Lesson 45: The Blessings of Personal Discipline – Part 1

INTRODUCTION: The Africans have a proverb: “Once God has revealed our enemy to us, he should not be able to kill us again”. In order to save ourselves from falling into suitable temptations which surround us, we need to be aware of our “enemy”, and we need to know the blessings in personal discipline, which coupled with grace of Jesus Christ, will make us overcomers all the time.

1. There is a long list of temptations that Satan can use as a bait to fish us out of the Kingdom of God into hell. These include avarice (miserliness), bitterness, covetousness, disobedience, disregard of others, excessiveness, gluttony, gossip, greed, hypocrisy, immorality, impatience, improvidence (lack of care for the future), jealousy, laziness, love of money, pleasure-seeking, pride, selfishness, slander, slovenliness, strong-drinking, stubbornness, uncontrolled habits, unwise speech and worldly worship:
Eccl. 5:10, Mal.3:8-12, James 5:3, Ephe. 4:31, Heb.12:15, James 3:14, Exod.20:17, Micah 2:2, Mal. 3:8-12, I Sam. 12:15, Eph. 5:6, Ezek. 34:18-19, I Cor. 6:10, Romans 12:3-8, Luke 12:19, Luke 16:19, II Thess 1:8, Isa. 5:8, Exod. 34:20-21, Amos 6:4-7, Luke 21:34, Prov. 11:13, Prov. 11:13, Prov. 26:20, II Thess. 3:11, I Tim. 5:13, I Sam. 30:21-24, Prov. 15:27, Luke 12:15, Prov. 26:20, II Pet. 2:14, Matt.6:16, I Tim. 3:8, Titus 1:7, Rom. 13:13, Col. 3:5, Heb. 12:16, Isa. 47:8-15, Heb. 12:5, Prov. 12:27, Luke 15:13; Gen. 37:4, I Tim. 3:3, II Tim. 3:10, Matt. 20:12, Luke 15:28, Rom. 13:13, Prov. 21:17, Luke 8:14, I Tm. 3:11, I Pet. 2:13, Prov. 16:18, Dan. 4:30, Luke 18:11, I John 2:16, Matt.25:43, Mark 10:37, Luke 10:31-32, James 3:13-16, Exod. 20:16, Lev. 19:16, I Cor. 6:10, Eph. 4:31, Rev. 21:8, Rom. 14:8, I Cor. 14:40, I Pet. 4:11, Prov. 20:1, Isa. 5:11, Isa. 56:12, I Cor. 13:11, Phil. 4:8, I Tim. 5:13, James 1:26, James 1: 26, James 4:1-12, I Pet. 3:10, Exod. 32:1-12, Deut. 11:16, Isa. 42:8, I Cor. 14:40, I Cor. 14:40, I John 5:21.

The list is a long one, but almost all Christians have to face it and subdue it if he is to reach his goal. Personal discipline is vital to the conquest of these personal enemies even as Christ gives the grace and the strength. In the next study we shall consider other reasons why we need personal discipline.