Self-Control

I’ve heard it said that you can never truly own something until you’ve had to fight for it. Maybe this was simply a lesson in not giving up, in believing in Him even when nothing makes sense, even when He seems to have turned a deaf ear to our cries.
Doughty, Becky (2011-07-01). Life Letters: The Fruit of the Spirit (Kindle Locations 1388-1390). BraveHearts Press. Kindle Edition.


Bang on the door until all of Heaven pleads with Him to do something about your noise. And focus on His face; that’s where the truth is. Don’t ever look away from His face.
Doughty, Becky (2011-07-01). Life Letters: The Fruit of the Spirit (Kindle Locations 1393-1394). BraveHearts Press. Kindle Edition.  

Luke 11:9-10

The Message (MSG)

 ⁹"Here's what I'm saying:

   Ask and you'll get;
   Seek and you'll find;
   Knock and the door will open.

 ^10-13"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing—you're at least decent to your own children. And don't you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?"

I've always thought of self-control as the ability to STOP yourself from doing something. But maybe that's not ALL it is.  Maybe it's also the ability to KEEP doing something, not quitting when it makes more sense to give up.

2 Timothy 1:7

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Gentleness from Life Letters

1 Peter 3:14-16

New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁴ But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. ¹⁵ Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. ¹⁶ But do this in a gentle and respectful way.^[a] Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.

I'm beginning to see why my subconscious has let me procrastinate on these last fruits. The further down the list we go, the harder they are to grow.

But I also see why the Holy Spirit has not let me walk away from this project. I can't tell you how many times I've thought about deleting this blog and just pretending like I never started.

Gentle, I am not. at. all. 

Lord, help.

Faithfulness from Life Letters

Have you ever felt that taut sickness inside, as if the bowstring of your heart is being pulled back, back, back? It is the testing of your faith, my sister. Fear. Worry. Doubt. Those things can consume you when the earth beneath you is shaking, when the world around you seems out of control, and you feel that there is no hope. But the God of the Israelites, the Lord of Heaven and earth, your Savior and mine, has promised to rescue us. Call out to Him, let Him cover you. Let Him release you. Stand firm in your faith on the Rock, your fortress and your deliverer, even amidst the chaos of the world.
Doughty, Becky (2011-07-01). Life Letters: The Fruit of the Spirit (Kindle Locations 1035-1039). BraveHearts Press. Kindle Edition. 


I've already admitted that I'm an impatient person.  


Here's why I struggle with fear, worry, and doubt.  

Psalm 27:13-14

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ¹³ Yet I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness 
      while I am here in the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait patiently for the LORD.
      Be brave and courageous.
      Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

Pretty sure that verse has my name written all over it. There's a reason Patience is listed before Faithfulness in the fruits of the Spirit.  

How can you trust someone you deem unworthy to wait for?

You can't. It's impossible to be faithful if you refuse to wait. 

This garden may take longer than I thought.

Goodness from Life Letters

Can I go KJV for a minute? Good begets good. See that didn't hurt, right? 

But, it's true.  

Maybe not right away, maybe not soon, maybe not even where we ourselves will ever see it. But, it's still true. 

Galatians 6:9

The Message (MSG)

 ^9-10So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

Do good. 


Not because they need it or deserve it.  Not for fame or glory.  


Just do good because His good is so much more than we deserve.

Kindness from Life Letters

To me, showing kindness always meant being "nice."  In my brain, nice = June Cleaver.

I'm not very good at being a "nice" girl; I'm not what most people would consider a "bad" girl, but probably would not be described as "nice" by those who know me best.  

And when I was "nice" it was because I had to be, because it was the "right thing", not from a desire to please God and definitely not for the other person's sake.  

My lack of kindness reaches beyond just rubbing someone the wrong way or handling a situation wrong.  

I HAVE to cultivate kindness for the other person's sake.  Their eternity is counting on it.

It is my prayer that I will someday be able to fill her shoes, that I will have eyes to see Jesus in the ones that He puts before me and that I will have the love in my heart to reach out to those around me with kindness.

Doughty, Becky (2011-07-01). Life Letters: The Fruit of the Spirit (Kindle Locations 718-720). BraveHearts Press. Kindle Edition. 

Micah 6:8

New Living Translation (NLT)

 ⁸ No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good,
      and this is what he requires of you:
   to do what is right, to love mercy,
      and to walk humbly with your God.

Patience from Life Letters

I'm probably one of the most impatient people on the planet. I am a problem solving, truth seeking, action-oriented woman. And to wait does not bode well with me. Especially when what I'm waiting for is clarity or an answer.  


I can't begin to count how many times I've said, "All we can do is pray," and immediately begin to pour every ounce of my energy into finding the answer instead of simply praying. Oh, I prayed alright, but it was as a tacked on addition to what I was doing to address the problem or situation. Prayer felt like hitting pause in the middle of an action scene of an epic film. 


Don't get me wrong; I prayed with expectation of God doing something. I just felt like I needed to be doing something, too.  


Can we say cocky? As if God needs my help! See, impatient.

All I can do is continue to cry out to the Lord in prayer, and in so doing, I find the strength to wait patiently. I believe that prayer is patience in action.

Doughty, Becky (2011-07-01). Life Letters: The Fruit of the Spirit (Kindle Locations 563-564). BraveHearts Press. Kindle Edition. 

The God who created us knows how hard it is to wait. I believe He gave us prayer so that we can stay busy while we endure long hours, days, months, years, without answers.

Doughty, Becky (2011-07-01). Life Letters: The Fruit of the Spirit (Kindle Locations 564-565). BraveHearts Press. Kindle Edition. 


Patience or prayer have never seemed like action before. Mostly because the two didn't go together in my mind.  


Prayer as patience in action, though, a girl can't get more busy than that.  

Micah 7:7

The Message (MSG)

 ⁷But me, I'm not giving up.
   I'm sticking around to see what God will do.
I'm waiting for God to make things right.
   I'm counting on God to listen to me.


MY HELP IS ON THE WAY!  HE WILL NOT DELAY!

Peace from Life Letters

I can’t guarantee that life will get easier--it probably won’t--but I promise you that if you choose Jesus, you will find the peace that He offers no matter what your circumstances.
Doughty, Becky (2011-07-01). Life Letters: The Fruit of the Spirit (Kindle Locations 463-464). BraveHearts Press. Kindle Edition. 

I've struggled for weeks to write this one little post.  I just couldn't put anything into words and honestly had nothing to say when it came to peace.  Yesterday, I realized it was because I had not been at peace.  How can you speak on something or write about something you yourself don't possess?  


But today I have peace.  Today, I know He has not forgotten me.  


Not because things are different, but because I am different.  


Brokenness, confession, submission, and obedience before our Holy God lead to Peace.  There is no other path to what only He can give.

John 16:33

The Message (MSG)

 ^31-33Jesus answered them, "Do you finally believe? In fact, you're about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I'm not abandoned. The Father is with me. I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world."