When speaking about core Christian values, as I have been doing in this blog, it’s essential to include self-control in the list. This is the last of the nine Christian values Paul speaks about in Galatians which we call the Fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV), “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
In our “anything goes” society, self-control sometimes becomes a somewhat foreign value. But embracing Christian principles means controlling one’s words and behaviors. The premise of reliance upon God is that His will and plan matters.
What is self-control? Self-Control is thinking before we act or speak. If we think about what we are about to do, before we do it, we can be sure that what we are about to do is the right thing to do. If we just act before thinking, we might do something dangerous or hurtful to someone.
If we think before we speak, we can make sure what we are about to say is kind and loving. Even if you feel mad and angry, we need to stop and think before we say mean or hurtful words. We might be tempted to act out, but don’t.
If we stop for a moment and ask the Holy Spirit for help, He can give us the strength to use kind and loving words instead. Self-Control actually means “in strength” in the Greek. Sometimes, it’s not easy to have self- control, its hard work and we need to be strong.
Jesus is the greatest example of self-control. In Luke 4:1-13, the bible teaches us that Jesus was tempted by the devil to respond using His emotions and physical state to not trust God’s promises. Instead of giving in and making a bad choice, Jesus shows us how to have self-control by stopping and answering the devil with the word of God every time. Even though Jesus was tempted three different times by the devil in this situation, Jesus spoke the word of God again and again which gave him strength and self-control.
Believers need self-control because the outside world and internal forces still attack (Romans 7:21-25). Like a vulnerable city, we must have defenses. A wall around an ancient city was designed to keep out the enemy. One of the proofs of God’s working in our lives is the ability to control our own thoughts, words, and actions.
Proverbs 16:32 (NIV), “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.”
Self-control naturally leads to perseverance (2 Peter 1:6) as we value the long-term good instead of the instant gratification of the world. Self-control is a gift that frees us. It frees us to enjoy the benefits of a healthy body. It frees us to rest in the security of good stewardship. It frees us from a guilty conscience. Self-control restricts the indulgence of our foolish desires, and we find the liberty to love and live as we were meant to.
Blessings,
Pastor Chuck
Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV), “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
In our “anything goes” society, self-control sometimes becomes a somewhat foreign value. But embracing Christian principles means controlling one’s words and behaviors. The premise of reliance upon God is that His will and plan matters.
What is self-control? Self-Control is thinking before we act or speak. If we think about what we are about to do, before we do it, we can be sure that what we are about to do is the right thing to do. If we just act before thinking, we might do something dangerous or hurtful to someone.
If we think before we speak, we can make sure what we are about to say is kind and loving. Even if you feel mad and angry, we need to stop and think before we say mean or hurtful words. We might be tempted to act out, but don’t.
If we stop for a moment and ask the Holy Spirit for help, He can give us the strength to use kind and loving words instead. Self-Control actually means “in strength” in the Greek. Sometimes, it’s not easy to have self- control, its hard work and we need to be strong.
Jesus is the greatest example of self-control. In Luke 4:1-13, the bible teaches us that Jesus was tempted by the devil to respond using His emotions and physical state to not trust God’s promises. Instead of giving in and making a bad choice, Jesus shows us how to have self-control by stopping and answering the devil with the word of God every time. Even though Jesus was tempted three different times by the devil in this situation, Jesus spoke the word of God again and again which gave him strength and self-control.
Believers need self-control because the outside world and internal forces still attack (Romans 7:21-25). Like a vulnerable city, we must have defenses. A wall around an ancient city was designed to keep out the enemy. One of the proofs of God’s working in our lives is the ability to control our own thoughts, words, and actions.
Proverbs 16:32 (NIV), “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.”
Self-control naturally leads to perseverance (2 Peter 1:6) as we value the long-term good instead of the instant gratification of the world. Self-control is a gift that frees us. It frees us to enjoy the benefits of a healthy body. It frees us to rest in the security of good stewardship. It frees us from a guilty conscience. Self-control restricts the indulgence of our foolish desires, and we find the liberty to love and live as we were meant to.
Blessings,
Pastor Chuck
RSS Feed