Self-control

Self-Control

MY QUESTION for GOD

Self-control is so hard to develop. Why is it important?

A MOMENT with GOD

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Romans 7:21-25

Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness.

2 Peter 1:5-6

Train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.

1 Timothy 4:7-8

Self-control is one of the hardest character traits to achieve because it means denying what comes naturally to your sinful nature and replacing it with a controlled, godly response. When you are trying to lead other people, with all their problems and flaws, this becomes all the more difficult. Gaining self-control is a lifelong endeavor; just when you think you have one area of your life mastered, another area gets out of control. Some of the hardest things to control are your thoughts, your words, and your physical appetites. It is only with the divine help of the Holy Spirit that you can achieve the kind of self-control that allows you to become a consistent and effective leader. Only then will you have the discipline to keep bad habits and sinful tendencies from tripping you up so you can remain focused on your goals and the purposes for which God placed you in leadership.

DIVINE PROMISE

THE HOLY SPIRIT PRODUCES THIS KIND OF FRUIT IN OUR LIVES: LOVE, JOY, PEACE . . . AND SELF-CONTROL.   Galatians 5:22-23