Who Is In Control?

  "Let not sin reign in your mortal body, " (Rom. 6:12). While the appetites of the body are not sinful in and of themselves, they can certainly take control and take us into sin. The desires of the body are God-given. There are certain necessities of life for which the body craves. Yet, if these things become the controlling factors of our life, we lose control and sin will reign.

  One fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23) is that of temperance. It simply means self-control. Some have the false concept that being temperate means that we are allowed to do a little bit of anything but not too much. This is not true. Doing wrong is always too much. We are never allowed to steal or commit adultery just a little. It is a lack of self-control to do some things at all. Even those things that are permissible and acceptable are to be done in moderation and not be overdone. This is temperance. This is self-control.