Willpower

Many people wake up every day with good intentions. Good intentions to eat right, to exercise, to devote more time to prayer, to read more books and to finish that project. Good intentions often fade with real life demands.

People plan to eat right until tempted with fast food. A burger or a taco look more appetizing than a salad. In a moment of weakness people give in.

Exercise is important until the alarm goes off or the afternoon comes after work. Suddenly the bed is too warm or the recliner looks more attractive than the running shoes or the gym shorts. If a person does not have self-control they will take the path of least resistance almost everytime. It takes willpower to put on the running shoes and pound the pavement braving the cold winds or stifling heat. It takes discipline to lift the weights and tone muscles when a person is already tired before the workout ever begins.

Everyday people have little conversations with themselves. They intend to do certain things that require self-restraint. When it gets down to following through on the commitment how many times do people talk themselves out of the very thing they intended to do. This is not discipline. This does not display self-retraint or willpower.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)
²²  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 

Did you notice that the Holy Spirit produces among other things SELF CONTROL. That means self mastery. What does it mean for a person to master themselves. It means they rule themselves. They put themselves in submission. They restrain self.

This is encouraging. It means that willpower is not totally dependent upon us. The Holy Spirit supernaturally produces willpower.

If we submit to the Holy Spirit's leadership in our lives He will empower us to get up when the alarm clock goes off early for devotions. He will provide the self-restraint when we sit down to eat and the self- control when it comes time to exercise. He will give the willpower to complete the assignment, to read the book and to master self.

Yes, we have to submit but willpower is not left for us to do on our own. We have help. Some of the most disciplined people have willpower because God instills it in them. Instead of trying harder maybe we all need to be surrendering more to the Holy Spirit. We could use that supernatural enabling to produce greater willpower.