Do you sometimes feel out of control with your emotions? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by fear, anger, or inordinate desire? Yeshua said “out of the heart come evil thoughts” (i.e., διαλογισμοὶ πονηροί, literally, evil “dialogs”) that result in bad feelings, wicked actions, and despair, and therefore we must understand the connection between how we think (and what we believe) and the emotional condition of our inner life. Have you ever heard the saying, “Hurt people hurt people?” The word for “evil” in Hebrew (i.e., ra’: רע) comes from a verb (רעע) that means to injure or harm others, though the word also connotes a despair of the heart that gives up and chooses to turn “hard” and difficult (קשה). Evil is also connected with cowardice, since the conscience (i.e., moral awareness) reveals judgment for sin, and therefore evil thinking leads to rationalizations, self-deception, and a running away from the truth about who we are…
The Scriptures say that a person without self-control (i.e., מעצר לרוּחוֹ, “rule over his spirit”) is like an ancient city without walls – vulnerable to attack and easily overcome by hostile forces (Prov. 25:28)… If you are impulsive or easily agitated, you are rendered defenseless before the enemy of your soul, and therefore it is essential to repair any breach within your heart and to become unified in your thinking and resolve. The Holy Spirit is called the “Comforter” (παράκλητος) because he imparts strength that fortifies the heart. Therefore the fruit of the Spirit (פרי הרוח) is “self-control” (ἐγκράτεια), a word that means “inner strength” (from εν-, “in” + κράτος, “power”) referring to mastery over one’s desires and passions.
A person without “inner limits” is easily overcome by evil. For example, a person who cannot control his anger cannot control what he says, and this reveals subjection to the lower nature. If a person says anything or everything that enters his mind, he is without boundaries, and there will be no door to close his lips… The same can be said of emotions that rise up with in the soul. Some strong emotions, of course, are appropriate to a some situations, but others are not, and without “taking every thought captive” by exercising self-control, we are liable to be brought into bondage to alien passions and obsessive thinking (2 Cor. 10:4). This is the source of addiction and self-destructive behavior in our lives. Being a “spirit without restraint” is to surrender yourself to dark forces that disregard the glory of your Creator.
Hebrew Lesson:
God has not given us the spirit of fear but of “power and love and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:7). The Greek word used to translate “self-control” means to be sane, disciplined, restrained from the oppression of inner urges and impulses, and so on. The root word (σῴζω) means to healed from the tyranny of darkness, to be rescued and delivered from evil…. If you find yourself losing your temper or getting fearful when considering the rumors and “news” of this evil world, understand the limitations of your understanding and ask God for the blessing of self-restraint. King David asked the Lord to create in him a new heart that was willing to say “yes” to God’s will, but we also need a new heart to say “no” to those impulses that seduce us to look away away from the truth. A double-minded person is “two-souled” (δίψυχος), living out the inner conflict of heart that has not decided what is most important.
“If there is no seed, there is no fruit;” and the type of seed always determines the type of fruit (1 Pet. 1:23; 1 John 3:9). We can sow to the flesh – and reap corruption – or we can sow to the Spirit – and reap life everlasting (Gal. 6:7-8). The formation of “Messiah-like character” is the result of discipline (παιδεία), a word that means to instruct or rear a child (παιδεύω) and is therefore connected with discipleship and education. Indeed, the Hebrew word for “discipline” is musar (מוסר), a term that refers to moral instruction and guidance, whereas the word for “education” is chinukh (חינוך), a term that shares the same root as the word “dedication” (i.e., chanukah: חנוכה). Unlike the Greek view that regards education as a pragmatic process of improving one’s personal power or happiness, the Hebrew idea implies dedication/direction to God and His concrete purposes on the earth. Disciples of Yeshua are therefore called talmidim (תלמידים), a word that comes from lamad (למד) meaning “to learn” (a Hebrew word for teacher is melamed (מלמד), a word that shares the same root). There can be no discipline apart from education…
In the New Testament we read, “For the moment all discipline (παιδεία) does not seem full of joy but of sorrow, but afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness (פרי הצדק) to those who have been exercised by it” (Heb. 12:11). The Greek word used for “exercised” is gumnadzo (γυμνάζω), often used to refer to training for competitive gymnastic events. Despite the analogy of training or “exercising” the physical body to comply with the directives of the spirit, however, it is important to remember that the life of God is a miracle that comes from God’s own source of Life. It is the fruit of the Spirit, after all, and not the result of human effort or moral reformation. See John 15:1-8. Our lives are sanctified in the manner in which they were initially justified: wholly by faith in the love and grace of God… Just as we are unable to “crucify ourselves,” so we are unable to produce fruit for God in ourselves. As Yeshua said, “Without me you can do nothing…” (John 15:5).
The Scriptures state twice: שרש למטה ועשה פרי למעלה / “Take root downward and bear fruit upward” (2 Kings 19:30; Isa. 37:31). As Yeshua said, “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it will produce abundant fruit (John 12:24). We pray we might surrender ourselves to the Lord fully, being immersed in His passion, “bearing fruit in every good work (ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ καρποφοροῦντες) and growing in da’at Adonai (ידיעת יהוה) – the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10). The “fruit of the righteous is a Tree of Life” lit., etz chayim (עץ חיים), “the Tree of lives” (Prov. 11:30). It is the fruit of Yeshua, the Righteous One, who bears fruits of healing for the lives of those who turn to Him in trust…
All of us have “hidden faults” of which we are not fully aware. Therefore king David prayed, “Who can discern his errors? cleanse me from secret faults” (Psalm 19:12). We are cleansed by confession, that is, by looking within our hearts to uncover deeper motivations… If we are honest with ourselves we may discover, for example, that we are angry or covetous people, despite how we otherwise wish to regard ourselves. If you find yourself unable to let something go, for instance, some pain or failure of the past, remind yourself that you must do so if you want to move on with your life. Focusing on how things could have been different is to be enslaved to the past. The goal of teshuvah (repentance) is to turn us back to God for life, but to do this, we must be be willing to let go of what makes us sick.
“Let the weak say I am strong.” The LORD “gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” (Isa. 40:29). Confess: “I can do all things through the Messiah who strengthens me,” not “some things,” or a “few things,” but ALL things (Phil. 4:13). Yeshua is the Source of all our strength. “May you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Eph. 3:16). Let’s remember to pray for one another and ask the LORD to help make each of us fruitful to the glory of our Heavenly Father (John 15:8). Amen.
Hebrew Lesson:
