Do I wallow in my hurt feelings? Do I bolster my ego with my judgments of the other ______? Do I open the door and welcome as friends the thoughts that say I’m not enough, not loved, not able?
Yes. Yes, I do. These are my self-indulgent behaviors. Sadly, they tend to lead to more self-indulgent behaviors. You know the type: over-eating/drinking/spending, etc.
To fast from self-indulgence seems a little overwhelming when I look at it all.
Enter the Holy Spirit. In Galations, Paul talks about what it means to live by the Spirit and how those of us who belong to Christ Jesus have been set free from sin’s power over us (Gal. 5: 24). When we seek God and ask Jesus, the Holy Spirit will show up and produce good things in our lives including love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5: 22-23).
Seek and ask, and we will be given a spirit of God’s mighty power and love and self-discipline which is far greater than our human appetites and desires and whims. We can be set free from the power of our disappointments and insecurities. His power proves we are able. His love says we are enough.
Seek, and ask, and live with the Holy Spirit so that He will become more, and our sinful, self-indulgent nature will become less.