“Secondhand Thoughts of Control” || Release What You’re Not in Control Of || Week 2

Welcome to week two of “Release What Your Not In Control Of”! This series is talking about our issues with controlling things, or more accurately, my issues with controlling things. I wanted to do a series talking about control issues and, through scripture and personal testimony, try to help you with your possible control issues. I think God had us cross paths for a reason and I’m glad you’re here. Let’s dive into the word!

This week puts us in two books, both written by the Apostle Paul, that has us focusing on power, love, and self-discipline and how ALL of that deals with control. Open your Bibles to 2 Timothy and 2 Corinthians. How fitting for week two of this series that we’re diving into the second letters of these books. Join me for today’s sermon called: “Secondhand Thoughts of Control”.

2 Timothy 1:7 says: “The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.” Paul writes this to Timothy with the focus being on thanksgiving and encouragement. Paul mentions how Timothy has been in prayers and is thankful for him. Paul remembers the faith Timothy holds and reminds him about the gift God gave him. Timothy is heading off to pastor the church in Colossae (I believe) and Paul wants him to stay encouraged in his service. To let that faith he holds so strong to grow immensely. This is where verse 7 comes in. It’s a reminder that the spirit, or the calling, God put on our lives isn’t to make us afraid. The Spirit he gives us forms our source of power, love, and self-control. I want to dive more into the self-control part of it.

Funny enough, the Greek translation of “self-control” only appears this one time within the Bible. Why just this one time? For me, it’s a reminder of how the Spirit is supposed to be used. This is the source of our own control. God sources our sense of control. Paul wants Timothy to utilize the Spirit God gave him by recognizing the source of the gift. To exercise self-control is a gift that we ALL need to utilize. Self-control is today’s culture, in my opinion, self-control is a hard thing to manage. Our wants are always at the forefront of our minds because we are inundated with our desires everywhere we look. We see the tastiest foods, the trendiest clothes, and the luxurious lifestyles on the different devil sour…I mean social media platforms. We are tempting our self-control every time we log onto Facebook or Instagram and see other peoples’ life. We want your friend’s car, your neighbor’s job, your cousin’s house, etc. We keep on wanting to want things and then we are never content with what we have. It’s the lack of self-control that we suffer from. How can be better our self-control? Let’s go the source. “God, help me with my self-control. I want to learn to be happy with what I have. I want to learn how to not want all the time. You the source of my self-control and I acknowledge my downfall, please help me get strengthen it.” BOOM! There’s your prayer for the week! LOL. I’m kidding, but it’s a good place to start. Let’s move to 2nd Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 5:14 says: “The love of Christ controls us, because we know that one person died for everyone. So all have died.” Paul writes this to the church in Corinth with the focus being on helping people become God’s friends. Paul understands what the fear of the Lord is like, so he’s here to help others understand that as well. Let’s break down what this scripture means, because at face value we maybe see it as one thing. I think this has a WAY bigger meaning. The love of Christ is what Paul uses as his motivation. Christ’s loving substitutionary death motivated Paul’s service for him. To control, in this case, refers to the pressure that causes action (more on this later). Paul emphasized the strength of his desire to offer his life to the Lord. “One person died”, expresses the truth behind Christ’s substitutionary death. Jesus took that wrath of the sinner (us) and died in our place. He was the perfect sacrifice. “All have died”, defines the extent of the atonement and limited its application. Paul was overwhelmed with gratitude that Christ loved him and was so gracious as to make him a part of the “all” who died in him. Let’s return to the concept of control mentioned here.

Paul uses control in this scripture to define the pressure that causes action. How many of us have felt a pressure that causes action? I know I have. That pressure to buy something because it’s something cool that you want so you can show it off to your friends. That pressure to do something because all your “friends” are doing it so that you can fit in. We live in a world that consistently causes that pressure. It’s how we view and utilize that pressure that can change our lives. Paul used this pressure to honor and sacrifice for the Lord. Paul goes through a lot during his missionary journeys: imprisonments, stoning, name-calling, getting chased out, and more. Most of us would quit after we’ve been pressured once because of other’s people’s action, but Paul continues. I pray that you continue whatever you’ve been pressured to quit. I’m NOT talking about continuing to drink, smoke, do drugs, or have sex. I’m talking about that drawing career that you quit on because one person criticized your drawing. I’m talking about the writing career that you stopped because no one viewed your writings in a short period of time (I’ve been there! Remember the gaps of no blogs I put out!) I’m talking about doing what you want to do! Taking control of doing what you want that honors God. If you don’t know what that is, pray to Him. Talk to Him. There may be many things you want to do, but ask God to help point you in the right direction. You can try as many things as you want, but do so honoring God. Don’t be upset that it doesn’t work out. To me, it means that God didn’t call you down that path or that you need to better yourself for that path, which God will help you with. Society creates these pressures on high-schoolers and college kids to have life figured out by the time you receive your diploma or degree, but how many of us can say they did that at that time. Be honest! We create this pressure to get the degree and get the job because that’s what will make you happy, but it doesn’t work for everyone. We can’t cave in to the pressure of others and need to focus on the control of what we want to do regardless of others. We need to respect other’s opinions, but at the end of the day, it’s our life we have to be happy with. The only one we need to answer to is God. That’s all that matters and that’s what I’m ending with today.

I will see you next week! To prepare, I’ll give you the scripture of what to expect. It’s Proverbs 18:21 and James 1:19-21. Let’s see what next week brings!