A Broken City
Today’s Verse:
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. ~Proverbs 25:28
Imagine that description: “a city that is broken down, and without walls.” It is a city that is defenseless, vulnerable to pillaging, and has been overcome by a foe. The greatest foe to conquer is the foe of self. Our devotion this morning is centered on the person who lacks control over his emotions and spirit.
There is the description.
A man who cannot rule his spirit is someone who cannot control his anger and is often given to fits of angry outbursts. He is someone who blows a fuse very quickly and accompanies this outburst with words that are critical, harsh, nasty, and possibly abusive. He can also be someone who gets easily discouraged over little things and quickly withdraws from other people. A man who is unable to rule over his spirit is unpredictable and someone who should be avoided.
There is the danger.
He is further described as being like a city that has been overthrown and is without walls. He is defenseless. He is ran over by his emotional outbursts. He is unwilling to contain himself, and his fits of rage lead him to do irrational things. The little things set him off. He is a danger to others and to himself. A city without walls is a city that is easily open to attack from outside forces. This man has hurt his family and friendships, and he is marked as a volatile personality. At the very extreme, he is someone prone to even hurting or killing another person.
There is the deliverance.
This man can be delivered from this terrible power, but it requires submission and humility. He must confess and repent of this sin. He must seek counsel and help in curtailing his unruliness. Much of his deliverance will center on realizing that he must die to self and crucify the pride within him. His pride is one of the elements fueling his outbursts. His pride is constantly telling him that others are wrong and that he is right. He needs to give up any vices that he has succumbed to, such as alcohol, and realize that those elements are contributing to making him worse. He must submit to the Lordship of Christ for complete victory.
There is the discipline.
His spirit must learn to be disciplined. Parents must realize that outbursts or angry reactions from their babies and children need to be disciplined early in life. Such outbursts in children should not be tolerated but immediately dealt with. This discipline includes removing oneself from people who have an angry spirit. “Make no friendship with an angry man.” Avoid confrontational situations that could lead to an angry outburst. Realize that angry outbursts are not solutions but poor, fleshly reactions. Learn to walk in the Spirit so that the lust of the flesh is not fulfilled.
Is your spirit under control? Is anger, rage, lust, or discouragement something that you are easily prone to? Have you succumbed to the place where your spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls? Come to the Lord today, and confess it to Him. Obtain assistance as soon as possible to discipline your spirit and have God’s deliverance. Then, watch as the joy of the Lord is restored once again in your life.
Have a Spirit-controlled God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Joshua 16-18
Comments