Developing a Christ-like character: Self Control

This week we start a new series looking at the key aspects of the Christian character. Over the next few weeks we will explore how Jesus wants to develop our character to make us more like Him.

All too often we fall into the trap of respecting and honouring a person’s gifting and skills above everything else. We honour the great preacher or teacher, the gifted evangelist or healer. Whilst it is right to honour our leaders and gifted men and women of God, we must be careful to remember that God does not reward or place great emphasis on a person’s gifting but rather focuses on our character.  

This week we will look at self control. Self control is being able to do the right thing and make the right choice regardless of the temptations around us. It is the strength to say 'no' to both the inner voices in our head and the voices of people around us, and 'yes' to the Holy Spirit’s leading and to God’s word.

Self control needs to be exercised in every part of our lives. This includes what we eat and drink, how we spend our money, how we control anger and other emotions, how we speak to and about one another, what we do with our time including the amount of time we spend sleeping, watching TV or on the computer, how we relate to one another including how we control our sexuality and resist lustful thoughts and actions, how we spend our time at work etc.

Self-control is critical to our ability to resist the Devil and to stand firm in the face of temptation. Proverbs 25:28 says:

'Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls'.

So how do we develop self control?

Self control comes with maturity, both physical and spiritual maturity. Little children have very little self control. When they want a packet of sweets, they want it NOW! They don't want to listen to why it's a good idea to wait until after tea, or about the fact that sugar is bad for their teeth, or why you don't want to spend any more money. All they can think about is those sweets – their desire for them is the loudest voice in their head. As children grow older, they develop the ability to listen to other voices too and to make wise choices. Similarly as Christians we gradually understand God’s word, learn to hear God’s voice and to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. We recognise when we are being tempted to sin and we learn to resist Satan’s lies. 

In Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus demonstrated great self control in the wilderness when tempted by Satan.

"1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 

      ‘ He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and,
      ‘ In their hands they shall bear you up,
      Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’ ” 8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” '

In this passage Jesus showed great self control. Even in His physical weakness from fasting for 40 days He was able to resist the Devil. He achieved this firstly because He was in the will of God having been 'led by the Spirit' into the wilderness and having obeyed the Holy Spirit’s leading, and secondly because He resisted the Devil by quoting the word of God in each of the areas Satan tempted Him.

We need to do likewise. We need to recognise that self-control is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. 

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

We need to continually be filled with the Spirit and we need to submit our will to the Spirit’s leading. We also need to recognise that the Sword of the Spirit is the word of God and use this sword to resist the Devil when he tempts us. Only by applying God’s word to every situation will we be able to resist temptation and have freedom and self control in our lives.  

God desires that we have self control in every area of our lives and has provided us with the tools to achieve this. Let’s look honestly at the areas in our lives where we struggle to exercise self control.  Let’s bring God’s word into these situations resisting the Devil, not with strength of mind and will power but with the Holy Spirit and the word of God.  

Remain blessed and highly favoured. 
Paul Thomson (MR)