In a world of deteriorating morality, we must give special attention to Self-discipline and Self-Control to live a virtuous life. Everything we do in life is a choice, and I think most of us realize that. But what most people don’t seem to realize is that everything we don’t do in life is also a Choice. Our Father in Heaven has told us "Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! (Deuteronomy 11:26NLT) “…. that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,” (Deuteronomy 30:19ESV)
Bible also admonish us “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”(Romans 12:9) in other words keep our thoughts, appetites, and emotions within certain bounds. As our Father, God would not ask us to do something that we are not capable of doing. We are his children. We have the capacity to “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good “and become like him. We can choose. … We can break bad habits; we can acquire good habits; we can choose what we think by the sheer determination to do so. The knowledge of right and wrong is a prerequisite to the control of sinful desires, but knowledge alone, without a system of values, is rather powerless.
A person's values are deep seated and not easily changed. Yet, if there is going to be any lasting improvement in a person's pattern of life, his values must change. Beliefs are what we hold to be true. Values are what we hold to be important. When we rank our values into a system, then we have determined what we hold to be most valuable and important. When we have consciously determined our value system, we have something which can be as powerful in creating conscious motivation as the subconscious needs and desires are in creating subconscious motivation. For example, it is one thing to believe that honesty is right and lying is wrong. It is quite a different thing to also value honesty as one of the most important virtues. A person who values honesty will be much more likely to live honestly than the person who values other things, such as popularity, power, position and possessions... etc more than he values honesty.
I recall a story about a priest, serving as a missionary in the overseas was confronted by a college student who was less interested in the Bible than in the Priest’s strict moral code. The student mockingly asked the priest how he controlled his desires when there were so many beautiful girls around, implying that the priest must not [have normal feelings]. The priest explained: ‘It is not that I am abnormal; it is that I know I am responsible and in charge of mind and body. You think you are helpless in the face of your desires. You think you are a victim of them. I have proven to myself that I am the master of those feelings’” Being morally clean and virtuous requires physical restraint and self-control. Self-discipline is a skill. It is the ability to focus and overcome distractions. It involves acting according to what you think instead of how you feel in the moment. It often requires sacrificing the pleasure and thrill for what matters most in life. Therefore it is self-discipline that drives you to succeed in the long-term.
Self-control is the foundation of a strong godly life, growth, and producing fruit. If a person cannot govern himself, if he cannot master his passions, he will certainly not have a good relationship with his God or fellowman. His life will likely be marked by major excesses. A person who has self-mastery is even-handed, and his passions are under control. He makes proper use of his drives and desires, and his manner of life is not one of extremes. A person reflecting this quality will be making steady progress in growing into the perfectly balanced character of Jesus Christ.
If success depends on effective action, effective action depends on the ability to focus your attention and make right choice where it is needed most, when it is needed most. This is the ability to distinguish the good from the Evil, which is a much needed skill in all walks of life, especially where there are ever increasing temptation and distractions.
As we observe the daily news reports, especially as it describes the present moral conditions of the society as we know it. It all comes down to a society out of control, without self-control and inner discipline. A prophetical scripture portion in Second Timothy 3:1-5 goes on to say, "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power." If you skipped hurriedly over the list, thinking you knew them all, you might have missed "without self-control." All the other evil behaviors in the list are examples of the absence of self-control.
A lack of self-control manifests itself in many different ways for different individuals. Some individuals can control their weight but have runaway appetites in other areas. Some manifest a lack of self-control with anger and express frustration with being unable to control this successfully. Some have runaway emotions and face the temptations that come with a lack of self-control in this area. Some individuals have trouble with self-control with their tongue, while others have struggles with self-control in the pursuit of knowledge and have become "ever-learning" rather than simplifying their intake of truth and attempting to be more doers than hearers. Still others have a lack of self-control with finances, being either spendthrifts or excessively frugal. The list could go on and on, but the point is that we all face struggles with self-control in various areas until we surrender our will to God‘s will and let God, through His grace, accomplish His will in us.
