Control Yourself
Notes
Transcript
Self Control
Self Control
28 Like a city that is broken into and without walls Is a man who has no control over his spirit.
11 A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Rashness
Rashness
25 It is a trap for a man to say rashly, “It is holy!” And after the vows to make inquiry.
21 “When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and the Lord your God will surely require it of you.
22 “However, if you refrain from vowing, it would not be sin in you.
23 “You shall be careful to perform what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God, what you have promised.
30 Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand,
31 then it shall be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”
8 Do not go out hastily to argue your case; Otherwise, what will you do in the end, When your neighbor humiliates you?
20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Only one other action in Proverbs repeats that there is more hope for a fool than for him.
Temper and Patience
Temper and Patience
16 A fool’s anger is known at once, But a prudent man conceals dishonor.
16 A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of evil devices is hated.
29 He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.
18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, But the slow to anger calms a dispute.
32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.
In his book, “Pegasus Bridge,” Stephen E. Ambrose of “Band of Brothers” fame details the night of drinking German Major Hans Schmidt had before his unit was attacked by British Paratroopers. His men were guarding two key bridges over the river Orne, and he was supposed to order their destruction if the Allies came close to capturing them. The bridges were wired with explosives and could have been destroyed instantly with an order from Schmidt.
But Schmidt was drinking the night of the attack and wasn’t there to give the order. When he sobered up, he tried to get to the battlefield and accidentally rode past the British lines. He was captured with his driver and the British held the bridges, protecting Allied paratroopers from a German counterattack.
David Nye ,We Are The Mighty, May 28, 2015
11 A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.
19 A man of great anger will bear the penalty, For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.
24 Do not associate with a man given to anger; Or go with a hot-tempered man,
25 Or you will learn his ways And find a snare for yourself.
8 Scorners set a city aflame, But wise men turn away anger.
22 An angry man stirs up strife, And a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.
If you have ever been to Town Meeting Day in just about any town in VT, then you have probably seen this in action.
Drunkenness and Gluttony
Drunkenness and Gluttony
1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.
By Mayo Clinic Health System staff
Q. Does drinking alcohol kill brain cells?
A. Alcohol is a neurotoxin that can disrupt communications of the brain. It also affects functions of brain cells directly and indirectly through different organ dysfunction from alcohol usage and vitamin deficiency. Depending on the area of the brain affected, people can have different symptoms. Abusing alcohol can lead to seizure, stroke and dementia, to name a few conditions. Additionally, alcohol is toxic to a developing brain during pregnancy and can cause birth defects, including developmental disorders with lifelong impact.
There has been talk about alcohol being good for the brain and heart. People like to say what’s good for the heart is good for the brain. Recent findings now question alcohol's benefit for the heart in terms of coronary heart disease.
There’s no known level of safe drinking. Impact of alcohol consumption depends on the age, gender, medical issues, medications, genetics, personal situations, etc. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse on Alcoholism (NIAAA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have very good information regarding alcohol consumption.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
This includes other illegal and legal drugs. Marijuana, opioids, that are being used improperly.
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
19 Listen, my son, and be wise, And direct your heart in the way.
20 Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe one with rags.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who linger long over wine, Those who go to taste mixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly;
32 At the last it bites like a serpent And stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things And your mind will utter perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, Or like one who lies down on the top of a mast.
35 “They struck me, but I did not become ill; They beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink.”
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.