Week 5: Self-control
and to knowledge, self-control… (2 Peter 1:6).
Hup, two, three, four! Are you ready for your marching orders?
It’s week five of the summer reading challenge (we’re almost to the half-way point!), and we are about to embark on a journey to learn about a very crucial, much needed, and very hard to acquire fruit of the spirit—self-control!
Theme
The theme of this week’s challenge is SELF-CONTROL
Origin of the Word
The word self-control (or temperence) comes from the Greek word egkrateia (pronunciation: eng-krat'-i-ah).
ἐγκράτεια
Definition:
Translated to English it means, mastery, dominion, and exerted power—over oneself!
Atten-tion! About-face!
Welcome back fellow soldiers of the Lord to another training week of the Summer Reading Challenge. Make sure to be on the alert because today we are going to enter a very dangerous combat zone! You are about to face one of your fiercest enemies—yourself!
But, be of good courage; as we navigate through enemy territory we can trust that the Lord promises to be with us. And He has given us the weapons to fight this enemy and come out victorious. Annnnd, the weapon to fight this enemy of self is—(drum roll please!) self-control! Surprised? Keep reading to find out why…
In 2nd Peter 1, the Greek word for self-control is egkrateia (pronounced eng-krat'-i-ah). In English, egkrateia carries the idea of mastery, dominion, and exerted power. It literally means to have the self-discipline needed to control oneself! Again, Peter is giving us a strong call to action. It begs us to ask a very important question: have we mastered ourselves?
Well, if you’re like me, then the answer is no. But thankfully, there is some specialized training we can do to become stronger. You ready for it? Remember, we are soldiers, so there’s no time for messing around (unless of course, you’re eating in the mess hall!). We need to be alert, and ready for action at any moment! So without further delay, here are your marching orders:
#1 Master Your Desires.
A good soldier of the Lord must learn to say “no” to what he wants and “yes” to what he needs. What could that be for you? Do you sometimes eat too much? Do you choose to be lazy or procrastinate because you “don’t feel like it”? Maybe your weakness is eating ice cream before bed, watching too much tv, playing video games, hanging out with bad friends, or doing things the easy way (cheating or lying). We all have different struggles. That is why a HUGE part of self-mastery or self-control is being able to say “no” to the things you want, especially when you know they aren’t what’s best (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). When you feel tempted to give in to your desires, say a quick prayer to God, and turn the other way!
#2 Master Your Emotions
The battlefield is no place for cry-babies! When you are having a particularly awful, no-good, bad day, how do you react? Do you mope around the house, secretly hoping everyone will see how miserable you are? What happens if someone upsets you or you don’t get your way? Do you burst out with anger, or throw pity-parties for yourself (Oh, woe is me!!!)? Acting in this way makes you a P.O.W. (prisoner of war) to your emotions.
But, if God has gifted you with strong emotions and sensitive feelings (like me), there is good news for you. God has given each of us the ability to overcome ourselves. How? Through the secret weapon of joy! The joy of the LORD is our strength! When we choose joy (and really mean it), God will help us to control ourselves and exercise egkrateia. Think about it—if you go around with a pouty face you are less likely to have someone help you. In fact, no one is going to want to be around you! But when you have a joyful spirit, you have full access to God’s strength and grace! What’s to lose?
#3 Master Your Tongue
Ooh, this is a hard one (a bit like stopping a torpedo!). If you were to look at all the words you say in a day, what would you discover? How much time do you spend complaining, gossiping, joking about bad things, bragging, acting silly, or talking about things that are of no value? Is this any kind of talk for a soldier?! Certainly not! We want our words to help us win the battle for the Lord—not ourselves.
Believe it or not, you do not have to say everything that comes to your mind! That’s really hard for some of us. We so badly want to be heard. But even Jesus disciplined himself to speak only the things that his Father commanded (see John 12:49).
Reining in our words requires the continuous practice of self-discipline. Ephesians 4:29 says it like this, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Did you hear that? The things we say have the amazing power to give GRACE to those who hear! Can you imagine what would happen if we really started speaking this way?!
