“Hey girl, come try this out!” Greg hollered at Sandy who was at the other end of the room. They were together at a friend’s birthday party. Sandy knew Greg was a bully and a bad influence on most of his friends. But not her; she always stood up to him and put him in his place.
“What are you waiting for, Sandy?”
“I won’t try it, Greg! And you shouldn’t be experimenting with this kind of thing either, because it could hurt you,” Sandy responded. Sandy could resist the temptation to misbehave because she had self-control.
When you’re enticed by friends to do something you know you shouldn’t, you don’t have to yield to it (Proverbs 1:10). You’ve got self-control in you because it’s the fruit of the recreated human spirit. It’s the virtue of someone who masters his body, passions and desires from within. Selfcontrol is the ability to say “yes” to the right things, and “no” to whatever is not consistent with the godly life in Christ. This virtue is already in you as a Christian, but you have to let it out.
Self-control is more than just choosing the good over the bad; it’s also about making choices for the best. For example, making the choice to study your Bible rather than watch the late-night movie is exercising self-control. Cutting down on your sleep-time so you can wake up early to pray or study your books is also exercising self-control.
Perhaps, an urge has arisen within you to give in to the wrong thing or respond negatively to a situation. Jesus is your perfect example of one who exercised self-control: when He was insulted and treated badly by others, He never got even with them (1 Peter 2:23). Copy Jesus. Say “Yes” to the right things, and “No” to whatever is not consistent with the godly life. Make up your mind today to exercise self-control.
Confession
I take charge of my life today. I refuse any attitude, habit or lifestyle that is inconsistent with the gospel. No matter what happens around me, I don’t bow to pressure. I hold myself in from within, in the Name of Jesus. Amen!
