Self-Control: This Is War - June 12

Read 1 Peter 2:11

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

Reflect

What tempts you to sin? What steps are you taking or could you take to limit or eliminate this temptation from your life?

In today’s passage, the apostle Peter gave us a vivid picture of the “passions of the flesh”. He said that they “wage war against your soul”. The notes of my MacArthur Study Bible read: “In order to have an impact on the world for God, Christians must be disciplined in an inward and private way by avoiding the desires of a fallen nature…Fleshly lusts are personified as if they were an army of rebels or guerrillas who incessantly search out and try to destroy the Christian’s joy, peace, and usefulness.”

Now, when we read about the “passions of the flesh” we tend to think mostly of sexual temptations. But when we read Paul’s list in Galatians 5:19-21, we see that fleshly temptations encompass that and so much more. Paul wrote: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, division, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.”

Maybe your personal sin struggle isn’t explicitly listed either but you know that it is a temptation intended to destroy your joy, peace, or your usefulness for the Kingdom.

In Galatians 5:16-17, Paul also wrote: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things that you want to do.”

What temptations threaten to take you out of the game? Maybe it’s your phone. You have so many things you want to do but you waste time scrolling on social media. Besides sidelining you from meaningful spiritual growth opportunities, your joy is also getting stolen by comparison to others and constant drama. We all have different areas of personal temptation but one thing is true about all of our temptations—they are waging war against our souls.

It’s easy to dismiss our temptations and failures as little slip-ups with no real consequences. But today’s verse reminds us that temptation is not a little game, it’s spiritual warfare! So fight back against your temptations like you mean it so that you can abstain from the passions of the flesh. Take them seriously enough to eradicate temptations from your life as much as possible. Get the junk food out of your house. Get rid of all access to pornography and put filters and blockers on all of your devices. Set screen time limits on your phone. Delete the apps that tempt you the most. Ask a friend or loved one to help provide accountability. And most importantly pray and ask God to help you fight the battle—because this is war.

Respond

Lord, I confess that I’ve kept temptations around like pets. I’ve treated fleshly desires as a game instead of a war. I need Your strength to be able to fight the battle against my own flesh. By Your Spirit, give me the power to say no to that which seeks to destroy my soul. Amen.

Reveal

Demonstrating self-control over a temptation is powerful evidence of the Spirit’s work in your life. Consider how overcoming a temptation in your life could encourage and challenge other believers in your sphere of influence.