A Spirit of Self-Control

Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. ~ Genesis 4:7

It’s been reported that in the third trimester of pregnancy not only do the symptoms of the first trimester come back, but they are intensified.  Yesterday was the day that it all seemed true for me.  I couldn’t find anything to calm my heartburn and everything, including drinking water, seemed to trigger it.  I was exhausted, having gotten very choppy sleep.  And emotionally, I was both drained but at the same time, charged.  Something happened at work that frustrated me.  I wisely, decided I would ignore the situation until another day, when I thought I would be calmer.  All the way home, I questioned my reaction to the situation: was I reacting to due to stress, due to lack of sleep, due to hormones, due to pride, or a combination?  In talking with my husband, he said it was just a test, saying that the end of the marathon is never easier than the beginning, but crossing the finish line in victory is so sweet.

This morning when I woke up, I realized that while physically, medically, my hormones may be coursing through my body, effecting my emotions, my thoughts, and my reactions.  Spiritually, I didn’t have to succumb to any of that.  God whispered His promises to me and those are the things I’ve chosen to stand firm upon: I have the mind of Christ; I was not given a spirit of fear, but one of Power, of Love, and of a Sound-Mind and Self-Control (1 Corinthians 2:16; 2 Timothy 1:7).  And because of that, I have the power to keep myself calm in the fact of temptation and of adversity.  I don’t have to let my emotions control me.  I have been given the tools and the power to overcome them.  Just because many have fallen prey to it doesn’t mean I have to anymore.

Thank you, Father, for this beautiful and amazing promise you have given to me today.

For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ~ 1 John 5:4