#4 Master Your Attitude
Alright, so let’s say you’ve mastered your tongue. You pride yourself on being able to keep your mouth zipped up tight when things don’t go your way, but have you mastered your attitude—the inner self?
Be careful, you don’t want to just look good on the outside—that would be “pretending” to be a soldier. A real soldier looks good on the inside too. But we can’t do it without the help of our Captain. Thankfully, God looks at the heart, and he’s looking for those whose hearts are completely His, so He can show Himself strong on their behalf (2 Chron 16:9). That’s what really wins the battles!
#5 Master Your Thoughts
Here is your last marching order, soldier! In order for us to master all other areas of our life, we must first master our thoughts. Whatever we think about we will eventually become.
So, comrades, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things…practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:8-9)”—even in the midst of the battle.
Phew! All this seems like it will take a LOT of work! But, no one ever said being a soldier was easy (especially being a soldier of the Lord). However, if we want to follow our Captain to victory, then we must follow our marching orders and be ready to do hard things. Roger that? But, rest assured—I mean—march assured, for
“though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey…(2 Corinthians 2:3-6).
Dismissed!
Rainey
Lamplighter Ministries Team
Weekly Bible Memory (You can use whatever version of the Bible you prefer): 25 points per passage - additional passages may be memorized for 25 points each (up to 3 verses constitutes a passage)
Ages 6-10
“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls” (Proverbs 25:28).
Ages 10-13
“For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins” (2 Peter 1:8-9).
Ages 14+
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).
Weekly Bible Reading/Book: 5 points per chapter read - any chapter of the Bible may be read anytime during the challenge for 5 points each.
2 Timothy
Reading List for Self-Control: * 1 point per page read - any Lamplighter book/Lamplighter resource book/non-fiction [biography, spiritual growth, informational] may be ready anytime throughout the challenge 1 point per page.
Ages 6-11
Ages 9-14
Ages 12+
and for an incredible non-fiction read, The Disciplined Life.
*You may read any Lamplighter book at any time throughout the challenge. This list is only recommendations that go along with this week’s theme.
Creative Assignment: Like a City (25 points)
The Bible tells us that “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls” (Proverbs 25:28). Like a city without walls, lacking self-control makes you open to enemy attacks, and more liable to sin, so, for this week’s creative project, you are going to build your own city (complete with walls) to illustrate the point! Now, you can choose to complete this project in lots of different ways, but here are some suggestions on what you can use: airdry clay, legos, cardboard, sticks, gingerbread, or even pillows and blankets! Be creative! Your city can have multiple buildings, or just one, but make sure that your walls are nice and strong. You can also create/add figurines of people and animals, trees, signs, etc. to make your city come alive!
P.S. This activity could get messy, so make sure you put into practice diligence (spoudazo) and excellence (arete) to clean up after you finish!
*Submit your Creative Assignment to Lamplighter HERE and award yourself 15 bonus points! Assignments need to be submitted by July 1st, 2024, in order to receive the bonus points.
Practical Assignment: Weapons of Our Warfare (50 points)
Scripture is one of the most powerful weapons in our fight for mastery over self. So, this week, challenge yourself by reading and meditating on just one section of scripture for the entire week! Start by 1) identifying an area in your life where you struggle with self-control the most, then 2) carefully and prayerfully search for one chapter or book of the Bible that speaks about how to overcome that struggle, and 3) read, think, and pray about that section of scripture every day (or multiple times a day) for the rest of the week! And make sure that you try, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to put into practice what you read. As you begin to dwell on the scripture passage you choose, how is it helping you in your battle for self-control?
Additional Resources on Diligence: (Blog Posts; Podcasts) 5 points for each recommended blog read/podcast listened to.
Blog - The Giant Selfishness
Podcast - The Warrior Poet Way (Part 1 and Part 2)
Podcast - Reined in by God
Don’t forget to tag us @lamplighterministries
to share with us how you and your family are completing the challenge!
