The Fruit of Self-Control

“But the fruit of the Spirit is…self-control”—Galatians 5:23

Out of all of the fruits of the Spirit, this one is the one that changed my life. I, like you, have certain sins that I struggle with. And if you are anything like me, you know what it’s like to struggle with the same sins for years and years. There was a point in time in my life when I was tired of fighting the same battle over the same sin. I was tired of confessing the same thing, tired of making the same resolutions, and tired of asking forgiveness for what seemed like the millionth time. I wanted to give up. It was one of the lowest points of my life. However, it was just at this low moment that God brought this verse to my mind. God wanted me to understand that if His Spirit was in me, then I had the ability to control myself—which means that I could say “no” to sin. I didn’t have to do what my sinful desire dictated I do.

This may not seem like a radical concept to you, but it was to me. It was the first time that I realized that I didn’t have to sin. I had always believed the lie that I had to gratify my sinful desire. I couldn’t have pleasure without it. I had to do whatever it told me to. But God wanted me to understand that I didn’t have to any more. I could control myself. And I began to see my sin in a whole new light.

Allow me to explain. The Bible teaches us that we are slaves to sin, which means that we have to do whatever our sinful desires tell us to do. Now, our sinful desires manifest themselves differently from person to person. For example, I know of women who struggle with bulimia. But for the life of me, I have never been able to understand it. I don’t struggle with it. I made the comment to my wife about a friend who was struggling with it and how I just couldn’t comprehend why a woman would gorge herself and then make herself throw up—all in the name of image. My wife said something profound. She said, “You don’t understand bulimia in the same way that our friend doesn’t understand the sins you struggle with.” It was a life changing moment for me. She had turned the mirror back on me. I started to see that each of us has a certain sin and it differs from person to person. What one may struggle with another may never struggle with. You may struggle with lying, but I may not. I may struggle with lust, and you may not. Another may struggle with an alcohol or drug addiction, while others don’t. One may struggle with homosexuality, while another does not—but each of us has at least one sin, and the reality is that most of us have several.

The point is that each sin has been overcome through the cross of Christ, and the Spirit of God brings the crucified and resurrected life of Christ to life in us. When we come to know Christ, God places His Spirit in us, and it is that Spirit that provides us with the ability to have Christ’s victory. Just as Christ lived on this earth and never sinned, we now have the capacity not to sin. We can have victory over it. By faith in Him, we crucify ourselves. We appropriate His death to sin as our own, and we appropriate His resurrection as our own by that same faith, which is why we can walk in newness of life. This means we now have the ability to say no to the sins we have struggled with for our entire life. We don’t have to do them any longer! We can have victory! Are you struggling with sin? Have you cultivated the presence of God’s Spirit by taking in His Word, praying, and fellowshipping with His people? Do you believe that God has given you self-control? Don’t be a slave to sin any longer! Be a slave to the Savior, doing only what pleases Him! Amen.