Need a Time Out?

Self–restraint
Function:noun
Text: 1 the power to control one's actions, impulses, or emotions<she demonstrated a near-unnatural self-restraint during the fight>
2 the checking of one's true feelings and impulses when dealing with others<we must practice self-restraint even with people who are deliberately rude>--

Self-restraint is something that people in this world don’t always exhibit or show in great quantities. In fact, the opposite is often the case. We see excessive, extravagant, immoderate, indiscriminate, lawless, loose, rampant, riotous, unbridled, unchecked, uncontrolled, uninhibited, wanton and wild behavior from one end of the globe to the next in one form or another.

2 Timothy 3:2-4
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God

One thing we know about our Heavenly Father is that She is a Father of order and has great restraint. In turn, She expects the same from Her children. The opposite can be said of Her enemy Satan, for he wants a world where anything goes and there are no restraints or laws. But we know that his time is short and the time of our Lord and Savior’s Kingdom is drawing near.

2 Thessalonians 2
The Man of Lawlessness
1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him: we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be easily upset in mind or troubled, either by a spirit or by a message or by a letter as if from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has come. 3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way. For [that day] will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.

Matthew 13:41
The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom everything that causes sin and those guilty of lawlessness.

Lawless, unrestrained, wild behavior will not be allowed in the Kingdom. Without laws and restraint you have no order, no control, no safety, no peace. But we are assured by our Father who keeps Her word that there will be a time of peace.

Leviticus 26:6
I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down with nothing to frighten [you]. I will remove dangerous animals from the land, and no sword will pass through your land.

One thing I have personally noticed about self-restraint is the more you exercise, the more you have. This can be applied to parenting our children, being a courteous driver, remaining debt free… but rather than focusing on individual areas I would rather reflect on bringing glory to our God Yahweh. For me, that means using restraint in every area of my life. Now, I’m not saying this is necessarily easy for me, but it is certainly necessary. Also, I am far from perfect in this. But I know in my heart that in order to be in union with Father and Christ I must master this. This means listening to Father speaking to my heart more and making clear choices about how I act and react in any given circumstance.

Proverbs 17:27
The intelligent person restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a man of understanding.

2 Peter 1:6
knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness,

And finally…our Father's perfect example of how She exhibits restraint.

Isaiah 48:9
I will delay My anger for the honor of My name, and I will restrain Myself for your benefit and [for] My praise, so that you will not be destroyed.

When faced with a situation where we feel we are losing control, sometimes the best thing to do is give ourselves a time-out. Emotions and impulses can be very strong, but if you cannot exercise self-restraint then the next best thing is to close your mouth and simply walk away for a while. It is far more difficult to undo what you have done than to simply come back to it in a better frame of mind.

May Father's peace fill you this week.
Amen.