Self-Control

WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL BY PATRICE TSAGUE

What does it mean to have self-control?
What does having self-control mean to the Biblical Entrepreneur?
How do you maintain your control?

Self-Control

Do you realize that the number one cause of sin in the life of most Christians is not the devil but a lack of self-control? We constantly blame the devil for things that we have the power to control ourselves. 

Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit. It doesn’t matter how spiritual you think you are, because if you cannot control yourself, you are not spiritual at all. 

The definition of self-control is simple, yet profound: it means to control yourself. It is your God-given ability to choose how you act or react. It is you having restraint over your own impulses, emotions, or desires. You cannot say “the devil made you do it”, because the devil cannot make you do anything that you choose not to do. 

Even God does not make you do anything you do not want to do. That is why, when Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He instructed them to say, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). 

When we invite God’s will to be done, we are choosing to let God guide and lead us, so that our actions may be directed by Him and not by ourselves. It is, however, a choice that we make.

Just as the lack of self-control is the leading cause of sin for many Christians, having self-control is one of the greatest assets of any Biblical Entrepreneur. 

Self-control prevents Biblical Entrepreneurs from:

• Committing adultery
• Over-eating
• Over-drinking
• Fornicating
• Over-spending
• Over-talking
• Over-reacting

Any of these acts are either sinful or can lead one to sin. But the good news is that you have a God-given ability to refrain from engaging in any of them. Someone does not have to lay hands on you or pray for you: if you are a born-again believer, then you have the power inside of you to stop, in the form of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

You can stop, because if you have developed the spiritual fruit of self-control, it means that you – not your emotions, impulses, or desires – are in control of your actions.

What if you are struggling to maintain self-control? How do you take control?

• Accept that you have free will, and take responsibility for all your actions (Deuteronomy 30:19)
• Be willing to suffer and sacrifice for righteousness (Hebrews 12:11)
• Meditate upon God’s Word day and night (Joshua 1:8)
• Walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16)
• Fast if necessary (Matthew 17:20-21)
• Guard your heart with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23)
• Control your thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

Cultivating internal discipline is one of the essential traits of any great leader. A lack of discipline or self-control is an “animal-like” nature, in which you cannot control your passions and appetites. This will ultimately lead to failure in life. What sets human beings apart from animals is that we have the power to choose and respond rationally and with wisdom and self-control, rather than being limited to reacting out of instinct. 

What sets Christians apart from others is that our choices are Spirit-led, and not made with a carnal mindset.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh,  but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. – Romans 8:5-6

My prayer for you today is that God will give you the grace to take responsibility for your actions and that you will choose to be led by the Spirit, exercising self-control in your decisions, rather than being led by the desires of your flesh or by a carnal mindset.