Willpower researcher Roy Baumeister, PhD, a psychologist at Florida State University, says Lack of willpower isn’t the only reason you might fail to reach your goals. He describes three necessary components for achieving objectives: First, he says, you need to establish the motivation for change and set a clear goal. Second, you need to monitor your behavior toward that goal. The third component is willpower. Whether your goal is to lose weight, kick a smoking habit, study more, or spend less time on Face book, willpower is a critical step to achieving that outcome. At its essence, willpower is the ability to resist short-term temptations in order to meet long-term goals.
We have many common names for willpower: determination, drive, resolve, self-discipline, self-control. But psychologists characterize willpower, or self-control, in more specific ways. According to most psychological scientists, willpower can be defined as:
The ability to delay gratification, resisting short-term temptations in order to meet long-term goals
The capacity to override an unwanted thought, feeling or impulse
The ability to employ a “cool” cognitive system of behavior rather than a “hot” emotional system
Conscious, effortful regulation of the self by the self
A limited resource capable of being depleted
Webster defines self-control as “control of one’s feelings, desires or actions by one’s own will; the power of controlling one’s external reactions, emotions, etc.; Roget lists as synonyms: restraint, self-discipline, willpower, mettle, resolve, composure and reserved. So Self-control is something which can be taught, learned, acquired and practiced.
Another synonyms word we need to consider is “temperance” literally means "self-control" (Strong's Hebrew/Greek Lexicon). J. H. Thayer says the word "temperance" means, "the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites” Mike Willis, in his commentary on Galatians 5:23, defines temperance as: "the dominion which one has over oneself or something.... the dominion that one has over his thoughts, words, and actions." So the temperance has to do with the self-control of the mind, or will, and that all words and actions are also kept under control. Specifically, the control of the mind, mouth, and body must be held by God through His word. The term "temperance" has an effect on all aspects of our lives as we learn to control our thoughts, words, and actions. As Paul said,"...bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). That is temperance!
In a depraved and evil world, self-control means complete abstinence from the ways of the ungodly (Psalm 1). Bible says in 2 Peter 1:5-7 - "In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone."
The importance of discipline and self-control confronts us in two ways. First, the Bible requires it. Second, the out-of-control and over-indulgent, self-centered nature of our society clamors for the correction that comes only through a return to personal discipline and self-control. The very concept of "self-control" implies a battle between a divided self. It implies that our "self" produces desires we should not satisfy but instead "control." We should "deny ourselves" and "take up our cross daily," Jesus says, and follow him (Luke 9:23). Daily our "self" produces desires that should be "denied" or "controlled."
Scripture draws attention to this area when describing the sin nature. Paul speaks of "the sinful nature with its passions and desires" (Galatians 5:24). And John speaks of "the cravings of sinful man" (1 John 2:16). After all, it is not sin to know about evil. God knows more about evil than anyone else. But it is sin to desire evil. Of course, it is also sin to decide, and to do, evil. But sin seems to begin to brew in the emotions. Since an individual's emotions stimulate his will, the control of one's emotions will go a long way toward controlling one's decisions and actions. If we want to do what is right, we will find it much easier to-do what is right. Obviously, the work of the Holy Spirit is needed if we are ever going to desire good rather than evil. Our sinful nature is bent on evil, and only with divine help will we ever be able to overcome sinful desire.
Just before Jesus' ascension to heaven, He said to His disciples, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts 1:8). Luke 24:49 adds that the disciples were to wait in Jerusalem until they received this "power from on high."Indeed, 10 days later when 120 of Christ's disciples were together observing the annual festival of Pentecost, suddenly "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit" and God's power was spectacularly demonstrated (Acts 2:1-4).
