Self Control

Self control is an absolute necessity in the Christian life for all of us. However, the word self control is a little bit of a misnomer, because it is virtually impossible to control self, outside of the Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit. Before we came to know Jesus as our personal Saviour, our lives were in havoc with little or no control. The Bible states in Psalms 1:4, “The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.” Likewise, Ephesians 4:14 relays, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”

In our natural state, we are driven by our sin, circumstances, situations, feelings, and by people that surround us. When we get saved, our new nature’s state is created in Christ (2 Cor 5:17) which gives us a new direction in our lives. The Bible compares the old nature in Psalms 1:4 with that of the new nature in Psalms 1:3: “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

The new nature is to be guided by the Holy Spirit, when we get saved. The Spirit guides us in Truth. (John 16:13) “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” The Spirit of God also empowers us. Acts 1:8 states, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you...” Consequently, after we are saved, we are guided and empowered, whereas prior to being saved, we are tossed to and fro, and unstable.

Applying God’s power and guidance to our lives is the first step of a Spirit controlled life. Then afterwards, we are controlled by the Spirit. This brings about the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

The word temperance is the same word as self control. One of the ways we can tell if we are abiding in Christ and are walking in the new nature is to analyze our lives and see if we have self control. If we find that we do not have temperance in our lives, then the other fruits of the Spirit will be also lacking.

Unfortunately, when we are saved and walking in the Spirit, this does not automatically make us live a disciplined life. God made man a free will agent, meaning that He did not make us robots. God helps us and empowers us, but we must decide to do that which is right and submit ourselves unto the Lord’s power.