“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22-23) We are called to be in the world, but not of the world and those nine characteristics are what set us apart and make us different. Of those nine kinds of fruit listed, I have written about five of them and written quite often about love. Over the next couple of weeks I want to consider those other four characteristics that are manifestations of the Holy Spirit residing within us.
Self-control is listed last, but I believe it may be just as important and impressive as love. Every fruit of the Holy Spirit sets Christians apart from the world. But in a world where self-indulgence, selfishness and egotism are rampant, self-control highlights the difference Christ can make in a way that will get the world’s attention.
There are three areas where self-control is needed most. First, we need to control our urges. Each of us has certain sins that are more attractive to us than others. The enemy knows our weaknesses and will attack us in those areas. It is only through the prompting and power of the Holy Spirit that we can resist the urge to slip back into old sinful habits. “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.” (Romans 8:12) When we follow the urges and prompting of the Holy Spirit instead, we are transformed from death into life.
Second, we need to control our temper. Anger can eat away at us from within and destroy our relationships. Anger only makes matters worse, never better. “A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool- tempered person stops them.” (Proverbs 48:18) “Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper – it only leads to harm.: (Psalms 17:8) Jesus said, “If you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” (Matthew 5:22)
Finally, we need to control our communications. Words matter and so do tone and body language. “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” (Proverbs 18:21) James 3:3-10 tells us the power of the tongue for good and evil and how hard it is to tame. When we turn to the Holy Spirit for this fruit, we will find ourselves listening more instead of thinking about what we are going to say next. Then, He will help us say things that are true, positive and useful.
If we rely on help from the Holy Spirit to control these areas of our life, can we still call it self-control? Yes! The Holy Spirit does not prompt us or provide us with strength without our express permission and obedience. True self-control can’t happen without our obedient response to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.