"The eye is the light of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness." (Matt. 6:22-23)

Galatians chapter five tells us that one of the nine fruits of the spirit is self-control. I am doing a short series discussing things that God has given us the ability to control. Here is another one.

You can have self-control of what you look at

Even though it’s not possible to avoid all the visual evil that is in the world, it's all around us, you can avoid much of it in many respects, by choosing what you look at, including things like TV, movies, the Internet, video games, books and magazines. It's about making wise viewing choices.

Make a conscious decision to NOT allow yourself to look at evil things

“I will set no worthless thing before my eyes.” (Psalm 101:3)

You can and should make a “what I will not look at” commitment

"I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?” (Job 31:1 NASB)

There’s a connection between the eye and the heart

“But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt 5:28)

Ask God to help you have the eyes of your heart enlightened

“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.”  (Eph. 1:16-21)

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” (Psalm 119:18)

"The eyes are the gateway to the soul." - Herman Melville

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting -- a wayside sacrament.  Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.” (James 1:19 NASB)

Galatians chapter five tells us that one of the nine fruits of the spirit is self-control. I am doing a short series discussing things that God has given us the ability to control. Here is another one.

You can have self-control of how you respond to others, i.e. what you do or say in reaction to something that has been said, has happened or has been done.

"But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.” (Luke 6:27-29 NASB)

“I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” (1 Cor. 9:27)

Galatians chapter five tells us that one of the nine fruits of the spirit is self-control. I am doing a short series discussing things that God has given us the ability to control. Here is another one.

You can have self-control of your body. i.e. your physical fitness - healthy, fat, thin, weak, strong.

God gives each of us a body and He says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor. 6:19)

Of course, we do have a moral obligation to keep our bodies from committing sin. We should also be concerned with its health.

Take good care of your body

The verse at the top says, “I take care of my body and make it my slave.” This means you control your body, you do not become a slave to it. You can’t keep yourself from getting older. But, you can, however, do something about being healthy and strong, no matter what age you are.

My confession

I let myself get out of shape until I was beginning to have severe health issues because of it. My desk job kept me sitting for too long, and I did not exercise or eat wisely. So, I was seriously overweight, and pre-diabetic, as well as other issues I'm not going to bore you with.

What I did

First, I did a personal evaluation based on my doctor’s tests, and came up with a plan. I decided not to do anything knee-jerk, like crash diets, or bouts at the gym, because they wouldn't be sustainable over a long period of time. Instead, I would have a doable lifestyle change. I realized that I hadn't gotten into my problem overnight and wouldn't get out of it overnight.

My 3-phase plan started a year and a half ago

Phase one

I set a timer to go off every hour. When it did, I got up from my desk and walked around the block. Just doing that amount was more than I was used to. I did that for weeks and eventually it grew into a routine and got easy.

I cut back on how much I was eating. I didn't change what I was eating at first, just reduced the amount I put onto my plate and I took longer eating; chewed slower and paused between bites.

I started drinking more water. I discovered if I drank a large glass of water with my meals, it filled up “the empty spot” I was used to putting food into. So, I felt as full as before with less food.

It paid off, I started to slowly lose some weight!

Phase two

I started counting my steps and mileage. I got a smart watch, and with help from my son, Mark, programmed it with some goals. Now my watch started reminding me to get up, to move around, and to walk. I discovered that there are about 2,000 steps in one of my typical miles, so I began by walking two miles a day. That seemed challenging for me at first and I had to work to reach it. It meant walking more than my usual walk around the block. But, I did it. Oh, and I upped my pace a bit. I started walking like I was late for something.

I started to eat healthier. I was now starting to feel better and so I cut back on sweets, between meal snacks, and I added more fruit and vegetables to my diet. The healthier my diet was, the less I missed the junk food.

Phase three

I began increasing the amount of steps I was walking per day. I found it easier and easier to walk more miles per day and kept feeling better as I did. I found myself walking three miles a day easily, and then four, and then five and then eight! I was surprised that I could now do it so easily.

I started to run. It kind of came on gradually. As I was walking one day, I just felt like running a bit, so I did. I would walk normally until I came to a street and then I'd run across the street. Then I found I could easily run around the block. It was amazing to realize that I could barely walk around that same block a few months earlier, and now I can easily run around it!

The results

• Lost 56 lbs - Weight went from 225 to 169

• Waist size, from 38” to 33” – lost 5 inches from waist.

• No longer pre-diabetic – blood work now normal.

• I feel great and have amazing energy that still surprises me.

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” (Col. 3:2)

Galatians chapter five tells us that one of the nine fruits of the spirit is self-control. I am doing a short series discussing things that God has given us the ability to control. Here is another one.

