The Power of Self-Control
Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.
Proverbs 25:28
Did you ever see Jesus lose self-control? When he turned over the tables and drove out the animals, did he lose self-control? No, Jesus stopped made a whip to drive out the animals and displayed righteous anger. The Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, never lose control because God is always in control. Losing self-control is caused by losing control of our emotions, and not living the moment in Godly wisdom. We are to be Christ-like therefore we should walk in Godly wisdom and not yield to Satan’s temptations to be controlled by our emotions.
A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel. (Proverbs 15:8) Most all of us have said things from an emotion of anger that we wish we could take back. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. (Matthew 12:36) This is frightening verse but we thank the Lord because we have forgiveness. Christians are destined to conform to the likeness of Christ which means we control our words and actions, and respond with Godly wisdom.
How do we overcome our lack of self-control, especially if we had never learned self-control in our youth? I had an anger problem starting at the age of seven and it took three years for the Lord enable me to control my anger at the of sixty-two. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can attain self-control. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) If our hearts are filled with the Lord’s love and with patience, we can begin to gain control over our emotions.
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,(James 1:19) If we are slow to speak, we can call on the Lord for wisdom instead of being controlled by our emotions. Self-control starts by calling on the Lord and through his power we can be in control. Self-control is powerful when ministering to people, because it enables us to reveal Godly wisdom and security in Christ in all circumstances. We are secure and confident because our self-worth comes from our identity in Christ.
Today, live in the power of self-control, and don’t let the world cause your emotions to take control. Live in the power of God and minister to the lost world. We cannot minister to the world without self-control because the world can make us angry if we let it.
Prayer: Lord, give me self-control so I can reveal your love and wisdom in all circumstances. Let my self-control show your love, power, and security that overcomes the world. This will be a powerful witness for your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen