A few weeks ago I attended the OHSAA State Wrestling Tournament.
The athletes who made it there had worked their tails off in the months previous.
It was obvious that many of them had learned to control their bodies.
They had controlled what they put into their bodies, and they controlled how they moved their bodies.
The bulging muscles and ripped abs were proof that they had learned to control their bodies.
It was also interesting observing the athletes as they warmed up, walked onto the mat, and wrestled.
There were a few that, based on how they acted during warmups, walking onto the mat, and starting the match, I knew they were going to lose.
I could almost see their thoughts written all over their body.
Their movements were slow and sluggish.
Their confidence was nowhere to be seen.
Their spunk was not there.
For others, once they got moved to their back, you knew right away if the wrestler was about to get pinned and lose.
Their self-talk was obvious in their actions.
Some of them had gained control over their thoughts, and some of them had not.
Now, I would struggle to say that a high school athlete has learned to control his soul.
Sure, there may be certain aspects of it that he has learned to control, but the reality is that they just haven't experienced enough life yet.
Where it's more obvious whether someone has learned to control their soul is with the coaches and the parents.
The way some of them act, it's obvious they have no control.
The way others acted, it was obvious they did have control.
Where have you seen Soul Control on display?
Maybe at a school event?
Maybe in line at the grocery?
Maybe at church as kids are being picked up from their class?
Each person's level of Soul Control is often obvious.
Let's bring it home a little bit.
How have you been demonstrating Soul Control?
Are you acting the way you want to act?
Are you in control of your body the way you want to be?
Are you in control of your mind the way you want to be?
Are you living out the person you were designed to be and destined to be?
The hard truth of the matter is this: it is up to us.
We are the ones who are the deciding factor of whether we have control over ourselves.
Pause a moment.
Evaluate yourself.
How are you doing with Soul Control?
The good news is this: we are going to move into how to begin gaining control over our bodies in the next part of this series.
Until then, know where you're starting from in this moment.
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Did you read Part 1 yet?
Go here for the whole talk about the Journey toward Soul Control.
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