add22

-- not many disciplined people in the world

-- principle of the slight edge.  Success is not that difficult.  It involves excelling only slightly over what others are doing.

-- harder to deny yourself than it is to deny anyone else.

what is the purpose of self-denial

you can shine brightly in a world that is out of control when you are in control

most people need external controls

you do it because you're the boss rather than someone else being the boss.

goodness - living

knowledge - learning

self-control - limiting

perseverance - lasting

godliness - likening

brotherly kindness - linking

love - lining

Other "l's" - laboring, longing

Self-control - deals with three things.

Desire - Making up your mind what you want to do is half the battle when it comes to controlling yourself.

discipline - it is the positive approach.  Making your body your servant.

denial - it is the negative approach.  Saying no to your body can be a difficult task.

The internal conflict in self-control is what we fight against.  Basically a:

a. Spoiled body.

b. Stubborn will.

Deal with the developing of positive habits and the breaking of bad habits.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.  Obviously, a great thing to talk about on a typical Sunday AM would be self-control.  You are probably the ones who need to hear this sermon the least because you are present and shining.  There is much

more to life than getting up in the morning, as important as that is.  The Bible admonishes us in II Peter, "....make every effort to add to your faith....self-control."  Let's talk about it.

During the fourth century, hundreds of ascetics sought to escape temptation and punish their bodies by living as hermits.  The extremes to which they went in their attempts to deny gratification of "physical lusts" seem incredible.

St. Ascepsimas wore so many chains that he had to crawl around on hands and knees.  Besarion, a monk, would not even give in to his body's desire for restful sleep -- for forty years, he would not lie down while sleeping.  Macarius, the Younger, sat naked in a swamp for six months until mosquito

bites made him look like a victim of leprosy.  St. Maron spent eleven years in a hollowed out tree trunk.  Others lived in caves, dens of beasts, dry wells -- even tombs.

To suffer the discomfort of filth, stench, worms and maggots were considered to be spiritually beneficial and a sign of victory over the body.

Self-control deals with three major areas.

1.  Desire:

2.  Discipline:

3.  Denial:

Why is self-control such a necessary addition to the faith?

Remember the principle of the slight edge.  Those people who change the world are those who excel over the masses only slightly.

How do you develop positive habits?

How do you break bad habits?