Bible says "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission [forgiveness] of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).What are the benefits of having the Holy Spirit? There are many, but of crucial importance is that it enables spiritual understanding —the capacity to truly understand the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:9-11, 14). Once we have spiritual "knowledge," we must add "self-control" (2 Peter 1:5-8). In other words, God's Spirit imparts the strength of character to apply and live by that knowledge. And as it transforms us, we can increasingly see the effects or "fruit" of having God's Spirit within us.
The Holy Spirit does not control our emotions for us. Instead, he gives us the power to do so.
This is one of the ways the Holy Spirit preserves our freedom. He does not captivate or manipulate our emotions, just as he does not captivate or manipulate our intellect or our will. In short, he does not think, desire, or decide for us. He gives us the power to think, desire, and decide as he would if he were in absolute control, but leaves the thinking, desiring, and deciding up to us. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, he works in us, enabling us to obey him. We are active, not passive. We are following the Holy Spirit's influence in our lives, but are not so controlled by him that we become robots.
But if the Holy Spirit does not control our desires for us, how exactly do we control our own desires? Before we can control any particular desire we must first recognize and evaluate that desire. The acts of recognition and evaluation are intellectual functions. Thus, the control of the emotions begins in the intellect. Before a person can desire what is right, he must know what is right. Before a person can evaluate a sinful desire as sinful, he must know what sin is. If his beliefs are not correct, his evaluations will also be faulty. Thus, having a set of correct beliefs – that, knows what is truly right and wrong – is absolutely necessary for the control of sinful desires.
Bible says “A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.” Proverbs 25:28 (NLT)
Hugo Grotius, the Dutch scholar said “A man cannot govern a nation if he cannot govern a city; he cannot govern a city if he cannot govern a family; he cannot govern a family unless he can govern himself; and he cannot govern himself unless his passions are subject to reason”
Peter the great Emperor of Russia said “I have conquered an empire but I have not been able to conquer myself” Bible says “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control”. There has never been and never will be a great Life without self control.
Self-control or “temperance” can be simply defined as the mastery of oneself, the capacity of individuals to so restrain their own emotions, desires, and impulses that they can serve others. The lack of such control in our culture be it related to chemical abuse, overeating, or a host of other unhealthy behaviors, should concern every believers who wish to be a lighthouse of God’s grace to those who are “out of control.” One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control, and when God, through His grace and Holy Spirit, produces this quality of self-control in our lives, we will find ourselves doing much better in most any area or areas where we lack self-control. Self-control is not something we can just decide to start having. It's going to take grace coupled with the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to achieve lasting victory.
Apostle Paul describes that we discipline and exercise self-control like the Greek athletes, only our goal is eternal, not temporal. "All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize." (1 Corinthians 9:25). So he says, "But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." (1 Corinthians 9:27). It takes strict discipline, sound eating habits, rigid training programs, a burning desire to win, and a persevering commitment to the task to prepare for an athletic event of this caliber. Those who compete at this level run to win, and in order to win, they must discipline their bodies. Self-control is a key component for victory. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul alludes these athletic competitions when he says, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”
Self-control is saying no to sinful desires, even when it hurts. Fundamental to the Christian view of self-control is that it is a gift. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)
Love, of course, is first in the list of the nine fruit of the Spirit. Self-control is last in the list. It regulates all the preceding fruit or virtues of the Spirit. Love without restraint becomes passion. Joy taken to excess is shallow frivolity. Peace without self-control becomes idleness. Patience without balance becomes apathy. Gentleness becomes weakness; goodness becomes self-serving. Faith completely without reason becomes blind superstition. Meekness taken to an extreme becomes timidity. The world speaks of love, joy, and peace, but its darkened mind knows only a false shadow of the divine reality. God’s people should be examples of self-control before an out-of-control world.
