Temperance is a fruit of the Spirit and defined as ‘self-control (the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, esp. his sensual appetites)’. It involves elements of your self-preservation and personal choice. The opposite is, “I’ll just sit back and let God work through me.” Deuteronomy 30:19 tells us to “choose” as an exercise of our will. [tweet_dis]Temperance is an act of our will; it is a choice you make to thrive spiritually, beyond your understanding.[/tweet_dis] We may not like it; we may think it is unfair, but it will be for our benefit.
The order of the “fruits” is significant with love listed first, and temperance at the end. Joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith and meekness are in the middle. The order of the “fruits” starts out with love for a reason. Without love there is torment and no pure desire to care for oneself, causing difficulty with self-control. Receiving perfect love from Father God is the first priority. When we love God, ourselves, and others, then the unloving spirit cannot use self-destruction to promote negative habits. For example, if we love our pets, we would never abuse them. If we do not like them, then we do not care if we forget to feed them, etc. We need to let God love us and believe He would not abuse us.
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
If we defile our temple, then God will destroy us. That is a pretty strong statement! Note that the words “destroy” and “defile” are from the same Greek word. God says that exactly what you do to me, I do to you. That is evident if you look at the effects of obesity, addictions, and emotional problems as a result of poor temple care.
In my teaching, From the Inside Out: What is Manifesting?, it states, “Your ability to choose good or evil is tied to your will. God is a God of self-control. God is true to His words. Self-control involves being true to your own words. Temperance is a decision that you live and abide by, and is based on how your Father thinks. If you cannot say anything good, do not say anything at all. Let your yeas be yea, and your nays be nay.”
Make a quality decision to “just say no” to the lusts of the enemy and make choices that honor God, whereby He will honor you.
~Dr. Henry Wright
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