The Fruit of Self Control
“A man without
self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” (Prov. 25:28)
“Oh no! I did it
again.” How many times have we all found
ourselves in the situation that leads to such a thought? We tried to control ourselves, but that one
thing that just always seems to creep back into our lives overtook our
willpower once again. Yes, we gave in to
temptation.
Of course, the term for this characteristic referenced in
the scripture may be a bit misleading. For it is not really “self” control that we possess, so much as it is “Spirit-control.” We have been given the ability to restrain
ourselves through the help of the Holy Spirit living within us, as believers. We are told in Paul’s first letter to the
Corinthians that, “No temptation has
seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let
you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also
provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
That one passage is reason enough to
believe that we are quite capable of bearing the fruit of self-control in our
lives.
Yet, it’s a likely scenario, both for the nonbeliever and
the Christ follower. It can be very
difficult to keep our fleshly urges under control, whether those urges are
overeating, lusting, drinking heavily or drugs, cheating, stealing, lying, or
any other number of sins. The difference
between us and those who are not born again through the shed blood of Christ is
that we have been granted power above what we are humanly capable of
possessing. We are not powerless to
change our situation. We have the Holy
Spirit working in us.
Now, before I go any farther on this
topic, I do want to clarify something relating to this topic of self-control
that could easily be taken out of context. I know from personal experience that for some
people self-control can be taken to dangerous levels when it gets over
into a controlling mindset. If you
have found this to be a problem in your life, be sure that you are following
the Spirit of God inside of you, and not just trying to control things on
your own. This can and will always lead
to failure and can even be dangerous when we attempt to depend on our own
strength.
Exercising self-control often means that we put other
people before ourselves. It often
involves putting the good of a group ahead of the good of an individual. We see this when we look at sports teams. To be sure, good teams have athletes who stand
out from all of the others on the team. But
if every athlete is always trying to get his time in the limelight, the entire
team will suffer. Successful teams
always have players that defer to one another when necessary in order to win
the victory.
When we seek to practice self-control in our lives, we
must take care that we do not become wimps. Jonathan Edwards offers helpful
advice by saying that when it comes to matters of truth and integrity, we
cannot yield to other people. If someone
is teaching obvious heresy, for example, exercising self-control and behaving
in a manner appropriate to the situation means that we call attention to the
matter and stand up for the truth. Following the Spirit of God will produce self-control in a
balanced way and it will never be based on fear or obsession. Remember, God calls us to live balanced lives (See
Peter 5:8), which means we can enjoy things in moderation.
Thankfully, God knows our weakness, and He also knows the
remedy! The Bible says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control.” (Galatians 5:22–23) The only way to gain self-control is by
allowing the Holy Spirit to control us.
Is the fruit of self-control demonstrating itself in your life? Take some time to look at all areas of your
life, including relationships, to see whether you are exercising self-control. Ask God to grant you the wisdom to understand
how you might better control yourself in all situations.
Can God change your life?
God has made it possible for you
to know Him, and experience an amazing
change in your own life.
Discover how you can find peace
with God.
