Gal. 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.” If there is one thing a Christian needs an abundance of, it must be self-control. When we possess it, we are able to control our emotions and behavior. It is a trait that prevents us from conforming to the world and saying “no” to sin. Paul tells us in Rom. 12:2 to resist conforming to the world and instead be transformed by our “new” Christian minds, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The world lacks self-control because it is reactive by nature. It believes that the best form of defense is attack and takes no time to seriously contemplate any actions. When something happens to a non-Christian, extreme anger is often the first response, and everything spirals downward from that point. Another result of the lack of this particular fruit of the Spirit is the ease with which the person gives into sin. There is no defense for drugs, pornography, adultery, alcohol, and various other sins to enter the life of a person with no self-control. Even in the church, the lack of discipline will lead the individual down a dangerous path because it will prevent them from being able to resist sin.
When that happens, sins like gossip and pride will flourish, and discord will be allowed to grow into unhappiness and disunity. Things will be said without thought, and friendships will dissolve into contempt and even hatred. The writer of Proverbs 28 compares an individual without self-control to a city without walls. Without proper barriers, the enemy can mount an unimpeded attack from any direction and overthrow that city. Prov. 25:28, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” To lack self-discipline is to dishonor God and to make a mockery of Him in the eyes of the world. When it sees a Christian easily acquiescing to sin, it judges all of Christianity by that standard and may turn a receptive heart hard as a result.
A host of things require discipline, including overeating, overspending, overindulging, and overreacting. For most humans, the temptation to give in to the nice things of the world is greater than the fear of the consequences, especially when those are in the far distant future. Imagine if a child could eat as much candy as they wanted. Of course, they would overindulge because they lack the determination and understanding of the long-term consequences of their actions, and in time their teeth may be ruined. The same can be said for Christians. We have the dangerous temptation to throw discipline out of the window and not study the long-term consequences of doing so. We may believe sin leads to death, but we do not realize how close it may be, so we carry on as if oblivious to the dangers thereof.
Paul tells Timothy this in 2 Tim. 1:7, “…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” When we possess the Holy Spirit, we have a spiritual strength that helps us overcome our weak, fallen human nature, and we can resist the temptations of sin. In the end, there is a battle within our minds. On one side, we have the devil and his temptations that are designed to remove us from God’s loving arms; on the other side, we have God and the Spirit of power, love, and self-control. If we are victorious, we will have what it takes to put aside the things of the world and seek that which is more glorious and more heavenly.
We will have an easier time with all the fruits of the Spirit when we possess and develop self-discipline. It will also help us a lot to compare the fleeting nature of sin with the unimaginable beauty of God’s kingdom. Maybe we could memorize and recite the words of Psa. 84:10 when we falter with our discipline, “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.“
Leave a Reply