a sip of that Pepsi or not to have one of those delicious cookies. You controlled yourself. You knew that those would ruin your streak of cutting your calories and it would not be the right thing to do. So you stepped over your feelings and said “No”. Titus 2:11-12 (NIV) teaches us to say “No” to those things that are wrong. “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”.
Besides the simpler things, self-control keeps us in the right. No matter how bad we may want to do something, if we truly know that it is sinful, self-control is what will keep us from doing it. However, as the above Bible verse says, we should rely on the grace of God, God’s help to keep us from getting out of line.
In terms of the biblical version of self-control, I am of the view that it definitely takes more strength out of us to do. It will be very hard to give up on our dream and follow God’s path. We may feel that what God is doing now is wrong and that we would have been better off following “our own destiny”. Trusting God may seem random and incorrect at first. But in the end, God only does good for us. The path to righteousness may be hot and horrible, but the end reward will all be worth it.
Self-control is an ability given to us by God and we must use it for good and to our advantage. As Spiderman’s uncle Ben said, “With great power comes great responsibility”. So we must continue to stay true to God, be responsible and do the right thing at all times. If you continue to have an issue with self-control, take time out, and reach out to God. He will help you directly or send someone to do so.
Let Us Pray,
Dear almighty and powerful Father, we fall before Your majesty this very moment. You are the Alpha and the Omega. We thank You for Your son, Jesus. We thank You for dying for our sins. What You did on that cross that day is unlike anything ever done in history.
Father, we ask that You keep our eyes, mouth and mind clear and pure. We pray that You will continue to guide us and protect us from the evil plans of the devil from now on and forevermore.
Lord, we ask You to cover our country and our world with Your hand. So much corruption and danger are in today’s world and we ask You to rid the earth of it. If it is for a purpose, we pray to keep us safe and to bring us through the tests.
We pray that You will help our leaders make the best decisions for our country. We pray for Your protection and blessings over our youths and children who are having unusual problems during these times. Lord, we ask that You help our health workers and those who are in need. Please continue to watch over us and keep us. Cover all of us from the crowns of our heads, to the soles of our feet, in Jesus’s name we pray.
Amen.
Our Prayers of Encouragement are for everyone. Therefore, if you also need prayer or comfort, please contact us with your request. We would be happy to share with you.
