The Grace of Self-Control • Deshen Daily

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,self-control; against such things there is no law (Gal. 5:22-23 ESV)

Self control showing a collection of fruit

We, human beings, are a mystery to ourselves. Although we succeeded in controlling most aspects of the physical universe, we continue to fail to control ourselves—human nature.

For example, consider a powerful military general with minimal difficulties crushing an enemy’s army of thousands of well-equipped soldiers. But this mighty general might be subdued by lust for a woman before him threatening to destroy their entire military career—something no enemy army can do! Our fictional military general lacked self-control: He was well-trained to conquer others or circumstances yet unskilled in subduing himself

Self-control is a gracious fruit of the Spirit. It is just what it says—control over oneself. A person with self-control rules over their thoughts, feelings, desires, impulses, words, and actions. It is a fruit of the Spirit because it requires the power of the Spirit to exert dominion over the fallen, sinful human nature( the flesh). Nothing in this world, not even religion, can tame the passions of our sinful flesh ( Col. 2:23).

When self-control meets freedom, life is sweeter than honey. But liberty without self-control spells disaster. This tragedy of a life without self-control is vividly described by King Solomon : “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls” (Prov. 25:28 ESV). Imagine the ruins and rubbish of Jerusalem after the Babylonians broke the city walls, destroyed the Temple, and burned the city!

The lack of self-control can cause someone to destroy in one minute of uncontrollable anger a house (family, career, ministry, business, etc.) that took a lifetime to build. Besides anger, an uncontrollable fit of lust can ruin a beautiful family that has taken decades to make, leading to unmeasurable pain and agony in the husband, wife, and children. Does history have records of people who lost precious relationships, careers, or even destinies by simply saying the wrong thing? What about a single tweet prompted by some minor frustration that turned out to ruin the entire life of the one who tweeted?

The Spirit gives us self-control. As we live in this physical body, the seat of the flesh, the battle for our lives rages on. We need God’s grace every day—maybe not every day but every second, to be more precise. If you do not want to ruin your own life, then bring yourself under control. If you love your wife, husband, or children, then control your emotions and the words and actions that proceed from them. That ministry, business, or career requires not only job-specific skills but the grace of self-control to prevent you one a day from breaking down a tower that took years and sweats to erect.

What is self-control?

It is impressive how almost every one of us needs help in this area. Yes, someone might be anointed and riding above lust, but the desire for money, pride, or control over people could just be their problem. Or maybe pride is not your thing; you might also have a slight problem with shopping “too much” sometimes. We need self-control in every aspect of our lives as we yield to the Holy Spirit.

Ask the Lord to help you grow in this beautiful grace of self-control.