The Silent Killer

What do you think is the biggest killer of all time? Is it wars? Is it the bubonic plague?

Is it HIV/AIDS? Or malaria? Is it earthquakes? Is it heart attacks? You will be surprised. Usually, what kills us is the effect of something else.

The biggest killer of all time is lack of self-control! Yes, Self-control. “What?” I hear you say. Self-control is simply the ability to resist. You probably have heard it many times: “I just couldn’t resist”. Well, our ancestral mother and father, Adam and Eve could not resist at the garden of Eden.

When the serpent approached Eve with a fruit she knew she was not supposed to eat, she could not resist. When she took a piece of the forbidden fruit to her husband Adam, he too could not resist. And so death entered the human existence. The Creator had warned, if you eat of that fruit, you shall surely die. In one sense, then, it was that lack of self-control by our ancestors that brought death.

Things have not changed since then. A relative of mine could not resist “one more drink for the road”, and he crashed to death in a vehicle accident. He left his children orphans. If only he resisted that extra drink and remained of a sober mind, he could be alive today.

Across Africa, there are many children who are orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Take the case of Sibongile. Her father, David, was a successful professional with a well paying job. One day at a work function, out of town, drinks started flowing, and David joined in “the fun”. Although David was not really a drinker, he could not resist when his colleague kept topping up his glass with some nice, dry, red wine. By the end of the evening, David, due to his lack of self-control, lost control.

He started flirting with one of the female colleagues, who also had taken one glass too many. Well, the next morning, David and his female colleague woke up in the same hotel bed. Sadly, a few months later, David discovered that he was HIV positive. He died a few years later of TB, which was brought on by his HIV status.

David did not plan for an early death. When he died, there was not much left for his wife and children, except the debt of his top class German car. You see, David could not resist buying that expensive car even though it meant he could not invest in a family home for his family.

They had rented a house in an expensive surburb, and had to vacate the house after David’s death. Sibongile’s mother could not cope on her own. Eventually Sibongile dropped out of school, pregnant and destitute. She gave birth to a baby girl who looked just like her. She named her Hope.

Her boyfriend disappeared soon after he found out that she was pregnant. He had introduced her to drugs. One morning she overdosed on drugs and her body was carried away by the police in a body bag. You see, if you look at it carefully, Sibongile’s father, David, killed her the night he lost self-control and drank too much, and ended up sleeping with his colleague. When he died, Sibongile’s death began. And now for Hope, what’s ahead for her? If only her grandfather had self control… If only her mother had self-control… If only…

Our Father in Heaven knows our predicament. He knows most of us are not that different from Adam and Eve, from David and Sibongile. We too can’t resist. He made a plan for us though. He sent Jesus Christ to become a human like us, so that we can share in His divine nature.

Peter puts it this way, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life… These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” (2 Pet. 1:3-4). Christians receive the Holy Spirit by grace. And the Spirit helps Christians to share in God’s divine nature.

It is that divine nature which helps them to “escape… the corruption caused by human desires”. Jesus, being “led by the Spirit” (Matt. 4:1) was able to resist “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 Jn. 2:16). The same Spirit that led Christ, leads us. “God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7 CEV)

Peter continues, “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. (2 Pet. 1:5-6).

The Holy Spirit, who is God, gives us this divine nature. He helps us to exercise self-control. Not for God’s sake, but for our own sake. Paul tells us the fruit of the Holy Spirit is self-control (Gal. 5:23). Unfortunately most of us don’t like it when we are told that we must exercise more self-control.

One day when Paul was presenting his defense to Governor Felix and his wife, the governor did not like hearing the truth about his condition. “As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. “Go away for now,” he replied. “When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.” (Acts 24:25) Self-control is at the centre of our lives.

Don’t be like Governor Felix. You can listen to advice about self-control today, and save yourself and loved ones a lot of pain, …and death. For those like Sibongile, the Holy Spirit gives Comfort and hope. If you are led by the Spirit, you follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of your life. (Gal. 5:25) “The Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires”(Gal. 5:17) You CAN resist!