Fruit of the Spirit: Self Control
LESSON SUMMARY
When we lose control …
It’s not always easy. We have our wants and desires. We have our emotions. Sometimes we get really, really hurt and upset when somebody says something mean, and we react instinctively. Sometimes we really, really want that last cookie or Pringles chip, and it’s hard to stop.
Just like a lion naturally wants to prowl the jungle or roar at a human, our natural self (our sin nature) wants to do bad stuff sometimes. Also, there are some good things that we should do, that our natural self just doesn’t want to do. Again, it takes self-control to do the right things that we are supposed to do. So if we try to control our self by ourselves, it’s very likely that we may fail. We have to learn to allow the Holy Spirit to control us. That’s the way to have self-control.
When the Holy Spirit is in control, I have self-control.
God gives us self-control
Remember, the Fruit of the Spirit is self-control. Fruit means it is the natural result of something — having the Spirit of God in us.
When we accept Jesus into our hearts, we have His Holy Spirit in us.
2 Timothy 1:7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. This means, when we are walking with God and looking to him for guidance, God’s power and love are in our heart and he will help us use self-control when we need to.
Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age … The word grace means “what we do not deserve.” Grace does not mean we can live however we like without caring about others or what God says. Grace is what God gives us so we have the power to make the right choice in every situation. Grace is the reason we can exercise self-control and have all of the fruit of the spirit in our lives.
As we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, instead of our “self”, He helps us to exercise self-control in our thoughts, words and actions.
When the Holy Spirit is in control, I have self-control.
