What is self-control?
Self-control is nothing more than the strength that God grants to man, through his Holy Spirit. This so that he does not get carried away by his thoughts, emotions, words or actions and deny sin. On Galatians 5: 16-25 it is expressed that the life of the sinful is full of disorder, immorality and dissatisfaction. Therefore, those who act with self-control turn away from everything that displeases Jehovah.
The biblical term self-control states that it gives human beings the ability to choose what they want to think, feel, say, and do. Which means that you are free to choose the path you want. Also, if you exercise temperance you will show that thanks to the work of the Spirit you have authority over your flesh.
You will have temperance whenever the strength of God is within you and when healing is part of your life. It is wrong to think that to obtain self-control you only need will and decision, the truth is that to leave sins or bad habits such as resentment, hatred and impure thoughts, you must have the grace and help of Christ.
If you live with self-control, you will be allowing your life to be full of dreams and Faith. To achieve this, you must prepare for the battle and begin your path towards personal growth.
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Importance of self control
Temperance is a well-known term today, as it is a state that many Christians want to achieve. Self-control allows you to control your emotions and not get carried away by them. In this way, people who possess it are able to put limits on sinful desires and move away from them.
Therefore, self-control becomes essential to enjoy life with a conscious and success-oriented attitude, flying above the storms that occur daily.
Having self-control will allow you to exercise self-control over yourself, which will cause you to adopt the best attitude on a daily basis. This regardless of the positive or negative circumstances that come your way.
The main enemy of human beings who follow God is not Satan, but themselves. Therefore, self-control is the only way you can remain free and victorious in life in Christ.
Meaning of having your own domain
Having self-control means being good people, who do not get carried away by their thoughts or by those of others. The Bible offers all human beings some qualities that define the person who carries temperance on a daily basis. These are:
- To have self-control is to be patient above all things, even above courage.
- To pray well it is important that you stay sober and with a clear mind.
- They live to increase the knowledge of Christ. Precisely for this reason, you must maintain your faith, virtue and understanding towards the word.
- They are disciplined and run until they reach their goals.
- They control their body, soul and live in a healthy way.
- They are productive when releasing words. This is how they manage to control impulses.
- They keep their judgment sound and do not change it for that of others.
- They remove any trace of sinful desires.
- He who carries self-control with him overlooks insults and ill-treatment.
Remember that if you try to overcome carnal desires with your own strength, it will be a heavy burden. On the other hand, if you seek Christ daily and follow the Holy Spirit as your guide, you will see real changes and achieve a state of self-control. Seek to be filled with God to obtain the self-control you need in your life.
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What does self-control depend on?
You must know that self-control doesn't come overnight. This will depend on your love and dedication to God. In general, it's impossible to possess self-control without first believing in the words of the Bible.
Discipline is the secret to success, meaning that if you're tied to vices, you won't be able to escape them easily. You must set new goals and become a believer in God to make the work easier. Self-control and liberation are sown little by little, so you must begin to follow the Holy Spirit.
The strength of your temperance will depend on the desire you have to follow Christ. You must have self-control when speaking, acting, making an important decision, and even learning.
Although no one is born self-controlled, all people have a little of this state within them. In this way, you will develop it as you grow and begin to make your decisions.
As exposed in several verses of the Bible, one must first learn to say no to sins in order to gain self-control. Because not having it is a problem that affects many, and worse still, many others don't even know they have it.
What is self domain used for?
The Bible teaches its readers that self-control can be used in several specific areas. This means you can have a state of temperance to identify decisions that may violate the holy scriptures.
Having self-control will allow you to break the bonds you have with vices, such as alcohol, drugs, lies and adultery. Every believer who carries the Holy Spirit in his heart will be able to make use of temperance.
- To resist temptation: human beings are exposed to many temptations, so one of the goals of self-control is to help believers not get carried away by them and follow the instructions of the Lord.
- To control the character: self-control serves to control character. If you have temperance, instead of reacting immediately, you will take your time to meditate on any situation.
- To monitor emotions: the fool unleashes his anger. Your emotions can be a dirty trick, and satan takes advantage of that. Self-control will help you dissipate your frustrations so that you act according to God's will.
- To take care of words: temperance serves to monitor that your words are correct to bless other people.
- To lead an integrated sexual life: Regardless of your marital status, the Bible indicates that all human beings should lead a healthy sexual life. Self-control prevents you from falling into temptation and draws you into the arms of God.
- To avoid eating or drinking too much: While it's necessary for people to eat and drink, this shouldn't be done for pleasure or in an uncontrolled manner. Temperance will help you maintain a healthy relationship with food.
What is life like without self-control?
The lack of self-control shows the little love for God. Leading a life without temperance means that you are immature and have no character. That is not to say that people do not make mistakes in having this state of balance, since everyone sins at some time.
However, when a person constantly hurts other people and breaks God's rules, it is because his self-control is weak.
Today, many people are in prison for lack of self-control, others have lost their jobs, broken marriages, failed to achieve their goals, or are facing health problems.
For Christians, self-control is about resisting the temptation to break God's law, so without it there would be no trace of the Holy Spirit in your prayers. Therefore, it can be understood how important it is to have temperance in the lives of believers, since without it they will become impure people, not worthy of having a relationship with Christ.
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People without self-control
If you do not have self-control, you will live every day in a battle with yourself. This will cause the appearance of frustration, anger, anguish and negative feelings, which can damage your mind, heart, body and spirit.
In general, a person without self-control acts and lives in the following way:
- They cannot control their body, desires or thoughts.
- They are always anxious and at constant risk.
- They live without any kind of reins and do not control their actions, words or looks.
- They fail to achieve success, due to their lack of Faith.
- People without dominion are prey to the enemy.
- They are fragile at heart and can be easily manipulated.
- They do not possess wisdom or prudence.
- They allow themselves to be seduced by sin.
- They do not know how to make correct decisions and tend to make mistakes by acting impulsively.
In this way, it is easy to understand that when you live without self-control you will be in a permanent battle with yourself, which will lead you to be reckless, to make wrong decisions, to carry out hasty actions, to have low self-esteem and regrets, to be insecure, to do wrong, to destroy relationships and many other things that will prevent you from achieving peace.
Steps to have discipline and self-control
If you want to have self-control, it's essential that you follow some steps and abandon certain attitudes. All human beings are tempted by evil desires, so it's essential that you accept that you lack self-control and strive to achieve it. Afterward, you can begin your journey toward balance and discipline.
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Leave the past behind and recognize the value of your life
Do not cling to the mistakes made, it is important that you free your mind and spirit from the past if you want to have self-control. It is always time to change, so free yourself from your sins and recognize the value of life.
If you plan to act with discipline, do not pay attention to the bad comments and think that everything you set out to do can be achieved. However, always remember to honor the value of your life and fulfill the mission for which you were created.
In general, to have self-control you must first accept what you are worth, recognize your talents and walk all towards a life of excellence. Avoid sad states, since the only way to overcome the past is to throw yourself into the future with all your heart.
Do not let yourself be influenced by what you feel
Although, sometimes feelings are stronger than reason. It is necessary that you learn to control them, since it will depend on this that you can live in peace. It does not mean that you should feel comfortable with everything, but accept that many things do not turn out as expected.
When you accept what happens in your life you can begin to control your feelings and impulses. The secret of spiritual success is found in your daily routine, so if you want to achieve it, you need to maintain a disciplined attitude.
If things don't work out, leave them in Christ's hands. He will guide you.
Recognize the lies of the ego
Not having self-control means being a fragile person, who is carried away by unrealistic thoughts. It is possible that your mind will fill you with ideas to make your effort less important, for example:
- everything is difficult for you
- You are weak, you cannot achieve anything.
- There is something wrong with you, because you don't work.
- You are different from the others.
Recognize these lies in your mind, question them, renounce them and come closer to the arms of God.
Recognize sabotaging thoughts
To control your feelings and emotions it is necessary that you first recognize the self-sabotaging thoughts that accompany you daily. Only then can you live a life of excellence.
Some of the most common self-sabotaging thoughts among believers seeking self-control are:
- It will take a long time, I won't be able to get there.
- I won't make it today.
- I better start when everything is aligned in my life.
- Money is everything.
- I don't want to leave my friends behind.
- More success means trouble.
Report to the right person
Being accountable to someone can be exhausting, unless it's to God. He will always support and encourage you to continue your pursuit of self-control. If you truly want to have self-control, find someone in your church, approach them, and say, "I have this problem."
Pray and stay away from all those people who can weaken your self control. Plan ahead for any situation to avoid falling into temptation. If you are currently tempted to sin, immediately get away from that impure place.
Trust in the power of God
Finally, if you want to have self-control, trust God and follow Him. To live with temperance you must carry Christ in your heart and in your mind, since he is the only one who can help you achieve the state of balance that you so desire.
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Who is the best example of self-control?
There has never been a greater example of self-control than that of Jesus. Even while suffering on the cross, he managed to remain silent. Even when deceived, he forgave and demonstrated a pure soul. He never boasted about his power and knew how to obey God to the very end. Even though he was attacked, insulted, and murdered, he carried Christ and the Holy Spirit in his heart.
In this way, the Bible expresses that Jesus was never a slave to any sin. Although he took on human form and was exposed to the desires of the earth, his secret to self-control was to live in communion with the father.
On the other hand, there were other people who lacked self-control. For example, David lacked self-control when he committed adultery with Bathsheba; Gehazi allowed himself to be dominated by power and money; while Lot's wife lost self-control because of her love of material goods.
Without a doubt, having self-control is not an easy task; you must do your part and surrender your life to God if you wish to experience a state of balance. Keep in mind that self-control is like a muscle, which you must exercise day after day.
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