Self-control … the last piece in the Hold On to Your Fruit! series.
Ugh. Considering all the fruit of the Spirit, holding on to self-control is my biggest challenge.
There are certain areas of my life where I easily lose control. Food, for one. Maybe it goes back to my childhood … Eat everything on your plate. Children are starving in parts of the world. Don’t waste your food.
So, even today, I feel the need to clean my plate. That wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t fill my plate at every meal. Two scrambled eggs, three strips of pan fried bacon, home fried potatoes, and two slices of toast with butter and jelly. Yum! Breakfast is my favorite meal.
And that wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t follow it with a cheeseburger, French fries, and a chocolate milkshake for lunch.
Then, there’s dinner. Or supper. Depending on what part of the country you’re from. An eight-ounce steak, loaded baked potato, and fried okra. And bread … a warm, fluffy roll or two. With butter. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
Oh, and don’t forget dessert. I love dessert. Chocolate brownie. Or cheesecake. Ice cream maybe with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and a cherry on top.
I’m out of control.
Seriously, I don’t eat like that. Not anymore. I’m all about eating healthy these days. But it’s not easy. It takes self-control and a lot of prayer. I want to be healthy so I will feel good, have energy throughout the day, and avert heart disease and other health issues. More importantly, I want to remain healthy so I can glorify God and be the best I can be for my family. I have to practice self-control when it comes to food choices.
Self-control is not just about food though, is it? There are so many areas of our lives that require self-control.
Our thoughts.
Our words.
Our reactions to people.
And it’s not just what we shouldn’t do or say, it is also about what we should do. Like read the Bible, pray, exercise. These require self-control too.
Whether we concede to do or not do something, there are consequences. Going back to the example of food, poor food choices often result in weight gain and potential health issues. Some of us get the I want it now! mindset and any self-control we might have had goes out the window.
The temptation is not the problem. It is our yielding to the temptation that gets us into trouble.
I don’t know about you, but when I see a bag of chips or a chocolate bar, there’s almost always a momentary lapse in judgment—I must have it now!—followed by Ugh. Why did I just eat that?
Geraldine Jones, a character on The Flip Wilson Show (produced in the 1970s) was known for saying, “The devil made me do it.” Don’t let Geraldine fool you. No one, not even the devil, can make us do anything that we do not choose to do.
Yielding to cravings of the flesh or the mind takes our ability to control our thoughts and actions and gives that control to another person, thing, or activity.
“…you are slaves of the one you obey…”
Oswald Chambers said that once we have given control to another person, place, or activity, “No release or escape from it will ever come from any human power, but only through the power of redemption.” The power that comes through our redemption, through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, enables us to break the control of sin in our lives and restores our ability to control our actions. Ironically, we gain self-control by yielding our control to God.
So how do we yield control to God?
Here’s what works for me (let me assure you I am a work in progress):
- I step up to Daddy God daily, surrender to Him, and choose to do things His way.
- I step in to Jesus, my teacher, and walk with Him—following His example.
- I step out with the Holy Spirit, my guide and comforter, allowing Him to direct my steps.
Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Come near to God and he will come near to you.
I find freedom in giving control to God. How about you?
How do you hold on to self-control?
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Read the entire series–Hold On to Your Fruit!
