Temperance

Teaching temperance to children should begin with their parents under the influence of the Holy Spirit. If parents have no idea what temperance is and what it's needed for, then they will hardly teach this to their children.

Temperance is a conscious refusal from what can cause harm to the soul and body, it's conscious limitation of oneself in pleasures that are not vitally important, it's moderate consumption and application of what is beneficial and brings joy and benefit.

Temperance extends to such spheres: food, drinks, words, intimate relationships, thoughts, actions, entertainment, emotions, reading, finances, sports, shopping, games, communication and so forth. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal.5:22-23) and brings joy to the soul in obedience and freedom from everything that can harm the soul.

This is not simply refusal from something, but a conscious choice in favor of something better. This is the highest manifestation of freedom and independence in Christ. This is a narrow path that gladdens the heart of those walking on it.

Limiting oneself in what can bring harm may seem from the outside like something deficient and fanatical, but when there is understanding of what's happening, then one can quickly and easily evaluate the advantage of temperance over intemperance.

The most cruel struggle occurs in the area of appetite, especially among those who indulge their desires and are accustomed to pandering to their tastes. Behind intemperance in food stand the spirits of wickedness in the heavenly places, which through the lust of the eyes, tastes and smells catch the soul in their nets. A person who is accustomed to unconsciously follow the lead of these temptations doesn't have inner strength for conscious temperance and limitation in the pleasure of eating. And even if an intemperate person decides to win victory in this sphere, relying on his own strength, then perhaps several times he will have success, but in the end his fleshly nature will fall and surrender under the onslaught of the demon of appetite.

Temperance in food doesn't imply complete refusal from food for the sake of temperance. It's not expressed in fanatical neglect of all beneficial and nutritious food, but it determines for itself a measure of what's beneficial, considering place, time and necessity.

If a person has a certain daily routine and schedule for taking food, then this helps establish certain frameworks for unnecessary food temptations, excluding all possible snacking and desserts.

The organism of each of us is individual and what may please one and bring him benefit, for another may be not tasty and even harmful. But the measure in food is practically the same for all people. God didn't create us as gluttons who can eat everything in a row tirelessly, but provided protective properties of the organism in case of overeating.

Among those people who refuse meat and dairy food, the vice of overeating is widespread, which they may not even realize, considering that immoderate consumption of tasty and beneficial food won't harm. When many wonderful dishes are placed on the table, then reason shuts off and stops controlling the volume of consumed food, hoping that the stomach will inform in time about the limit of its possibilities. And prayer for blessing blocks the will, which should say "no" to any excess in time, and the impression is created that if I asked God to bless something, then this implies everything that will get into my stomach. Prayer of faith sanctifies all beneficial food, but it doesn't bless gluttony and doesn't justify intemperance.

Not always can the eyes evaluate the volume of what gets on the spoon or fork, but reason tuned to temperance suggests how much my plate holds and when an addition to the established norm becomes dangerous.

Limiting oneself in food volume should also be guided by understanding of how nutritious this food is. If I refuse everything but don't replace it with anything, then I risk exhausting my vital resources and bringing irreparable harm to health.

The approximate volume of food for an adult person ranges from 500 to 800 milliliters of total mass of consumed food, including drinks, per one meal, two-three times a day.

If food is very liquid, then accordingly its volume can be greater than solid food. But here each person should determine for himself his own measure, understanding and following which will preserve from many temptations.

Food and taking meals is what we need every day, except during times of fasting, therefore this activity should always be under the control of reason and will.

Preparation of tasty and beneficial food is an art that every believing person should possess. A time is coming when everything that you didn't grow and prepare yourself may represent a serious danger to health, due to all kinds of poisons and additives that preserve food from spoilage during long storage. Trust is a good thing in relation to God and close people, but in relation to mass producers of food products it's worth turning on critical thinking and double-checking everything that's offered to you. The best products are what you receive from God's hands in your own garden, and then prepare yourself to eat.

The main causes of many deadly diseases of our time are: improper nutrition, chemical dependency and stress. In all these categories it's necessary to consciously protect oneself from direct contact with these sources and study one's reaction to these questions.

If one can quickly deal with harmful food, tobacco and drugs, then with toxic people and one's inadequate reaction to them, it's not always possible to part ways.

The best and most reliable way to develop the gift of temperance in oneself is to learn this from Jesus, ask for His strength and wisdom and rely on His participation in your life regarding these questions. He won't leave anyone and those whom He specifically frees will be truly free and happy.

We would be very surprised by the statistics of diseases and premature deaths due to intemperance that reigns in many spheres of human activity, if everything was revealed to us as it is. Moderation in everything - this is the motto that should be written on every heart, in every family of people dedicated to God.

Prayer of repentance and trust in God in this question gives Christ power to teach us this virtue and inscribe these laws in our hearts.

As intemperance opens the door for many other diseases and vices, so temperance carries within itself many blessings both in health and in spiritual life. The mind of a temperate person is enlightened, receptivity is sharpened, will and reason rule over desires, feelings and habits. True freedom is freedom from the power of sin, from any dependency, from perverted appetite and weaknesses. A free person is the master of his happiness and is capable of understanding God's will and submitting to it, considering this an advantage and blessing for himself.

Temperance makes a person master of life capable of teaching this art to his children.

1. Please read Luke.21:34; Dan.1:8; Phil.3:19; John.8:36; Prov.16:32; 21:23; 25:28; 1Pet.2:11; 1Cor.9:25; 10:31; Rom.6:12-13; Eph.4:26; James.1:19, in light of this chapter.

2. What other verses from the Bible came to your mind?

3. What did you understand from this chapter?

4. Why does teaching temperance to children begin with parents?

5. How does temperance influence a person's mental and physical health?

6. What practical steps will help develop temperance in daily life?

7. How is the habit of temperance formed?

8. Why is it most difficult for a person to show temperance specifically in the area of food?

9. Why doesn't prayer before eating cancel the need to control one's appetite?

10. How does temperance in finances help avoid debts and unnecessary expenses?

11. How did Jesus Christ teach temperance by His example?

12. How does intemperance open doors to sin and spiritual degradation?

13. What spiritual forces stand behind intemperance in food?

14. What should one do if one wants to be temperate but can't manage it?