Perhaps self-control is listed last as the capstone—since it takes a lot of self-control to exercise the other eight virtues! It takes a lot of self-control just to "bridle" one's tongue (James 1:26; 3:2). Maybe Paul was thinking of love and self-control as the two great bookends for the set. Clearly these nine virtues work together and support each other. Consider long-suffering, which is the opposite of short-tempered. Many people are ruled by their feelings and can't control their anger. In fact, one measure of maturity is emotional control. The Greek word translated "self-control," egkrateia, is derived from two other Greek words— en and kratos . En means "in" and kratos means "strength" or "power." From kratos we get such English words as "democracy" (power or rule by the people) and "theocracy" (government by God).From these Greek roots we see that egkrateia essentially means power or strength within.
Paul plainly said that "the mind-set of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit itself to God's law, for it is unable to do so" (Romans 8:7). Thus, the normal human mind by itself is not capable of being in complete subjection to the law of God! The works of the flesh listed just before the fruit of the Spirit—"sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like" (Gal. 5:19-21)—must be eliminated from our lives by letting the Holy Spirit purify our walk before our Lord. Therefore, we need "power within" that comes from God! Jesus said, "The spirit [one's attitude] indeed is willing but the flesh [human willpower] is weak" (Matthew 26:41). For example, 11 of Jesus' disciples intended to stick by Him, but when things got really scary, they all deserted Him (verse 56).Therefore; "self-control" can be somewhat misleading. Effective self-control is not ultimately self controlling self. To have truly effectual control over our lives, we need God’s power to be in control.
Self-control is very much an important part of maturity. One of the basic characteristics of infancy is a lack of self-control. Not only do babies need diapers, they must be carried because they lack the necessary control and muscle coordination to sit up much less walk or run. If a babies are healthy and normal, in time they will develop more and more self-control—a sure sign of growth and maturity. People who try to gain freedom without self control are like a ship which is free when it loses its rudder; it is free to sail anywhere, even on the rocks. The rule of the sea is applicable in life also. People who try to lead a successful life without discipline are likened to travel in aircraft without a Pilot; it is like a ride in a car without a break. All the failures of a modern man is the lack of self control. A husband or wife who has self control can have harmony in the family-where love ,peace and joy, patience, kindness and goodness, humility, gentleness are supposed to prevail. From Biblical perspective, self control is really Christ-control. The more we give ourselves to him the more strength we are given to control those parts of us that need to be controlled.
.Jesus said, "If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples" (John 8:31,). Therefore discipleship includes learning the self-discipline of obedience. And that has great rewards! Choose to follow Christ—choose to be His disciple! Jesus also said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). Jesus was not suggesting penance, asceticism or a monastic life. But very often, we need to say no to selfish desires in order to say yes to God's will. God will not take away a person's free will to make choices in life. But as long as you keep inviting Him into your life, He will empower you "to will and to act according to His good purpose" (Philippians 2:13, NIV).
As with all of us, certainly your biggest spiritual enemy has been yourself. But take heart. With God's great help, you can increasingly conquer the enemy! Each of us must rule over self before we can, as promised to those who overcome in Revelation 3:21 and 20:6, reign with Christ in His Kingdom!
Edmund Hilary the first man who conquered Mount Everest was asked by an interviewer about his passions for climbing mountains. He gave this replay “it is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves”
A classical illustration from Bible: Joseph in Genesis 39
The story of Joseph is one of the best-known stories in the Bible. This narrative covers more than a dozen chapters in Genesis and demonstrates that God is actively involved in the lives of His people. Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob and became Jacob’s favorite. Moses writes about this extraordinary birth: “Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, ‘God has taken away my disgrace.’ She named him Joseph, and said, ‘May the LORD add to me another son’” (Genesis 30:22-24). Eventually, his brothers came to hate him and sold him to traders, who also sold him to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, in Egypt (37:1-36). Not only was Joseph taken from his father and sold into slavery, but he also ended up in prison as a result of refusing the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife (39:1-23). In spite of his blameless behavior, Joseph still ended up in prison.