You can have self-control of what you think about, i.e. your mind's mental fitness - what you think about, ponder, consider, meditate, contemplate, deliberate, and/or set your mind upon.

What you think about is at the heart of who you actually are and the Bible says it clearly in the following verse.

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Prov. 23:7)

Be careful what you let your mind think about

" For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-23)

You can renew your mind

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  (Rom. 12:2)

Capture every thought and prepare your mind

“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5)

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. 1:13)

Dwell on excellent things

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (Phil. 4:8)

“A man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.” - James Allen, As a Man Thinketh

“Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.” (Psalm 4:4)

Galatians chapter five tells us that one of the nine fruits of the spirit is self-control. I am doing a short series discussing things that God has given us the ability to control. Here is another one.

Self-control of your self-talk, i.e. what you say to and about yourself

We alltalk-to and think-to ourselves. It's what we call self-talk. There are different kinds of self-talk; some are positive and some are negative. Here are some of them.

Foolish self-talk

“And I'll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’ But God said to him, 'You fool!'” (Luke 22-19)

“The fool says within his heart, ‘there is no God.’” (Psalm 14-1)

“The wicked man says to himself, ‘God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.’” (Psalm 10:11)

Negative self-talk

It may surprise you how often you criticize yourself. The problem is that a lot of us are like Job, who says, "Everything I say seems to condemn me;" (Job 9:20). If you are typical to the human race, you are your own worst critic.

How do you eliminate negative self-talk so you can become a more confident person?

Learn to recognize your inner negative voice and replace it with encouraging uplifting statements from God's Word.

The Bible teaches the principle of replacement. "Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right … Think about all you can thank God for and be glad about." (Phil. 4:8 TLB)

Positive self-talk

The Bible in Matthew tells of a woman who was very ill and reveals her positive self-talk when she says "If I can but only touch his coat, I will get well." (Matt.  9:21). Of course, this boosted her faith and she was healed!

Saying to yourself, “I can do all things through Christ Jesus which strengthens me” (Phil 4:13), is a positive and constructive example of self-talk.

“Your most important talk is your self-talk.” -  Zig Ziglar

 “Your ability to use the principle of autosuggestion will depend, very largely, upon your capacity to concentrate upon a given desire until that desire becomes a burning obsession.” - Napoleon Hill

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32)

Galatians chapter five tells us that one of the nine fruits of the spirit is self-control. I am doing a short series discussing things that God has given us the ability to control. Here is another one.

Self Control of Your behavior, i.e. the way in which you act or conduct yourself, especially toward others.

Here’s a great way to behave

Eph. 4:32, says that we should be kind to one another, to be tenderhearted, and to forgive others in the same way Christ forgave you.

Thegolden rule of behavior

“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” (Luke 6:31)

And, here’s a final word on behavior

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” (2 Peter 3:8-9)

“When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less.”- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Phil. 2:5-8)

Self-control of your attitude, i.e. the way you think and feel about someone or something.

God did not create us to be robots but instead gave us self-control. “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (2 Tim. 1:7).  Galatians chapter five tells us that one of the nine fruits of the spirit is self-control. Over the next few days, I will discuss a number of things that God gave us the ability to control.

Thomas Jefferson said, “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”

Bible Instructions about attitude

“Makemy joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2:2-8)

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” - Zig Ziglar

“Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.” - Albert Einstein

“Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” (Phil. 2:4)

This is a simple formula for happiness

Helping others does a number of positive things for you. There are two immediate benefits from helpingothers. First, you feel good because you are helping others, and secondly, others feel good because they are getting help from you. It's a win-win situation.

Many other benefits

Studies show that when people get involved in helping others, the mesolimbic system, which is the portion of the brain responsible for feelings of reward, is triggered. The brain releases feel-good chemicals and spurs you to perform more kind acts — something psychologists call “helper’s high.”

In a study by United Health Group, 78 percent of people who volunteered to help others over a 12-month period said they felt that their helping activities lowered their stress levels. They were more calm and peaceful than people who didn’t help others.

Kindness is contagious, according to a study by researchers at University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Cambridge and University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom. “When we see someone else help another person it gives us a good feeling,” the study states, “which in turn causes us to go out and do something altruistic ourselves.”

But the main reason we should help others is because God told us to.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” ( Gal. 6:2)

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil. 2:4)

When you help others you are helping Jesus!

“'For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matt. 25:35-40)

“In the day of my trouble I will call upon you: for you will answer me.” (Psalm 86:7)

Everyone is visited by trouble from time to time, it's just a part of life. A lot of promises in the Word of God give us great assurance about turning to God during times of trouble.

Help in the time of trouble

“For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.” (Psalm 27:5)

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

“The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” (Psalm 9:9)