Simply Angie
In our last few letters, we’ve been looking at the deliberate steps the Apostle Peter lays out for us as we grow in our faith. We started with Faith as our foundation, and we added Virtue—the determination and courage to live out what we claim to believe. Last week, we added Knowledge—the importance of truly getting to know the heart, character, and mind of God through His Word so we can act according to His will rather than our own understanding. But Peter teaches us that there is still more needed - temperance. You can have all the desire in the world to do right, and you can know exactly what the Bible says, but if you cannot control your own impulses, you will still find yourself in bondage to sin and self will. That is why Peter’s very next step is so critical:
In the original Greek language, the word for temperance is egkrateia, which literally means “inner strength” or “holding oneself in.” Temperance is spiritual discipline and self-control. It is the protective boundary that keeps us safe from corruption and destruction. The Foundation of “God-Consciousness”Last week I told you about my beloved mother and what a blessing it was to me to have such a godly example and teacher in my life. That relationship was so treasured that it gave me joy to bring her joy. Because I understood her heart’s desire to please God, it helped me to temper my own behavior so that I could please her and please God, too. Intentionally or not, through her living example of her own deep faith, she cultivated something inside me from a very young age: a “God-consciousness.” My mom talked about God as a real, living, ever-present person in the room. He wasn’t a distant historical figure or a Sunday-only topic, or a God we’d meet someday; He was right there with us. He was always the reason we behaved in a particular way. It wasn’t just out of fear of His wrath (though that’s a reality to keep in mind), but more so a beloved Father Whom we obeyed out of love and gratitude for His goodness. As a practical matter, so many Christians struggle with self-control because it is easy to lose this awareness of His presence the moment we step outside the church doors. We talk about God on Sunday around other believers, but then we go to work, drive down the road, or get annoyed with a family member, and somehow we compartmentalize our faith. The truth is, when we lose that God-conscious mindset - the mind of Christ - it becomes incredibly easy to become intemperate. We lose our temper, we say something unkind, we indulge in a bit of selfishness, or we do things we shouldn’t simply because we think “nobody can see me.” We are unaware of His Presence. Perhaps this is one reason Paul repeatedly points believers toward "the mind of Christ." A God-conscious life naturally produces greater temperance than a self-conscious one. When our thoughts are consumed with ourselves, our desires, our rights, and our feelings, self-control becomes a constant struggle. But when our attention is fixed on Christ and pleasing Him, many temptations begin to lose their grip. But when we live with a true God-consciousness, the spiritual world becomes more real to us than the physical world. The desire to please Him gives us the actual ability to be temperate in all things. His presence becomes our boundary fence. As Paul wrote to Titus:
Spiritual Diets vs. Lasting TransformationWe have all probably gone on a short-term diet at some point. I know I have done it a million times! On pure human willpower, you can white-knuckle your way through healthy eating for a little while. But eventually, the strength of the flesh fails, and you go right back to old habits. It’s the long-term lifestyle change that gets us every time. The same principle is true in our spiritual lives. You can try to be “good” for a short time in your own strength, but you cannot maintain it over the long haul without a deep, abiding relationship with God. True temperance isn’t about legalistic willpower forced from the outside; it is a fruit that grows from the inside out because we are walking closely with Him.
