Not Letting Self-Indulgence Weaken Life

In Summary of Proverbs 25:28 it says, "A Person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out or like a city whose walls for protection are broken down."

Bottom Line:
What protection is it for you if you lack any type of self control?  Lack of self-control is like being in a home with door and windows knocked out.  There isn’t much protection.

What this means for me:
God wants us to protect our boundaries and what can come in/out of our lives.  This requires that we exercise some form of self control over our indulgences.  Our world seems to be filled with the notions that we should live to satisfy our desires and to be open to discover ways to become self-fulfilled.   This is in contrast to what God’s word tells us.  God tells us this, because he knows like a house (or shelter) that has no doors or windows to provide protection, our lives can be seriously affected if we don’t have any control over what we allow to engage us.  Even the smallest weakness if left unchecked can lead to a serious downfall.  In my life I have great strengths, but I also have great weaknesses.  My strong strengths are not enough to always protect me.  It is my weaknesses that can and have lead to downfalls in the past.  Self centeredness or self-indulgence is the same form of lack of self-control scripture alludes to.    Self-control issues for me in the past have been with money, possessions, passions, emotions, how I spend your time and other forms of indulgence.  Any of these things that I left get out of control weaken me life and undermine the way I live for Him.  I cannot leave God out of the picture and get away with it, I will always reap the kind of crop I have been sowing.  When I sow to please my desires I in turn only seed things that will bring about spiritual decay in my life and weaken my effectiveness to be used by Him..  I have found that the best way to build discipline back into my life is to give all my weaknesses to Jesus, and then take the steps he tells me to take.  As such I will strive to turn over to Jesus things that I’m reminded about in my quiet time with him that I’m being indulgent in or with.  I need to continue to be cautious to not let my time with Him get crowded out by other demands in life and thus have the ability to reflect on how I’m managing the resources he has entrusted me with.   Thank You God for your protection that comes from having a relationship with you and following the truth you have laid out for me in your Word.