“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”          Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV

We are in our last week of the fruits of the spirit. Self-control is our topic of discussion for this week. Self-control is pretty self-explanatory. (Pun intended!) We control ourselves; our emotions, our actions, our thoughts, our desires, our tongues, in order to live a life reflective of the Spirit of God. It does cover a lot of ground!

Needless to say, we all fall short of perfection, actually we all probably fall short of acceptable! We all struggle, and we all have our own areas where self-control seems to be just out of reach. I tend to be a stress eater, I overeat whenever I feel very stressed or anxious (which is a whole other topic!). I know I should take the stress and anxiety to the Lord in prayer and then I might not have the overeating issue, but sometimes my self-control deserts me under the strain.

I always regret it and God is always faithful to forgive me when I lapse. I strive to handle each day better than the day before and the Lord is with me to strengthen my self-control. Because, as a fruit of the spirit, it is only with the help of the Spirit that we can exercise true self-control for ourselves.

I want to share one of my favorite verses about self-control (self-discipline). “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and of self-discipline.” II Timothy 1:7 NIV God provides us with the power and love we need to master our bodies and our minds. We just have to receive it in thanksgiving and prayer. And apply all our efforts in order to master our fruit of the spirit of self-control. Sometimes we over control one area of our lives because another part is beyond our control. God understands and can also provide the strength for balance in our lives.

This verse from Proverbs tells us where our priorities should be. “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. Proverbs 16:32 It is better to be patient and slow to anger, than to be a mighty warrior. It is better to have control over self, than to be the warrior who takes a city. Control over ourselves comes before we can be all that God has intended for our lives.

This week let’s be aware of our self-control issues and let’s look to our God and Creator to bless us with all of the fruits of the spirit.

I thank God for each of you! And I thank you for joining me for our study of the fruits of the spirit. We continue to strive to reflect our Father and His Son in all our actions and attitudes. Blessings for all!!