The Christian "Mean Streak" in Self-Control"

"There is a mean streak to authentic self-control... Self control is not for the timid. When we want to grow in it, not only do we nurture an exuberance for Jesus christ, we also demand of ourselves a hatred of sin... The only possible attitude toward out-of-control desire is a declaration of all-out war... There is something about war that sharpens the senses... You hear a twig snap or the rustling of leaves and you are in attack mode. Someone coughs and you are ready to pull the trigger. Even after days of little or no sleep, war keeps us vigilant." -Ed Welch

This isn't violence against other people. It's violence against all impulses in our selves that make peace with our own sin and settle in with a peacetime mentality. I'm thankful this morning for all my brothers that keep me sharp in my battle with temptation. Iron sharpens iron!