“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”
(Proverbs 16:32)
Many today are into the cult of self-realization, but the Bible teaches self-surrender. In self-realization all of the answers are in you; but in self-surrender, all of the answers are in Jesus. In self-realization you are centered in you—there is a preoccupation with number one. Self may be dedicated, but it is dedicated to self. It may be religious, but it is a religious self. We are living in a generation of “self-aholics” consumed by themselves.
In 1 Samuel 24, the greatest victory that David won was not a victory over Saul. The great victory that David won was a victory over himself. David refused to take vengeance on Saul; he refused to do what he was able to do because he gained a great victory. He practiced what the New Testament says in Romans 12:21, “Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.”
• How are all Christians called to take victory over themselves?
• How is God calling you to pursue victory over self specifically right now?
Write down some practical ways you can have victory over yourself as a means of submitting to Christ. Take steps to put at least one of these practices into action today.