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Are you a person of conviction or compromise? In a world where people are encouraged to "Just do it!" and "Do whatever feels right", self control and personal discipline seem to be outdated terms reserved only for weight loss clinics and gym programs. Yet, for Christians who are bent on serving God, we must raise our standards and develop the fruit of self-control in increasing measure if we are ever to make a difference in this world. Charlene Kaemmerling wrote, "Christians are losing their power and influence because they are losing their separateness."

Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to be our conscience and to convict us when we are headed in the wrong direction. Rhonda H. Kelley wrote, "The key to gaining self-control is yielding control of the self to the control of the Holy Spirit." Thus, the only way we are going to be able to overcome the temptation to sin is to ask the Holy Spirit to enable us to resist the temptation, and to run from it.

When Joseph was in Potipher's house, Potipher's wife made a sexual advance towards him. Joseph's response to her tempting offer was to immediately flee the situation so that he could avoid stumbling into sin. Wisdom always considers the future consequences of present choices. Joseph knew and understood this principle because he recognized that satisfying his immediate fleshly desire would not ultimately fulfill His deeper longing for God's love. Often we make wrong choices because fail to consider the costs of our decisions beforehand and in the heat of the moment we give into to our passion to please self rather than our desire to honor God. Remember that your convictions are only as strong as your love for God is. In other words, the more grounded you are in the Word of God, the deeper and stronger your convictions will become. You simply can't build up resistance to sin by spending more time embracing the world's system than you do grasping God's.

I Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." If you are a believer, Satan is out to steal, kill, and destroy you (John 10:10) so that you will be ineffective and unproductive. But remember "He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world." I John 4:4 God has a wonderful destiny for your life and He promises to provide a way of escape for you so you can experience victory in every situation you encounter. Titus 2:11-12 says, "For the grace of God...teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly pasions, and to live self-contolled and godly lives in this present age."

Every day you wake up pray that God will cover you with His armor, so that you can resist the temptations and pitfalls Satan has planned for you. Romans 8:31,37 says, "If God is for us who can be against us? . . . for in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." You can experience the abundant life Jesus died to give you as you walk in the light of the wisdom of God.