We were going to continue our discussion of Peter’s letter. We were going to talk about the freedom given by the blood of the lamb. That freedom is defined by God. But some just get it backwards, where we try to define freedom and then try to push that on God. But instead I feel that we need to revisit starting at to dig a little deeper and the idea of being “self-controlled”.
We look forward to where Peter uses the same self-controlled declaration. Peter is talking about the coming return of the Lord. Here he talks about being alert and sober minded. The sober minded being spoken here is the same as being self-controlled. Being alert here is being aware of the things around us, and how God’s word relates to events happening. Using sober mindedness and self-control is allowing God to direct us through his spirit and his truth.
We can see the same sentiment in and . We actually see the world abandoning the teaching of Titus. Young men today are being trained to not have an attention span more than 10 minutes. Young men should be self-controlled and have the ability to concentrate on the things around them.
In we see that self-discipline (along with power and love) comes from Holy Spirit. And absent of the spirit, we would live in fear. And once we allow fear to invade, we become unaware of how deep fear will be planted. That every situation is then controlled by fear. But fear is powerful, and we can learn from fear without letting it control us. Questions like, “Why am I afraid?”
The attacks are real. In we see that our minds and hearts are a battlefield. The situations may change in the physical world, but it is how we react internally that is the battlefield. Fear is a stronghold. Not something that can be tossed out carelessly. That we use divine power to demolish, or dismantle, those strongholds.
So how do we dismantle these strongholds? We hold up the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive. That when a though comes in that tells us to be afraid, it is captured and then made obedient to the power of Christ.
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (ESV)
7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. (ESV)
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (ESV)
6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. (ESV)
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (ESV)
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, (ESV)