Silas
Beloved of All
Your honest cry for self control and spiritual strength is a good and biblical prayer, and God hears it. The desire to stand strong under pressure at work and to honor Him with your responses is exactly the place where He wants to meet you.
Self control is not something we produce by trying harder or by finding a better formula for self improvement. The Christian life is a path of denying the self governed life and bringing it to the cross. Scripture teaches that our old nature was crucified with Christ so that sin would no longer rule over us and we could be ruled by the Holy Spirit. As long as we are asking how can I change myself or how can I be a better me, we remain focused on our own effort. The Apostle Paul came to that same end in Romans chapter 7 when he cried out, Who will deliver me. He stopped looking for another self help answer and called for help outside himself. The answer is Jesus Christ. Victory comes when we come to the end of ourselves and yield control to Him.
That yielding is not a one time event but a daily reckoning. There is a real warfare inside us. The flesh wants to stay in control and the Spirit wants to lead. That warfare is largely for the control of your mind. God wants to control your mind and life for your good, and the enemy wants to control it through pressure, stress, deceit and provocation. When the flesh dominates our thinking it produces death, anxiety and reaction. When the Spirit dominates our thinking it produces life and peace. Learning to have the mind of the Spirit means choosing to set your mind on spiritual things, on your relationship with God and His work in your heart, and asking Him to bring your bodily appetites and reactions under His control.
It is also important to remember that God is in control of the circumstances that surround your life. Nothing happens to you unless He allows it, and He allows it for a purpose. That does not mean He causes evil, but He is reigning and He is able to work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Your schedule, your hours, the stress you feel, none of it is out of His sight. He knows what is happening and He is working His good purpose even through difficulty. You can trust Him with what you cannot control, rather than trying to control Him as if He were obligated to do what you demand. He is not your servant. He is your Father who loves you and acts out of grace.
Because of that, I want to gently redirect how you are praying about the people who oppose you. Scripture says our struggle is not against flesh and blood, and Jesus calls us to love and pray for those who mistreat us, not to ask God to scatter, confuse or destroy them or to remove a specific person from a position. God sees injustice and He will bring justice in His perfect way and time. Your part is to place the situation in His hands, to pray for His will to be done, and even to pray for the good of that coworker, that God would work in her heart as He is working in yours. Asking God to remove or harm another person puts you in the place of seeking control over others, which belongs to Him alone.
So pray instead for what God promises to give. Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit so that His fruit of self control, patience and peace is evident when you feel provoked. Ask Him for wisdom about your schedule and hours, for strength to do your work faithfully, for grace to respond rather than react, and for a mind kept in peace because it is stayed on Him. When you feel the flare of anger or stress rising, pause and acknowledge you have no control in yourself, and ask Him again to take control.
Let me pray for you in that direction.
Father, in the name of Jesus, I bring this dear one before You. You see the pressure and stress at work and the battle for peace of mind. I ask that You would give a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit and produce in this life the self control and spiritual strength that only You can give. Help to reckon the old self as crucified with Christ and to walk now led by Your Spirit. Give wisdom regarding the schedule and hours, and provide what is needed to work faithfully and to rest well. Guard the mind and heart, and let Your peace rule there. Work Your good purpose through these circumstances, and help to love those who cause difficulty, trusting You with all justice and mercy. Show Your grace and power in this workplace, and make this life a witness of Your transforming work. Amen.
Self control is not something we produce by trying harder or by finding a better formula for self improvement. The Christian life is a path of denying the self governed life and bringing it to the cross. Scripture teaches that our old nature was crucified with Christ so that sin would no longer rule over us and we could be ruled by the Holy Spirit. As long as we are asking how can I change myself or how can I be a better me, we remain focused on our own effort. The Apostle Paul came to that same end in Romans chapter 7 when he cried out, Who will deliver me. He stopped looking for another self help answer and called for help outside himself. The answer is Jesus Christ. Victory comes when we come to the end of ourselves and yield control to Him.
That yielding is not a one time event but a daily reckoning. There is a real warfare inside us. The flesh wants to stay in control and the Spirit wants to lead. That warfare is largely for the control of your mind. God wants to control your mind and life for your good, and the enemy wants to control it through pressure, stress, deceit and provocation. When the flesh dominates our thinking it produces death, anxiety and reaction. When the Spirit dominates our thinking it produces life and peace. Learning to have the mind of the Spirit means choosing to set your mind on spiritual things, on your relationship with God and His work in your heart, and asking Him to bring your bodily appetites and reactions under His control.
It is also important to remember that God is in control of the circumstances that surround your life. Nothing happens to you unless He allows it, and He allows it for a purpose. That does not mean He causes evil, but He is reigning and He is able to work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Your schedule, your hours, the stress you feel, none of it is out of His sight. He knows what is happening and He is working His good purpose even through difficulty. You can trust Him with what you cannot control, rather than trying to control Him as if He were obligated to do what you demand. He is not your servant. He is your Father who loves you and acts out of grace.
Because of that, I want to gently redirect how you are praying about the people who oppose you. Scripture says our struggle is not against flesh and blood, and Jesus calls us to love and pray for those who mistreat us, not to ask God to scatter, confuse or destroy them or to remove a specific person from a position. God sees injustice and He will bring justice in His perfect way and time. Your part is to place the situation in His hands, to pray for His will to be done, and even to pray for the good of that coworker, that God would work in her heart as He is working in yours. Asking God to remove or harm another person puts you in the place of seeking control over others, which belongs to Him alone.
So pray instead for what God promises to give. Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit so that His fruit of self control, patience and peace is evident when you feel provoked. Ask Him for wisdom about your schedule and hours, for strength to do your work faithfully, for grace to respond rather than react, and for a mind kept in peace because it is stayed on Him. When you feel the flare of anger or stress rising, pause and acknowledge you have no control in yourself, and ask Him again to take control.
Let me pray for you in that direction.
Father, in the name of Jesus, I bring this dear one before You. You see the pressure and stress at work and the battle for peace of mind. I ask that You would give a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit and produce in this life the self control and spiritual strength that only You can give. Help to reckon the old self as crucified with Christ and to walk now led by Your Spirit. Give wisdom regarding the schedule and hours, and provide what is needed to work faithfully and to rest well. Guard the mind and heart, and let Your peace rule there. Work Your good purpose through these circumstances, and help to love those who cause difficulty, trusting You with all justice and mercy. Show Your grace and power in this workplace, and make this life a witness of Your transforming work. Amen.
