My Will and Me

Mark Dunagan
01/03/16 - Sunday Morning

My Will and Me

Most Christians and even many non-Christians desire the same thing---more willpower!  So what is willpower?  How do I develop more willpower?  The Bible does address this issue, for it often talks about the importance of self-control:

• Jesus said that the great commandment included loving God with all your “strength” (Mark 12:30).
• Paul said that the fruit of the Spirit includes “self control” (Galatians 5:23).
• Peter told us that “self-control” is a quality that must be added to our faith if we are going to succeed in the Christian life (2 Peter 1:5-6).
• The Book of Proverbs views the person who rules or controls their spirit as being a wise or godly person (Proverbs 16:32; 17:27).  By contrast the person who has no self-control is compared to a defenseless and vulnerable city.

Willpower is a Muscle

Willpower or self-control is just like any other positive character trait, the only way to increase it is to stretch our limits (Hebrews 5:12-14).  Like a muscle willpower equally follows the rule of ‘use it or lose it’.  Yet often we want more willpower and less challenges at the same time.  We want a stronger self-control and yet fewer opportunities to exercise it.   We want to train for the spiritual marathon by running fewer miles every day instead of more miles each day.  So the lesson is:  Self-control is like a muscle.  It gets tired from use, but regular exercise makes it stronger. 

The Example of Joseph

I often have thought that when Joseph resisted the immoral advances of Popithar’s wife that he was at the pinnacle of his willpower (Genesis 39:9).  Yet I don’t think such is true.  Joseph’s self-control at this time is amazing, but he would actually face even greater challenges while being in prison and especially when he was elevated to be second in command over the entire Egyptian Empire.  Added to this, then he was called upon to face his brothers and forgive them.  There were far more opportunities for Joseph to waste and abuse his power and influence when over the entire Egyptian Empire than when he was over Popithar’s house. 

See Your Future Clearly

The concept here is that inability to clearly see what our future can be often leads us into temptation, compromise, settling for low standards/goals and procrastination. The future I am talking about here is not the unknown things that no man can predict, but rather, the known results of either moving for God today or doing nothing.   The Bible admonishes us to clearly see where we are headed:

• “Keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1).
• “Would that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would discern their future” (Deuteronomy 32:29).

So Ponder Your Future

• How am I discounting my earthly future?  I need to ask myself what future rewards am I putting on sale each time that I give into temptation or procrastination?  What did I just sell in my future?
• Am I waiting for the future me to show up---the me that I want to be?  Or, I am doing what I need to do today to ensure that the future me is that future me that I really want to be?
• When you are tempted to sin, frame the temptation in the right words.  “I am being asked to sell my soul right now”.  “I am being asked to sell my future happiness for this one moment” (Hebrews 11:25).

“I Have Been Really Good Lately”

Often we are tempted to use our recent stretch of virtue as proof that we can be bad for a while or for a moment.

• Am I borrowing credit from tomorrow?  I am telling myself that I can make up for today’s bad behavior tomorrow?
• Do I discount a sin because at least I say to myself that I am not doing something even worse?
• I need to remember that being “good” never builds up a savings account that can be cashed out or redeemed for sinful behavior (Luke 17:7-10).

The Company That I Keep

• “My son, do not walk in the way with them, keep your feet from their path” (Proverbs 1:15).
• “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (Proverbs 13:20).
• “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).
• “Do not associate with a man given to anger; or go with a hot-tempered man, or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself” (Proverbs 22:24-25).

This last passage is one that some Christians and many non-Christians refuse to accept.  We just have this naïve idea that we can associate with people who have low standards or low goals and that we will in no way be affected. We want to think that “only weak-minded people” are influenced by the bad actions or attitudes of others, yet the Bible disagrees, you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself.  Even the world concedes that this is true.  Research in the area of willpower only confirms what the above Proverb is trying to teach us.  To a remarkable degree, our brains incorporate the goals, beliefs, and actions of other people into our decisions.  When we are with other people or simply thinking about them, they become one more “self” in our minds competing with our own self-control.  The opposite is also true.  Our own actions influence the actions of countless other people, and each choice we make for ourselves can serve as inspiration or temptation for others. 

• So, both willpower and temptation are contagious.  Ahab was influenced by Jezebel (1 Kings 21:25), by contrast Daniel’s three friends stood united for truth (Daniel 3).
• We are always mirroring or imitating someone.  Let’s make sure that it is Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:1).
• We are always catching things from other people, and I am not talking about a cold.  So strengthen your immune system.  Do not catch the willpower failures of other people.  Spend a few minutes each day thinking about your earthly and eternal goals.
• Take a good look at the people in your social circle.  Do they share your willpower goals or are they undermining your goals?
• Catch the right thing.  Walk with wise men.  Associate with spiritual people (Hebrews 10:24).   

The Ingredients of Willpower

Willpower or self-control is actually three powers:

• I will.
• I won’t.
• I want.

When it comes to temptation we are often wrong about what we want.  God actually wants to fulfill our true desires.  He has a plan for us when it comes to happiness, fulfillment, meaning, purpose, to be loved, to love and satisfaction.  The devil and others lie to us.  They will tell us that “you want this” or “you need this”, or “you cannot be happy without this”.  For example, Eve really didn’t want the forbidden fruit more than anything else, she exactly desired wanted what the fruit claimed to offer. 

• So be honest about what is being offered to you as a temptation.
• Test the promise of reward.  Is this really as rewarding as promised? 
• Honestly look at the track record of those who yielded.  Did the temptation deliver what it promised?  Did the person who yielded end up with the reward, or did they get a discounted consolation prize?
• When you yielded in the past, did it deliver?  Or were you disappointed?

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net