Exercising Self-Control

 My One Word for 2026, as you know if you've been reading here this year, is self-control.  It's been a challenging year for me, with plenty of opportunities to see if I am being obedient to the Holy Spirit as He brings conviction in areas of my life where there is definite need of growth when it comes to self-control.

I've struggled from the beginning with where the balance comes in between self-control as the fruit of the Spirit and our own responsibility to exercise this fruit.  In my daily Scripture writing process, 2 Peter 1:4-7 caused me to do a bit of study and seeking out some commentaries.  First, let me share the Scripture with you.

"For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral [b]excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love."

Meditating on these verses led me to a sermon by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in which he aptly expounded on what the wrong view of faith is. "Wrong view of faith is seeing faith as something magical that requires no effort or discipline.  Faith requires diligent effort and discipline."

From my notes about this, "The first cause identified is having a wrong view of faith - seeing faith as something magical that requires no effort or discipline. Faith requires diligent effort and discipline.

The second cause is laziness, indolence and a lack of discipline. Life requires discipline and effort to overcome these tendencies. 

The remedies prescribed are:

Give diligence and make every effort to live a disciplined Christian life. Discipline is essential.

Supplement your faith with virtue (moral energy), knowledge (insight and understanding), temperance (self-control), patience (endurance), godliness (right attitude to God), brotherly kindness and charity (love).

Remember what you have in Christ - you are partakers of the divine nature and have escaped the corruption of the world. This should motivate you.

Diligence in the Christian life leads to assurance, joy, avoiding falls, and an abundant entrance into heaven.”

This was a help with my struggle as some had shared with me that because self-control was the fruit of the Spirit, I need not do anything.  

During the month of April, I followed SHERRY'S Scripture writing plan because it dealt the entire month with the subject of self-control.  I totally enjoyed this practice of reading, writing, and meditating on these Scriptures that dealt with self-control, many of which did not have the word self-control in them, but the idea was certainly there.  As I was about midway through the month of April, I began to notice one very common theme, and it continued on to the end of the month.  That theme was FOCUS.  In all of the circumstances that the verses presented the outcome was pointing to Christ.  Galatians 5:16-17 was especially helpful when it comes to FOCUS.

"16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh [a]sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you [b]please."

My notes included these thoughts, "walking by the Spirit keeps me from carrying out the desires of the flesh.   A battle between the flesh and the Spirit is always going on." What I began noticing was when I keep my focus on Christ, actually taking my sin of lack of self-control back to the cross and remembering the price that Christ paid for my redemption, it increases my desire to live a life worthy of His calling me to Himself. And through that process there is a growing desire in my heart to please Him. Having a lack of self-control does not please Him and so I have begun to FOCUS on HIM rather than myself. While I don't do it perfectly every time, it is definitely making a difference.

Also, in my devotional reading by Alistair Begg, I came across these thoughts of his on anger, which I felt tied right in with "self-control".

"In many cases, a fast flow of words is the sign of a quick temper. The individual who talks a lot is often greatly opinionated and grows angry when other people don't share their strength of feeling." In his relating to James 1:20 which says, "anger does not produce the righteousness of God" in our lives. He goes on to say, "Our intensity, focus, and emphasis, if driven by self-centered annoyance or anger, do not ultimately work God's righteous purposes. It is God's Word that transforms your life. Aspire to be someone transformed: to listen well to God's word and to those around you by being slower to speak and slower to grow cross, so that you will grow in and help others grown in the kind of life that God desires."