Fruit of the Spirit is Self-Control

http://www.discipleshiptools.org/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=4166&view=post&articleid=36693

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Self-Control is allowing God to be in control of your will and heart and seeking the Spirit to enable us.

Is the Self-Control working in you?

Here is how you can find out. Take a careful look at this Fruit of Self-Control from God's most precious Word by examining the passages below. Now ask yourself:

1. How do I exhibit Self-Control in my daily life?
2. What can I do to develop a better attitude of Self-Control?
3. What blocks Self-Control from working and being exhibited in me?
4. How can I make Self-Control function better, stronger and faster even in times of uncertainly and stress?

Galatians 5:22-23
Self-Control (Prov. 16:32; 25:28; Rom 13:12-14; I Cor. 6:12; 9:25-27; 1Thess. 5: 22; Titus 2:12; Heb. 12:2; II Pet. 1:5-7) is allowing God to be in control of your will and heart and seeking the Spirit to enable us. Then we will know what not to do and guard the areas we are weak in. This will allow us to have discipline and restraint with obedience to God and others. It is not letting distractions derail or remove us from His will and plan so we will not be held back with what Christ called us to do.
Self-indulgence is the opposite, from eating a pound of chocolate at once or partying your way to oblivion. Too much excess will leave you empty and alone, it will at best cause us to gain a lot of weight and lose your friends and at worst lose your life and miss out on our heavenly reward! Self-indulgence seeks what is fleeting when we as a Christian are made for eternity.
· Here are positive examples from Scripture (Gen. 39:6-18; II Sam. 16:5-13; Dan. 1:8-16)
· Here is are negative examples from Scripture (Gen. 3:1-7; Nub. 20:7-12; II Sam. 13:1-19; I Kings 21:1-7)
Further Questions

1. How would you define Self-Control?

2. What are the things that lure you to be self-indulgent?

3. How does the excess of life counteract Self-Control?

4. What happens to our relationships with God and others when we relinquish self-control?

5. When have you been filled with Self-Control the most?

6. In what situation did you fail to have Self-Control in which you should have?

7. What issue is in your life that would improve with more Self-Control?

8. Think through the steps you need to take to put Self-Control into action in a specific instance. Such as how can you place safe guards against the areas in your life where you are weak in? Or how can you avoid situations, things, certain people and places that may cause you to lose control? Or how can you balance having joy and fun so they do not become excess that lead to sin?

Self-Control is not the subject of the media; you may perhaps never see a movie with this as the premise because it is anti-climatic and perhaps boring. The world wants us to grab all of the gusto that we can, go for that brass ring regardless of the consequences or who we step on to get it or taking the responsibility of our actions. Yet, Christ is calling us by His example and Word to seek what is in eternity that is permanent and lasting not what is fleeting and empty. Christ was our greatest example from the humbleness of the incarnation through Gethsemane to the Cross He was the perfect model of self-control! Self-control will be the key to inner strength that will help deliver us from fear, depression, harm and the pain of life by being focused on Christ and not our circumstances. Christ's strength in us that we cannot do on our own! And the key to receive this strength is our surrender to His Lordship over all aspects of our lives! Remember God wants us to have fun too and enjoy life; we are not to be prudes at the same time we are not to seek sin either!

Remember, we make the fruits by taking His yoke so it will create the blossom, and when we keep His yoke (growth in our faith and practice of being a disciple) you will bear the fruit. It is what we are to Christ not so much what we do in His name.