Lose the Urge to Indulge....

....gain self-control.

Advertisers sell immediate gratification. Their job is to persuade you to be impulsive, to give in to temptation.

To make any positive change in your life requires you to delay momentary gratification and think with a long-term perspective-- to engage in the reality of your decisions. When you are tempted to succumb to an immediate pleasure, think about the impact of this one choice in your life.

Delaying gratification is a process that involves self-control, one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

The enemy of our souls wants to discourage us from ever thinking we could have a supernatural self-control. Satan even tested Jesus in the wilderness.

Jesus' defense against succumbing to immediate gratification was to quote Scripture to His enemy. The Living Word quoted the Word. This is your model for overcoming. (Arterburn, 2007)

A life without self-control produces delayed and often destructive consequences. It's the mentality that I can do pretty much whatever I want to do, whenever I want to do it....while maintaining the delusion that there will be no unintended consequences. What a disconnect from reality!

Now, we know all this, so why do we struggle so with self-control? Yes, I am talking to you....and to myself as well. It's just so much easier to spread the rumor, or eat one more cookie, or spend that cash, or whatever it is that trips you up.

Arterburn does provide some basic self-talk. He says:

Ask yourself questions like these:
*How will I feel immediately after I do this?
*How will I feel in thirty minutes?
*How will I feel about this tomorrow morning?
*Will I beat myself up over this choice?

All great questions....but even better, they reveal a powerful tactic when struggling with self-control-- think long term consequences while confronted with immediate gratification.