Thank you. Many people assume self-control is simply a matter of willpower. You just try harder and restrain yourself and resist temptation.

Ultimately, this approach is futile, and it can be terribly discouraging.

Today on Truth for Life, we'll discover the true source of self-control, as Alistair Begg

teaches from Galatians chapter 5, verse 23.

I've discovered few things in my life. I haven't really made many discoveries, but I discovered one.

Actually, two. One great discovery is junk is junk. That's one of my great discoveries.

You can tell I work at a very high intellectual level. And the other discovery is people do

what they want to do. People do what they want to do. You take the incidences in our church

family here, of those who no longer walk with us, it began when

they decided just to do what they want to do. We sat with them, we talked with them, said no.

So there's no excuse. And when we sin, it would be much better if we just were honest about it and said, you know,

I did that because I wanted to.

I did that because I enjoy that.

That was good.

I think I'll do that again.

I'll just have one more. Just one more, and then I'll stop. And one more leads to one more.

I'll just have one more look. I'll just have one more visit. Just one more.

In Proverbs Solomon says, like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who likes self-control.

In other words, the picture is so clear, strong walls were necessary for the inhabitants to live

in safety. And strong walls are necessary for you and me if we're going to live in safety.

Now, I said I've

spent longer on the first than I have. Let's go to the second. The need for self-control is clear.

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