Self-Control: Building Walls of Spiritual Strength

“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”Proverbs 25:28 ESVI stumbled across this Proverb and I just had to take pause to think about it, so let’s discuss it. So God gave us free will to do what we want to do. We can eat unhealthy, smoke, drink excessively or whatever. We have so much stuff out there in the world we have access to. Some good, some bad. We have the freedom and the self-will to choose what we want to. But it takes self control to choose what is godly and beneficial. Self control is not a self taught virtue or something we can achieve by our strength or ability. It is a fruit of the Spirit; we grow in it and learn to overcome and let go of the temptations and the fleshly cravings as we walk in a relationship with the Holy Spirit. Look it isn’t easy. It takes discipline in life to achieve what God has called us to do. I like to compare it to the training and discipline it takes to be successful in racing motocross. To be successful, you have to say “NO” to the bad foods, unhealthy lifestyles and say yes to the cold morning runs, 100 degree cycling and lap after lap of grinding out motos so when the gate drops, you’re ready. But with dedication and time, improvement becomes visible and results are to follow. You learn to embrace “the suck”, or the short term sacrifices to reach the desired long term goal. This is how self control works with our faith. The more we say no and focus on growing our relationship with the Lord, the easier it is to show self control. It becomes second nature. Look, I get it, every Christian will face temptations.“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”1 Corinthians 10:13 As I wrote before, God will never take you where the grace of God Won’t protect you. So let’s pray seeking God’s help to teach us to beat our body down and function in self-control. Be nice. Grace wins.