Got Self-Control?

Social media is a blessing and a curse. We have the right to post whatever we want, and that's great. On the other hand, social media platforms such as Facebook are used to vent and express our feelings and can cause more trouble than what they're worth. One day after being angry with my husband, I vented my emotions across social media and posted how disappointed I was for not getting a verbal "Happy Mother's Day" from my husband. I guess you can say I was airing out “dirty laundry” publicly and it was that moment I realized I had a lack of self-control.  Self-control is one of the hardest things in life. Self-control can be simply defined as, the ability to control one's emotions, thoughts, and behavior in the face of temptations and impulses. It's a lifelong struggle because just when you think you have an area of your life mastered, another area gets out of control. Some of the hardest things to control are our tongue, our emotions, the tone of voice we use, our facial expressions, and our actions.

Believe it or not, many Christians (including myself) struggle with self-control and as I have lived my life and gone through many struggles and trials and difficulties, ‘self-control’ is something that I must deal with daily . . . in one of those “two steps forward, one step backward” kind of ways.One fruit of the Holy Spirit listed in Galatians is self-control. Actually, its the ninth quality of the fruit of the spirit ...But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22 (NIV)

Of all the fruits of the Spirit, God may have left the most difficult for last. Its definitely the most difficult for me when it comes to controlling my tongue and my emotions --- and I find that my emotions are VERY difficult to control in the heat of the moment. Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. James 3:2

For you, you may struggle to control your feelings, finances, speech, lusts, behaviors, worries, and relationships. But self-control is something that God wants to bring out in our life. In 2 Corinthians 10:5, the apostle Paul wrote about bringing “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” and since thoughts become words, and words become actions, this includes controlling ourselves completely, despite the pulls of temptations. One of the proofs of God’s working in our lives is the ability to control our own thoughts, words, and actions. Ultimately, our controlling ourselves is about being controlled by Christ.

 In conclusion, for all of us to grow spiritually, one of the virtues that we must have is self-control. So, where are struggling to exert some self-control? 

TODAY. Pray for the Holy Spirit to teach you to exercise self-control where you struggling. After all, it is God’s Spirit that helps us control our thoughts and actions and HE wants us to learn to control our life under the control of His Holy Spirit. But thank God for the promise, "He who began a good work in you is able to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil. 1:6)