Rooted: Self-Control
Rooted
SELF-CONTROL
Pastor Hope Flask
July 19, 2026
Main Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 10:1-6
Additional Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 16:14, Romans 12:2, 5, 13:8, John 3:16-17, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, 1 John 4:10
POINTS:
Maladaptive coping = when we fail to address the root problem and instead create long-term harm.
Self-control = the ability to restrain one’s desires, impulses, and emotions, aligning them with God’s will.
The self-control of the Spirit does not rely upon willpower; instead, He deals with our desires, impulses, and emotions so that the outworking of those desires, impulses, and emotions aligns with His will.
The world defines self-control as self-reliance, equating it to sheer human willpower, restraint, and grit to achieve personal goals.
False narratives = the stories we tell ourselves about why something has happened. Our false narratives on repeat cause bitterness.
Bitterness = unforgiveness left unaddressed.
A mental courtroom is where we place our performance and the performance of others on trial. It is a self-imposed prison where shame and bitterness constantly torture us.
When we listen to false narratives, we are the defendants, and shame is torturing us.
When unforgiveness takes the stand, we are the prosecutors, and bitterness begins to torture us.
Once you are in the mental courtroom, you will bring all of your relationships in there with you.
During the day, our thinking is focused on building, and at night, it is focused on processing what we’ve built.
Four common walls: intellectualization, avoidance, false positivity (or lying), self-isolation.
Steps in repentance: 1. Stop, 2. Take thoughts captive with the one true narrative (the story of Jesus Christ), 3. Be brave and connect through healthy attachments.
We must recognize the need we are trying to fill, the lie we believe about why it isn’t being filled, and the fear that lie is creating in us.
There is always a need behind a false narrative or bitterness, and the need is always love.