Proverbs 25 tells us that “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.”
If we had more self-control almost everything we do would be improved. So how do we build our self-control? The same way we build muscle- slowly, through regular exercise at the right level. We don’t expect overnight results (or shouldn’t!!) with weightlifting so why do we do it with one of these acts of spiritual discipline?
Self-control is one of the fruits of the spirit as detailed to us by Paul in the book of Galatians but it doesn’t come automatically, it needs to be worked at so it needs goals, takes effort and requires discipline.
Building spiritual muscle
So how do you build this spiritual muscle group?
You have to train yourself to do it by starting at the right level. Just like you don’t start by bench pressing 250lbs you don’t do the same thing here. Start with realistic goals and start to work towards improvement, not perfection. That’s for Heaven. Start with small things: skip eating that cookie, don’t buy the magazine at the checkout, lose a swear word, order a smaller size. Start by picking small battles you can win.
Be realistic, don’t live in a fantasy world of what you think you can accomplish. Be realistic when it comes to temptation and have an action plan to deploy against our enemy who wants us to fail.
Just like having the right training goal, self-control requires a plan then the choices to stick with it. Stay clear of what your goals are and then don’t let yourself get sidetracked. Once you have that you can move into the practical elements of then practicing self-control.
What does self control look like?
What does that look like?
Self-control is a state of calm. If you’re worked up that needs to be addressed through things like controlled breathing. This is an excellent technique to also help lower an elevated heart rate. Exercise also helps with this. Be sure you’re doing something physical every day. Try to walk and stretch. The interesting thing is success here then helps to build self-control. There’s a connection! Not surprisingly, physical activity improves our overall self-control. It’s not people who have self-control who exercise, its people who exercise who have self-control.
There’s a lot more I could say about this but I hope you get the point. Don’t just throw up your hands and say “the devil made me do it”, that’s not biblical. The book of James tells us our enemy can’t make us do ANYTHING. Focus your willpower and thoughts, recognize your limits, don’t do too many stressful activities, take a break, find time to rest and play. You can control yourself!
