Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.
Proverbs 25:28
Does anyone else have trouble controlling themselves when leftover Halloween candy is around? Chocolate is one of my weaknesses and I pretty much like ALL the chocolate unless it has coconut in it. This is one of many areas where I often lack self-control. Others include shopping, coffee, wine, and sometimes my mouth (meaning what comes out of it). Oh, and bread. If Satan tempted me in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights, I would be hangry and am pretty sure I would have quickly given in to the bread. In what areas do you struggle with self-control?
What exactly is self-control? It involves delaying an impulse or gratification for a greater purpose or cause. Self-control certainly isn’t easy. If more people demonstrated it, the prisons, hospitals, and courts would have a lot less business!
Self-control is mentioned as one of the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” There might be a reason that it is the last listed as it may be the toughest to master.
We are tempted by the things of this world every day. And who takes advantage of this? In the words of the Church Lady, “Could it be….Satan?” Once we give in, Satan gets a stronghold in our lives and will work as hard as he can for his influence to bleed into other areas.
So, what do we do? First, we must recognize our weaknesses. Some of us are tempted by binging on food and/or drink, others by gambling, others by shopping, others by sex – the list could go on. If we are aware of our temptations, we can take our struggles to God and ask for His help in overcoming them. We should also try to examine our lives and remove those things that tempt our self-control. If you struggle with gambling, don’t take a trip to Las Vegas. If you binge on food, watch what you keep in your pantry. You get the picture.
What if we fail in our quest to demonstrate self-control? We are human and probably will from time to time. Ask for forgiveness from God, forgive yourself, and move on.
REFLECT:
What is one area of your life where you are doing well in exercising self-control? And I mean something difficult, not refraining from eating Brussel Sprouts!
What is an area that you would like to work on? What will do to achieve this?