Facing temptation is never easy, and it is likely that Potiphar's wife was fairly tempting for Joseph. A loyal man, Joseph had been prosperous in Potiphar's house, and he was trusted implicitly by Potiphar. What a temptation Joseph faced when Potiphar's wife threw herself at him. Yet, instead of giving into an affair with her, he chose to run away. He refused her over and over again, until one day he left his cloak behind, and she turned and accused him of trying to rape her. Potiphar, believing his wife, had put Joseph in jail where he found favor in the eyes of the prison warden. From there, and through Godly circumstances and intervention, Joseph eventually went on to become the highest official in Egypt at the time.
Joseph faced a lot of different temptations from Potiphar's wife to revenge on the brothers that sold him into slavery. Yet Joseph never wavered from his devotion to the Lord. His actions were always defined by his relationship and faith in God. When he turned down Potiphar's wife, it was with the words, "How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" he practiced self control and discipline even while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did (39:20-23).
We can all learn lessons from Joseph's self-control. It is so easy today to give into the temptations that we face daily. However, God rewards your self-control. Look at Joseph. While he spent a number of years in prison and as a slave, eventually he rose to the highest appointed position in Egypt and even found his family once again. God will eventually reward your self-control and Discipline.
We all face temptations to sin—all our lives. When confronted with temptation, we must strive, as far as possible, to get away from it— flee! Even if you think you have a lot of self-control, don't put it to the test unnecessarily. Consider some of the things we are told to flee: "flee sexual immorality" (as Joseph had to literally flee), "flee from idolatry," flee "all kinds of evil," "flee also youthful lusts" (John 10:5; 1 Corinthians 6:18; 10:14; 1 Timothy 6:10-11; 2 Timothy 2:22).We need self-control to avoid not only outright evil but also too much of the good things. (Proverbs 25:16) Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit.
People often lack the self-restraint to stop when they should. People overeat, over-drink, overspend and overindulge in lots of things. We must rule over our appetites rather than letting our appetites rule us. Overindulgence can lead to intoxication and/or addiction. In either case, the person is then really out of control!
Self-control often means resisting sexual temptations, a subject addressed many times in the Bible. Tragically, standards of morality and modesty are plunging around us. Sexual sins are especially damaging—physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually (1 Corinthians 6:13-20).
Because of lust, even smart people do stupid things. Just think of all the prominent people who've been caught cheating on their spouses! They may be "ruling" over many people, but they fail to rule their own lives. They trade integrity for instant gratification, and everyone loses.
Jesus and the apostles made it clear that God holds us strictly accountable for even sinful thoughts as well as sinful actions. We must wage spiritual warfare, "bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
Jesus said, "Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28). We should follow the example of Job, who said, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl" (Job 31:1, New International Version). And women need to understand how easily they can be partly responsible for men sinning in their minds. When a woman is exposing parts of her body that only her husband should see, others can be tantalized and tempted. Women who want to please God should "resolve this, not to put a stumbling block [a temptation] or a cause to fall [into sin] in our brother's way" (Romans 14:13).
Self-control is an essential quality of good leadership. Not only should spiritual leaders be examples of self-control, but they should also encourage youth in the learning and practice of self-control. Not only are pastors to be examples of self-control, but Sunday school teachers and parents have an obligation to inculcate self-control in those for whom they have a spiritual responsibility. Consider the following few mark of a self controlled person.
People with self-control master their appetites. “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8)
People with self-control watch their words. Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything." (Proverbs 13:3NLT)
People with self-control Guard their heart. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”(Proverbs 4:23)
People with self-control restrain their reactions. Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.." (Proverbs 19:11,NLT)
People with self-control redeem their time. If you don't determine how you will spend your time, then others will decide for you: "Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV)
People with self-control manage their resources. “The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get..” (Proverbs 21:20, NLT)
People with self-control maintain their Body. "Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor--...” (1 Thessalonians 4:4, NLT)
People with self-control maintain self discipline "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline...” (2 Timothy 1:7,)
People with self -control flee from Evil desires. “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22) "Flee sexual immorality" (as Joseph had to literally flee, Genesis 39:12), "flee from idolatry," flee "all kinds of evil," "flee also youthful lusts" (John 10:5; 1 Corinthians 6:18; 10:14; 1 Timothy 6:10-11;).
