I was remembering one of my favorite Christmas gifts as a child. It was a blue and white boxed 45 record player. My favorite book on record to play? Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf.  ​Let me take you back to a childhood story, The 3 little pigs. There were 3 pigs and 1 wolf that was hungry. The pigs each built their house with what they thought would work. The first with hay, the 2nd with sticks and the third with bricks. The wolf went to each house with the same statement “little pig little pig let me in”. When they didn’t his response was “then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down”. The straw blew away, the sticks broke down but the third house, the one that took the longest to build,  the one that took hard work and effort, that one did not go down.

Proverbs 25:28 says…
A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Sometimes we like to over analyze words or we try to over-spiritualize what God was saying in His word. Self control simply and directly means CONTROL YOURSELF.  Control your mouth, control your actions, control your attitudes. Stop blaming others for your lack of self-control.
Self control is one of the hardest yet most rewarding things we can learn to do. It not only makes us stronger mentally and emotionally, it fortifies our lives and keeps us safe. It takes time to learn self control and it is built up brick by brick. But when you are done and the “wolf” comes trying to destroy or kill you, you can rest assured that you have built yourself up enough not to be taken down so easily. A man without self-control control is a man that has built his life with straws and sticks thinking he is safe all the  while leaving himself open to be destroyed and taken over by anything and anyone.

Let us remember to count the cost not just of the hard work it takes to have self control, but the depleting, destructive costs of not having it.

Merita’s Heart ❤

Ps. We all have moments of loosing our self control. We also have the ability to gain and rebuild it again. If you are at a place where you are looking around and all you see is remnants of hay or sticks say this prayer with me “Lord God almighty I come before you through your son my savior Jesus, forgive me for my lack of self-control.  Heal me and give me wisdom and strength to build up those areas in my life so that when the enemy comes I may be ready to withstand. Thank you for loving me and reminding me that I do have what it takes to be strong and build strong and not lack self-control, Amen.