Add Self-Control to Your Faith

2 Peter 1:5-7

If you have ever been to a circus, you were probably amazed by the lion tamers. A trainer stands in a cage surrounded by massive, powerful lions. Although these beasts could easily tear the trainer to pieces, they respond to commands and perform tricks instead. The trainer has successfully brought the lions’ raw power under control.

Mastering Our Inner Desires

As Christians, we must perform a similar feat in our daily lives. Living a godly life requires us to master our inner desires. We all have the ability to hurt others with our words or actions, but we must choose restraint. We might struggle with laziness or procrastination, yet we must push ourselves to be diligent (hardworking) servants.

Just like a lion tamer controls wild beasts, we must train our desires and bring them under the control of a spirit dedicated to Jesus.

Controlling the Tongue

One of the most important areas of self-control is our speech. The tongue is like a wild animal that can easily destroy our relationships and our own souls.

In James 3:1-12, James warns that while the tongue is small, it can curse both humans and God, and no human can tame it on their own. Therefore, we must strive to control it to the best of our ability.

To train our tongues, we should:

• Resist the temptation to gossip, lie, or insult others.
• Focus on finding positive things to say.
• Use our words for edification (building up and encouraging others).
• Offer humble and loving rebukes only when necessary, keeping the other person’s spiritual well-being in mind.

Managing Our Longings

We must also keep our physical and emotional desires in check. The Devil often uses our own natural desires to pull us away from God (James 1:14).

Desire itself is not automatically sinful, but it becomes wrong when directed toward what God has forbidden. For example, physical intimacy is a blessing within marriage, but coveting (wrongly desiring) someone else’s spouse is a sin.

Even when our temptations feel overwhelming, we can overcome them:

• God promises to give us the strength to endure temptation.
• We may need to remove ourselves physically from tempting situations.
• We should reach out to trusted friends for support during difficult moments.

Checking Our Temper

A Christian must also control their temper. As James wrote:

the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

In the business world or modern society, losing one’s temper is often tolerated or even expected. However, Christians are called to a higher standard.

While anger is a natural emotion, the improper expression of anger is what leads to sin. We must learn to express frustration in a dignified way that does not injure or demean others. We must bring our temper under the control of a calm, Christ-like spirit.

Choosing Positive Action

Finally, we must practice positive self-control, which we can think of as self-direction. Self-control is not just about stopping bad behaviors; it is also about starting good ones.

God commands us to do many things that might feel uncomfortable or embarrassing. We must overcome our fears and anxieties to obey Him. For instance, we might hesitate to call a sick friend because we are afraid of saying the wrong thing. Self-control helps us push past that fear and do what is right anyway.

Using self-direction helps us:

• Limit distractions that pull us away from Bible study and prayer.
• Prioritize time spent building up our families and loved ones.
• Discipline ourselves to pray or study even when we do not feel like it.

Just like starting a tough workout, once we take the first step, we are always glad we did.

Add self-control to your faith, and watch your spiritual life grow.