People with self-control manage their thoughts “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5, New International Version).
People with self -control, deny their self daily. Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23).
The biblical understanding of the term requires crucifixion of the sinful or lower nature by divine grace as we surrender ourselves to the Lord. In Galatians 5:19–21, Paul contrasts the sanctified life with characteristics of the old life: “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness and orgies, and the like.“ All these categories reflect behaviors that are out of control. Self-control enables the believer to overcome sinful and destructive habits, focus on ministering to others, build up the body of Christ, and live in mutual submission to others (Ephesians 5:21), thereby leading a life that is positive and productive in the family, the neighborhood, the church, and place of employment. For example, Paul exhorted the Ephesians churches: “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need” (Ephesians 4:28).
To the Galatians he wrote: “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (5:13,14).
The beauty of self-control is that it is the absolute opposite of selfishness. It is the ability to, no matter what the circumstances, stand firm in righteousness, remaining strong in faith. Life will riddle us with encumbrances, and Satan will fire temptations at us more often than we like. Self-indulgence gives into a little sin here and there, and self-righteousness abstains from sin for the purpose of glorifying self. Self-control, on the other hand, makes self a non-issue and serves Christ as Master over all areas of life. When this fruit of the Spirit is manifested in the lives of believers, they will be able to resist temptation, persevere under fire, and finish the race strongly. This requires discipline by the power of the Spirit so that we don’t become disqualified in our Christian race due to sin. Sin saps the power of God working in and through us. If we want to win the crown of life, then we must have self-control. Self control begins with the control of sinful desires. This requires the work of the Holy Spirit, biblical beliefs, a sound value system, and a healthy view of oneself.
Let me conclude this column with what E. Stanley Jones says about the self under the Christian faith? He said “The self is not a good companion. Modern psychology says three things about the self. Know thyself, accept thyself, and express thyself. I would have to reject this view of personality of the modern psychologist. First of all they say, know yourself. But, you cannot know yourself studying yourself in relationship to yourself and others. You have got to know yourself in relationship to something beyond yourself, higher than yourself' 'God. You have got to know the purposes and that plan. you are a child of God and your destiny is to be made like the son of God. Second, they say accept yourself. But how can you accept an unacceptable self often full of conflicts, confusion, fears, resentments, self-preoccupation and guilt? To tell a man to accept himself under those circumstances is to tell him the impossible. You cannot accept yourself because yourself is not an acceptable self. Third, express yourself. But you get a dozen people together, all of whom want to express themselves, and then what have you got? What is the matter with these things? They lack one thing, and that one thing is the thing that the Christian faith would put into it: Surrender yourself, give back to God the one thing you own, lose it in a higher purpose ' a higher will. The more I belong to God and His Kingdom, the more I belong to myself. Bound to Him, I walk the earth free. I lose my life, but I find it again. So the self is cleansed and because it will live with God, it can live with itself. And if you can live with yourself, you can live with others. I accept myself because I have been accepted by God. I cannot reject what he accepts. I cannot despise what He loves. If He loves me, I love myself. So you find yourself in the place where you can take the second point of psychology, accept yourself. We do now. It is wonderful to be able to live with the self you can accept. Then third, you can express yourself. Why? Because Paul said, FOR ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST.' When I express myself, then I express Him. It is a wonderful thing then to lose your life in a will, a purpose, a higher purpose that your own, and it comes back to you again. The self is not wiped out. You now know yourself, you accept yourself, and you express yourself. These three things can be acceptable because in front of all three of them, you surrender yourself. Yourself in your own hands is a problem and a pain, but yourself in the hands of Christ is a possibility and a power. If you will surrender yourself to Jesus Christ today, you will find yourself again no longer a problem but a power, no longer a conflict but a conqueror. It is wonderful to be His because when you are His, you are your own.’”
"The first and best victory is to conquer self." (Plato)
