Living a disciplined life needs a disciplined mind. Jesus said Satan’s plan consists of three things: to ‘steal, and to kill, and to destroy’ (John 10:10 KJV). And we need to remember that. In our own strength, we’re no match for Satan, but God will give us strength to overcome His strategies and use our self-control. And the Bible tells us how we can do that: ‘Set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.’ Remember the words ‘set your minds and keep them set’. Many cars come with cruise control. When you reach the speed limit, you simply ‘set’ the car’s computer by pushing a lever or hitting a button and the car maintains that speed. It won’t go above it or drop beneath it. Similarly, when our minds are programmed with God’s Word, we ‘set’ our thoughts and desires on things that please God rather than things that satisfy the cravings of our ungodly natures. Self-discipline is the price of freedom. When we’re controlled by your impulses, we’re not free, we’re at the mercy of those feelings. Even legitimate things can trap us. As the old saying goes, ‘Too much of a good thing quickly becomes a bad thing!’ Paul wrote: ‘Everything is permissible (allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful (good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things)…I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power’ (1 Corinthians 6:12 AMPC). So, the secret of self-control is to program your mind with God’s Word.
