Self-will is based on insufficient data; on our feelings and desires, not on truth. When self-will prevails over God’s will for you, misery manifests.

A life, battered by self-will, is continually frustrated and stressed. The ravages of self-will reek havoc around the world, both in society and in the human psyche. Unrestrained self is devastating to individuals and to society. Unrestrained self-will isn’t freedom; it’s being continually chained to your own destructive tendencies.

Trying to impose self-will is exhausting. People won’t do everything you want them to (including you)! Ever since the Garden of Eden, humans have been stuck in self-will. Jesus came to free us form the tyrannical dominance of self.

Law and order tries to enforce the outward restraint of destructive self-will, but it can’t restrain self-will in the human heart. Politics can change laws, but the living Jesus can heal human hearts from the inside out. My hope is in Him.

The living Jesus wants to lead people to freedom, but guilt tries to condemn us and to keep us in our self-imposed misery. Self-will gets in the way & blocks us from dynamic intimacy with the living Jesus. Restraint of self, prepares the way for the living Jesus to have His way inside you.

Surrender to Jesus brings healing. People who are surrendered to the risen Jesus, don’t live like people who are given over to self-will. To be spiritually asleep in a self-focused haze, is a distorted way to live.

Goodness is a part of the fruit of the Spirit. Any goodness I have is from Christ working in me, not from my self-will. To “wait on the Lord” is to restrain from self-will — to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.”

Self-will quenches God’s Spirit. A restrained self allows the living Jesus to freely work inside you. The living Jesus wants you to surrender your self-will to Him, so that He can freely mold you from within. Without a Spirit-activated conscience, self-will is easily deceived & stubbornly holds to its opinions.

When God wakes up your conscience, it’s called the conviction of the Holy Spirit. If you allow Jesus to activate and control your conscience, you’ll find Him gently leading you to recovery, healing and mental health. When Christians deactivate their conscience, the Holy Spirit is quenched. When Jesus asks if you want Him to activate your conscience, click “allow.”

People with an activated conscience are essential heroes in any human society. Self-will dislikes an activated conscience because it brings God’s inner restraint to self’s desires, deceit, and pride.

Be true to the living Jesus. Your heart may deceive you, but you can trust Him! Restrain me, Lord, from thoughts, feelings, words, and actions that ignore Your will and continually try to enslave me.