Friday "Fruit of the Spirit": Self-control

I chose to write about self-control today because it’s the fruit of the Spirit I struggle with the most. It is, after all, those moments of deficient self-control that lead to the enemy’s footholds. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8)  He is on the look-out for someone who has let their self-control guard down and is vulnerable to attack.

Hearing the word “self-control” may trigger feelings of defensiveness or even hostility (Who says I need to control myself). But that’s because our flesh constantly wants to rise up and exalt itself over the spirit. Instead of hostility, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In Scripture, the fruits of God’s Spirit, I believe are very closely connected to the armor of God. Our response to the enemy’s prowling (found in I Peter 5:9) is to be “Resist him, standing firm in the faith,…”

And how exactly do we stand firm in the faith? “…take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:16)  We are told earlier in the same passage (verse 13) to “…,put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” We are able to stand because we’ve armored ourselves with those things which come from the character and mouth of God.

Self-control isn’t a fleeting phrase to be tossed around like “will power,” nor should its lack be made light of as we might poke fun at a “coffee-holic” or a “choco-holic” for not having enough resistance. Self-control is really “discipline,” a direct result of being an active follower of Christ. It is training—in His Word and His ways. It comes from His presence being a vital component of our daily lives.

When we say we have “no self-control,” perhaps what we really mean is that we haven’t been actively engaging in the battle against the enemy of our souls. We cannot lose our position of faith. We must believe that God has placed satan under our feet and, furthermore, that the Lord will do what He says He will do and is molding us into who He has called us to be. Self-control is bringing our authority as children of the King to bear against the forces of darkness with full confidence of our victory. As we submit to God, and not our own “wisdom,” He will help us to cultivate true self-control that develops in cooperation with His Spirit.