Notice how beautifully the Scripture connects. Peter tells us to diligently add temperance, but Paul reminds us that the power to do so comes from the Holy Spirit. It is a daily partnership. When we know God intimately, we are given the wisdom to see past the immediate, short-term pleasure of an angry reaction, a sharp word, or a hidden compromise, and instead fix our eyes on eternity. True Freedom vs. The Broken Wall
Our modern Christian world completely misunderstands the definition of freedom. Culturally, “freedom” means having no rules, no boundaries, and doing whatever your flesh desires. But that kind of living doesn’t make a person free; it enslaves them to their own appetites. Paul laid down a powerful standard for Christian liberty when writing to the Corinthians:
True Christian freedom is not the liberty to sin; it is the miraculous freedom from being bound by the controlling power of our flesh, our tempers, and the temptations of Satan. Temperance means saying, “I have freedom in Christ, but I refuse to let anything carry chains over my life.” I wrote about this a bit more in depth a couple of years ago. Take a few minutes to read Cherishing Our Freedom. Solomon gives us a vivid, sobering word picture of what a believer looks like when they reject this discipline and live without self-control:
In ancient times, a city without walls was entirely defenseless. It had no boundaries to keep the enemy out or to protect the treasures within. A Christian without temperance is just like that broken city; wide open to being conquered by the very next temptation of the world, the flesh, or the devil. If walls protect a city from external enemies, wise boundaries often protect us from ourselves. The Buffer Zone: Keeping Far from the EdgeSpeaking of walls and fences, my mother taught me a vital principle about Christian liberty that has protected me since I was a teenager. She used to remind me that you don’t build a safety fence right at the very edge of a cliff. If the fence is on the absolute brink, all it takes is one stumble, one loose rock, or a momentary slip of the foot, and you are over the edge. Instead, a wise builder sets the fence back several feet from the drop-off. That way, if you do happen to slip or trip, (or climb over the fence!) you have a safety gap. You might get a bit dusty or sprain an ankle, but you haven’t destroyed your life or fallen into the abyss. As human beings wrapped in weak flesh, we inevitably face moments of temptation where we falter. If we draw our personal boundary line right at the exact border where temptation becomes sin, we are living dangerously. The current Christian culture seems to ask, “How far can I go before it becomes a sin?” But temperance doesn’t try to see how close it can dance to the edge of the fire without getting burned. Wisdom says, “I’m going to tighten my personal boundaries and pull that fence back a little closer, giving myself a spiritual safety net.” My mother applied this directly to my life when I was a young person. Here’s an example. The Scriptures are crystal clear about maintaining moral purity before marriage. But rather than letting the boundary line sit right at the final edge of physical intimacy, my mom pulled the fence way back. She would not allow me to be alone with boys in isolated places and warned me against compromising in smaller physical ways. She understood the power of the flesh and knew that if your fence is pulled back, a minor slip in judgment might mean a conversation to correct, but it won’t mean a ruined testimony, a wounded soul, or a devastating consequence. This isn’t about legalism; it’s about wisdom and protection. It is a crucial principle not just for our personal walk, but for parents trying to guard the hearts of their children. The devil never pauses his pursuit; he is actively seeking to destroy our testimonies, our families, and our usefulness for Jesus Christ. By intentionally setting our boundaries with room to spare, we don’t give the enemy a foothold. Temperance chooses to tighten the fence today so that we can stand securely in the grace and holiness of God tomorrow. Don’t allow the fear of being labelled a legalist deter you from wisdom and temperance. “The fear of man bringeth a snare…” Proverbs 29:25 For more thoughts on legalism, read Am I a Legalist? An Excellent Spirit: The Example of Daniel
Just this past week, I was teaching my primary students the story of young Daniel and his friends. They had been ripped out of Jerusalem and taken captive by the Babylonian Empire. The Babylonians tried to change absolutely everything about these young men: they changed their country, their language, their names, and they even tried to change their diet. But they could not change their faith. Daniel is a beautiful historical example of what a life of deep biblical temperance looks like. The Scripture tells us:
Daniel was just a young man when he made that stand, yet he possessed a quiet determination to do what was right, even if he had to stand completely alone. Later in the book, the scriptures note multiple times that Daniel possessed an “excellent spirit.” Because he trained his heart in temperance when no one from his homeland was watching, God used him to lead kings and empires. He lived out exactly what Paul later described using the ultimate metaphor of a disciplined athlete training for a race:
The Long-Term ChoiceSpiritual growth is an intentional, layered process. Faith takes root, virtue gives us the courage to step out, knowledge points us in the right direction, and temperance builds the strong, defensive walls around our character. Let’s trade the short-term, exhausting willpower of the flesh for a lifelong, beautiful “God-consciousness.” When we walk through our Tuesdays, our mundane daily tasks, and our workplaces with the quiet awareness that our loving Savior is always present, building those boundaries becomes a joy rather than a chore. Like young Daniel, may we purpose in our hearts to maintain an excellent spirit, choosing the eternal prize over momentary comfort. Love and blessings, P.S. Take a moment this week to consider whether there are any areas of your life where you need to strengthen a boundary before it becomes a battle. Daniel's story reminds us that great spiritual victories rarely begin in public. They usually begin with a quiet decision made in the heart when nobody is watching. Like Daniel, purpose in your heart today to honor God in the small things. Talk to you again soon. Can’t wait?
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