Galatians 5:23

Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Self-control is an important quality that should be part of the character of any human being. The Greek word for self-control is “egkrateia”, which means having command or “mastery over”, or possession of, “one’s own behaviour.”
Without self-control, people give in to all sorts of temptations from the devil and become easily led to acting more out of feeling and emotion rather than acting according to the word of God.

The Holy Spirit is able to teach us and help us to have self-control in our daily lives. Sometimes we need to control our anger; our attitude; our thoughts; our emotions and our actions on a daily basis.
We must understand that we are responsible for our own actions.

2 Timothy 3:1-6

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. ² For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, ⁴ Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; ⁵ Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. ⁶ For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

Paul writes that in the last day people will be “without self-control”. Clearly, a person who does not have self-control is a person who does not submit to rules and to the authority of God. For without self-control, chaos reigns in the life of a person.

The self-control that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit has the following attributes

1. This kind of self-control comes from the Holy Spirit and is dependent on the Spirit of God
2. This kind of self-control recognizes that God is in authority and submits to the will and word of God
3. This kind of self-control has actions and reactions that glorify God. It is not self-centred.
4. This kind of self-control does not only rely on emotions and feelings alone.
5. This kind of self-control allows the Holy Spirit to control every area of a person’s life from the mental, and spiritual to their physical state.

2 Peter 1:5-7

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; ⁶ And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; ⁷ And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

Clearly for a person to grow spiritually, one of the virtues that a person must have is self-control. Many great men have fallen because they lacked self-control. Perhaps they committed adultery or they could not control their temper.

TODAY. Pray for the Holy Spirit to teach you to exercise self-control.