Strict Control

Romans 12:1 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice–the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.” ~NLT

How do we walk in obedience? How do we live our lives righteously? Do we really want to do right but find ourselves  falling short to the desires our bodies crave? These are all outstanding questions when it comes to the attempt at living righteous lives. Let’s see if we can pull some wisdom and strength in the memories we may have.

Remember when we wanted to lose some weight. We decided what we were going to eat and sacrificed foods we loved, and did not eat them. We also decided to dedicate a few hours in the day to exercise. We sacrificed our comforts and traded them in for sweat and tears. We literally disciplined our bodies for the greater good of ‘health and wellness’.  And when we reached that goal, we were so proud and felt good about that success. 1 Corinthians 9:27 says, “Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” ~CSB 

Bringing our bodies under ‘...strict control…’ is the answer. It is the beginning of a servant's commitment to God. If we could just keep our bodies under control, that would be the first step in ‘...giving our bodies to God…’  If we practiced cutting back on foods that keep us on medication. If we practiced putting down the cigarettes and cutting back on alcohol, all things that the body cannot process, if we can get control of that…the rest will be a lot easier to control and bring under ‘strict discipline’. 

Just think about the possibilities of success in sacrifice. When we learn to keep the body under strict control, we will be able to handle confrontation in a godly way, when it comes in our direction. We will be able to contain our anger. We will be able to have a sound and clear mind when it comes to making righteous decisions in Jesus' name. 

Starting with strict discipline of our bodies and what it craves will allow us to have a more focused journey on this path God intended for us to travel. We will be seen to others as a people that live as a, “...holy sacrifice–the kind He will find acceptable…” Start today, practice a little at a time telling the body, “NO! You cannot have that!” In time that discipline will become strict and strong enough to walk away from temptation. “This is truly the way to worship Him.”

May God continue to bless you with His wisdom, grace and protection as you walk in the name of Jesus.

Amen

---