To have a disciplined life, you must have a disciplined mind. Jesus said Satan’s threefold purpose is to ‘steal, and to kill, and to destroy’ (John 10:10 KJV). And you forget it at your own peril! In your own strength, you’re no match for Satan, but God will give you strength to overcome His strategies and exercise self-control. And the Bible tells us how: ‘Set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.’ Note the words ‘set your minds and keep them set’. Many cars come with cruise control. When you reach the speed limit, you simply ‘set’ the car’s computer by pushing a lever or hitting a button and the car maintains that speed. It won’t go above it or drop beneath it. Similarly, when your mind is programmed with God’s Word, you ‘set’ your thoughts and desires on that which pleases God rather than that which satisfies the cravings of your lower nature. Self-discipline is the price of freedom. When you’re controlled by your impulses, you’re not free, you’re a slave. Even legitimate things can enslave you. The saying goes, ‘Too much of a good thing quickly becomes a bad thing!’ Paul writes: ‘Everything is permissible (allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful (good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things)…I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power’ (1 Corinthians 6:12 AMPC). So, the secret of self-control is to program your mind with God’s Word.
