Self-control: the last Fruit of the Spirit. This brings me to the end of my series on the Fruit of the Spirit, and let me just say, I've loved writing this series! It has forced me to evaluate my own life and see my faith in a whole new way. I pray it has enabled you to do the same.
So then, what is self-control? It seems pretty self-explanatory, but what does it mean as a Christian?
Self-control is the action of resisting the temptation to follow the world in sin. It is having control over your heart and sinful desires and choosing instead to follow the laws of God.
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone lvoes the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." - 1 John 2:15-17
This doesn't mean you have to be perfect. The temptation to sin still attacks us every moment of our lives. We still sin at times because we aren't perfect. The difference is we are no longer bound to sin. Once we accept Christ into our lives and let the Holy Spirit into our hearts, we are set free from sin. The Holy Spirit gives us power over sin; we no longer have to chose it.
"Our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be dones away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin." - Romans 6:6
It also means letting go of control over your life. You cannot control how your life plays out. We've all tried, but it never works. We end up frustrated and exhausted. Instead of worrying about everything that doesn't go your way, give it up to God. He will provide you with peace and comfort. He will control your life so that you don't have to. Give it up to Him.
The perfect example of this is Jesus praying on the Mount right before he was taken away to be crucified. Jesus didn't want to go through crucifixion, but He understood that it needed to be done and that it was God's will, so Jesus willingly let go of control and allowed God's will to be done.
"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." - Luke 22:32
We need self-control in every area of our lives. It can be difficult, but there are so many ways God's glory can be revealed if we apply some self-control.
I found a really great list of how self-control can be applied to the other Fruit. You can check it out here .
