LIVING UNDER CONTROL
Pastor Corey Mantz
Woodland Church
Sunday, August 31, 2025
(Proverbs 25:28, Message) “A person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out.”
“It is the great quality which comes to a man when Christ is in his heart, that quality which makes him able to live and to walk in the world, and yet to keep his garments unspotted from the world.” – William Barclay
(1 Corinthians 9:24-27, NLT) “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
1. Know your purpose
(1 John 2:15-16, NLT) “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.”
2. Live with focused effort
(Haggai 1:5, NIV) “Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.”
a. Pray
(Matthew 6:9-13, NIV) “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
b. Read the Bible
- Reveals God’s character
(Exodus 34:6-7, CEV) “I am the Lord God. I am merciful and very patient with my people. I show great love, and I can be trusted. I keep my promises to my people forever”
- Shows me how I should live
(2 Timothy 3:16, CEV) “Everything in the Scriptures is God’s Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live.”
- Teaches me how to trust God.
(Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
c. Be generous
(2 Corinthians 9:6-8, NLT) “A farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”
3. Manage your emotions
(Ecclesiastes 3:4, NLT) “A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.”
(Jeremiah 17:9, NLT) “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”
4. Depend on Christ’s power
(Galatians 5:16, CEV) “If you are guided by the Spirit, you won’t obey your selfish desires.”
Growthwork
- Journal
(Psalm 111:2, NLT) “How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.”
- Remember the cross
(Galatians 2:20, NLT) “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
- Ask the Holy Spirit for help
(Matthew 16:41, NLT) “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”