Egkrateia 1

James 4:1-3

In my early teen years I always wanted a job that allowed me to go through a door marked “Authorized Personnel Only.” What an intriguing sign! I wanted so much to be one of those special people who could go where others do not.

Over the years I have had several jobs that allowed me access to places where others were not permitted. You aren’t missing much.
Most people agree that nothing is more valuable or intriguing than those things that we cannot have. James addresses the problems of desiring what we do not have. What causes conflict? What do people do in an attempt to get what they do not have? According to James, why are we lacking? Why do we not receive?

The last aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. In the Greek it is egkrateia (pronounced en-KRAH-tay-ah) and means precisely what we might suspect. Egkrateia is the ability to be master over yourself, to put other’s needs before your own, to control your own desires, to discipline yourself to do what is right and thus resist temptation.

Living in step with the Spirit, exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit, means displaying all the aspects that we have seen, not just one or two. But I believe if we can exhibit all the fruit of the Spirit, then we will have self-control. And the reverse is true. If we have self-control we will be able to live out the fruit of the Spirit.

What causes pain and stress in your life? Perhaps desiring things that you do not have or should not have can cause stress. And if you go to God with your requests yet do not receive what you have asked for, could it be that the reason you have asked is selfish and not Godly?

If we are to be true Christians who are able to walk in step with the Holy Spirit of God, then we must have control over ourselves. We must be able to control our desires and wants. Our desires should be only for those things that we need to continue in serving God, not just those things that advance us socially or bring pleasure and satisfaction in selfish ways.

God is willing and anxious, I believe, to give us all good things. He does not want us to do without, to be deprived, to be lacking. But it all comes down to our motivation and how we will manage our resources. To exhibit the fruit of the Spirit we must exercise egkrateia over ourselves, controlling our desires and keeping our focus on the work of God.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What do you desire most? Are your desires for God’s kingdom or for selfish reasons?