When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord of our life, we begin to receive and experience certain gifts from Him. The Bible describes these gifts as the Fruit of the Spirit. In Galatians 5:22-23 we are told that the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This week’s Fruit is self-control.

The dictionary tells me that self-control is:
Control of one's emotions, desires, or actions by one's own will.

Using my own will to implement self-control has proven very difficult. You may have also had the experience of losing control. As always, the Bible gives the guidelines. The majority of these guidelines have to do with our relationship with others.

James 1:19 advises that we should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

In Ephesians 4, Paul urges his readers to act in accordance of their calling as Christians, and to accept one another in love, behaving with humility, gentleness and patience.

• Love: click here for Love - A Fruit of the Spirit
  
• Humility is being humble and behaving with meekness and modesty and not being arrogant or prideful.
  
• Gentleness is being kind, friendly, good-natured and tender.
  
• Patience: click here for Patience - A Fruit of the Spirit

Using self-control in what we say is well covered in the book of Proverbs in the Bible.

• Being careful in what we say protects our life, while being careless may ruin everything. Proverbs 13:3
  
• Talking too much makes sin unavoidable. The wise person controls how much he says. Proverbs 10:19
  
• Showing contempt for your neighbor is not the smart thing to do. A wise person keeps silent. Proverbs 11:12
  
• The person who loses his temper easily is a fool. The wise person will quietly ignore insults. Proverbs 12:16
  
• A gentle answer will turn away someone’s anger while harsh words will only provoke it. Proverbs 15:1
  
• A wise person says little and remains calm. Proverbs 17:27
  
• See also: Proverbs 15:4 and 28, 16:23, 17:14,27 and 28, 21:23 and 24:26

As Christians, God gives us self-control as a Fruit of the Spirit but it still is not an easy thing to use unless we trust Him every step of the way. Just reading these verses or memorizing them will not cause us to always be in control of ourselves, although it will help. Prayerfully consider each verse, and ask God to give you the power of using self-control.

Complete listing of the Fruit of the Spirit.