Therefore prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written “Be holy, because I am holy.”
The dictionary defines “self-control” as meaning “restraint exercised over one’s own impulses, emotions, or desires”. I used to think that this was the least pleasant of the fruits of the Spirit. I mean, love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness…they all seemed so nice and enjoyable to have. But self-control? It seemed like the hard fruit to display. It required me to have to really try at something. And that seemed like a lot of work.
Let me quickly interject that this was my thinking as a teenager, and I have since learned two very important things about the fruit of the Spirit. One is that NONE of them are easy. Sometimes the hardest thing in the world to do is love someone, or be patient with someone, or feel joy or peace in certain circumstances. The second thing I learned is that it is not ME who has to do any of these things. It is the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through me that accomplishes any of these fruits. In my own capacity, I am not capable of producing them. But in my flesh, I am able to stop them from being produced in my life. And that is the “catch” in any of them–especially self-control.
The world is full of excuses for a lack of self-control. We are tempted to live without self-control in the areas of eating, drinking, exercise, gossip, anger, lust, and inappropriate relationships. We are encouraged not to take responsibility for anything we fall to, but instead we are told that we cannot help it because it is a “disease” that we are victims of. But the truth is that if we do fall it is due to a lack of self-control. If we allow the Holy Spirit to fill and empower us, we will have the ability to control ourselves in these areas, and we can have victory over any area of temptation. We can be more like Him, and move closer to “being holy, as He is holy”.
The choice is ours. We are without excuse. We have the command to exercise self-control. We have the power source to use for this self-control. If we choose not to use it, we will fall to sin. It will be our choice, but it will not only affect our lives. If we choose not to exercise self-control, it will without a doubt affect those around us. We can be an encouraging influence on those around us when we use that control, or we can pull them down with our lack of self-control. Will we prepare our minds for action? Or will we conform to the evil desires that we had when we were ignorant? I pray that we will set our hopes on the grace to be given to us when Christ is revealed, and begin to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit in our lives–including self-control.
points to ponder
- Are you practicing the power of the Holy Spirit in your life to experience the fruit of the Spirit in your life?
- Do you understand the need for self-control in your life? Do you understand the danger of not exercising self-control in your life?
- Will you ask God to make you keenly aware of this need, and ask Him to show you how to succeed in this area?
prayer
Lord Jesus, show us the awful effects of a lack of self-control in our lives. Break our hearts with this truth. And then convince us that You can give us the power to see success in this area. Fill us with your Holy Spirit and help us to tap into Your ability to give us self-control. May we never settle for our own weakness in this area, but may we trust You for self-control in every area of our lives. We are Yours alone. Amen.