Running With Self-Control: Setting Your Mind on Things Above
Scripture Focus:
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things
above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on
things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden
with Christ in God.” — Colossians 3:1–3
Lift
Your Eyes
There is a call sounding from
heaven—a call for the people of God to lift their eyes higher. Too long have
many lingered in the dust, weighed down by earthly passions and distractions.
The Spirit says: “Since you have been raised with Christ, set your minds on
things above.” This is not a soft encouragement; it is a divine command. If
we truly belong to Christ, if we have indeed been raised with Him, then our
gaze cannot remain fixed on the ground when our Savior sits enthroned in glory.
Believers, this hour demands a
choice. Either we live as those risen with Christ, or we prove by our choices
that we still belong to the old life. The Word leaves no neutral ground.
Colossians 3 and Ephesians 5 echo with urgency, warning us of three sins that
bring God’s wrath: sexual immorality, impurity, and greed. These are not
mere weaknesses; they are chains from hell, snares of the flesh, and idols of
the heart. They are enemies of holiness, enemies of our eternal inheritance,
enemies of finishing the race well.
The
Three Enemies of the Soul
1.
Sexual Immorality
The first warning Paul raises is
against sexual immorality (porneia in Greek, covering every act of
sexual sin). God designed the gift of intimacy as holy, a reflection of His
covenant love. But when it is twisted outside His design, it becomes a gateway
for corruption and judgment.
The world has normalized
lust—plastered it on screens, sung about it in songs, and excused it in
culture. Yet the Word still thunders: “It is God’s will that you should be
sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality” (1 Thess. 4:3). No
believer walking in sexual sin can excuse it as weakness or harmless
indulgence. Scripture is clear: “The sexually immoral will not inherit the
kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9).
Every act of sexual immorality is a
betrayal against Christ who bought us. It defiles the temple of the Holy Spirit
(1 Cor. 6:18–20). It drains spiritual vitality, blunts prayer, and corrupts
fellowship. Many have lost their fire for God not because of persecution but
because of secret immorality gnawing at their souls.
2.
Impurity
Paul’s second warning is against impurity—a
broader word that includes every hidden compromise, every unclean thought,
every indulgence of darkness. It is not only the outward act but the inward
pollution of the heart. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). If purity opens the eyes of the soul to see
God, impurity blinds them.
This is where many stumble: thoughts
left unchecked, entertainment tolerated though it feeds the flesh, small
compromises excused because “everyone does it.” But impurity is no small
matter. It is like leaven that spreads silently through the dough until it
consumes the whole. Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “Among you there must not
be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity…” (Eph.
5:3). Not even a hint! For even the faintest trace clouds our vision of the
holy God.
3.
Greed (Idolatry)
Finally, Paul warns of greed—the
craving for more, whether of possessions, power, or pleasure. He calls it
plainly idolatry. Why? Because greed dethrones God and enthrones self.
It shifts the heart’s trust from Christ to the things of this world.
Jesus warned, “You cannot serve
both God and money” (Matt. 6:24). Greed is subtle; it wears a respectable
mask, cloaked in ambition, success, or security. But behind it lurks a false
god demanding worship. And every idol steals affection that belongs to Christ
alone.
The greedy man is never satisfied,
never content, always restless. Yet Paul declares: “Godliness with
contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). To be mastered by greed is to
confess that Christ is not enough. But to be free from greed is to declare: “The
Lord is my portion” (Lam. 3:24).
The
Wrath of God Is Coming
Both Colossians and Ephesians speak
with a sobering warning: “Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on
the disobedient” (Col. 3:6; Eph. 5:6). These words are not to unbelievers
alone—they were written to the church. We must not deceive ourselves: if we
claim Christ but persist in sexual immorality, impurity, or greed, we stand
under judgment.
Hear this, beloved: God is patient,
but His patience is not permission. Grace does not excuse sin; it empowers
holiness. If you continue in what He condemns, you harden your heart against
His Spirit. And Scripture is clear—no immoral, impure, or greedy person has any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God (Eph. 5:5).
A
Call to Higher Living
Yet into this sober warning comes
hope. Paul reminds us: “You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in
God” (Col. 3:3). What a mighty truth! The old life, bound by lust,
impurity, and greed, has been buried. The power of sin is broken. We are not
left struggling in our own strength; we are hidden in Christ.
“When Christ, who is your life,
appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:4). This is our destiny—not wrath but glory. Not
bondage but freedom. Not defeat but triumph. But to walk in that glory, we must
set our minds where Christ is, not where the flesh drags us.
Paul pleads with the Philippians: “Our
citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord
Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). That is where your true home is. That is where
your inheritance lies. Do not trade heavenly riches for earthly dust.
How
Do We Run With Self-Control?
- Renew your mind daily
with the Word (Rom. 12:2). Let Scripture wash away the world’s lies.
- Put to death the earthly nature (Col. 3:5). Do not entertain sin—crucify it. Starve
it. Cut it off.
- Walk in the Spirit
(Gal. 5:16). Only the Spirit empowers us to say “no” to ungodliness (Titus
2:12).
- Imitate Christ in love (Eph. 5:1–2). Let His sacrifice be the pattern for
your life.
- Fix your eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:2). The race cannot be run looking sideways;
our gaze must be upward.
- Practice radical contentment (Heb. 13:5). Declare with your life: “Christ is enough
for me.”
This is not legalism. It is not
striving in fleshly effort. It is surrender to the Spirit who works in us both
to will and to act according to His good purpose (Phil. 2:13).
What
Does God Expect of You Today?
That you stop flirting with sin and
start living as one who is risen with Christ. To cut off what drags you
down. To set your mind on eternity. To choose purity over lust,
holiness over compromise, generosity over greed. Heaven is watching, hell
is raging, and the Spirit is urging you onward. Do not linger in the valley
when you were made to climb the heights.
A
Prayer
Lord Jesus, lift my eyes from the
dust of this world to the glory of where You sit at the Father’s right hand.
Break every chain of lust, impurity, and greed that seeks to master me. Wash me
clean in Your blood, fill me with Your Spirit, and clothe me with Your
holiness. Let my mind dwell where You are, my heart beat for eternity, and my
life bear witness that I am Yours. Help me run with self-control, not stumbling
in sin but finishing well in Your strength. Amen.
Final
Whisper
“Your life is not buried in sin but
hidden in Christ—lift your eyes and live where He is.”
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