THE VALUE OF SELF-CONTROL

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  (Galatians 5:22-23)

Question: What’s the most important word to know if you want to become the-best-version-of-yourself? Answer: Self-control.

Self-control determines whether you will have a life full of God. Without self-control, the-best-version-of-yourself will never be more than a dream.

There’s a reason self-control arrives at the end of the list of the nine fruit God wants to produce in you: Self-control provides the key to enjoying all of the other eight fruit of God’s Spirit. Self-control gives you the opportunity to choose to do those things that are healthy and helpful and to choose not to do those things that harmful and destructive. Self-control gives you the possibility to be open to God’s Spirit rather than resisting Him. Self-control gives you the strength to resist the temptations that lead you away from God and the-best-version-of-yourself. Self-control will be your best friend, and self-control comes from God. 

-- Allen R. Hunt in “Nine Words”

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