Another important quality God wants to see in our lives is self-control. Self-control in my life makes me more like Jesus, and that is who I should become.
God expects us to exercise self-control and avoid things that can destroy us and others. The writer of Proverbs presents us with choices and clearly points out the virtues and benefits of self-control in Proverbs 16:32: “It is better to be patient than brave. Self-control is better than capturing a city.” Self-control means having control over your own reactions and desires. When Paul wrote a personal letter to Titus and instructed him to appoint elders in the church, self-control was one of the important qualities an elder needed to possess (Titus 1:6-9).
The Bible gives us practical guidance on what to do and how to grow in the virtue of self-control. First, we must flee from the person, environment or situation that tempts us to lose our self-control. Paul emphasises this in his letter to Timothy, in which he teaches him how to lead the church in Ephesus spiritually. A second strategy for maintaining self-control is also defensive in nature: we must resist. Through self-control, we can resist harmful and negative speech, argue less with the people around us, and resist selfish desires as well as the negative influence of the world and the devil on our lives.
A third strategy the apostle Paul teaches us is to live out our sexual passions within the boundaries of God’s instructions. These instructions are clearly set out in 1 Corinthians 7 under the heading “Guidelines for Marriage”. Fourth, Paul emphasises the importance of relying on God’s power and living under the control of the Holy Spirit in order to maintain self-control. According to this, the ultimate solution for self-control is “God-control”. Galatians 5:16 puts it this way: “Let your way of life be determined by the Spirit. Then you will not give in to the desires of your sinful nature.”
Written by Hendrik Nel