Blog 32:Fruits of the Spirit Series (Part 5): Self-Control

Hi you guys! Happy WORD WEDNESDAY!!! First post of October🎊 🥳 !! Today’s topic is on self-control, the fifth fruit of the spirit we are going to talk about. Three more to go! Self control… a hard one, I know, but a good one to discuss. Let’s get into, shall we Believers?

Our parents, family members, teachers, etc are constantly telling us to have self-control ,but do we even know what that means? It means, “the ability to control oneself, in particular one's emotions and desires or the expression of them in one's behavior, especially in difficult situations.” Believers, God calls us to have the fruits of the spirit. We should have self-control. When we have it, others will see Jesus. Let’s be honest, that is a pretty long definition. Let’s break it down. “The ability to control oneself.” Maybe we are doing our homework, and across the room is our phone/tablet. We really want to go on Netflix, social media, etc but we know we should do our homework. We are going to CONTROL ourselves and get our homework done. Next part says, “one's emotions and desires or the expression of them in one's behavior.” Let’s say mom or somebody in the family made cookies, pie, etc ( whatever dessert 🧁 you like ). You were about to grab that delicious treat ,but they say “Not until after dinner, young man/lady”. You get upset and angry and start pouting or whining. Is that self control guys? No, it’s not. We should control our EMOTIONS and OUR DESIRES for that treat or thing. Like the definition says, “especially in difficult situations”. It is easy to have self-control while waiting for your mom to find the keys to go to the store. Why is that? Well, you didn’t even want to go in the first place! So let’s pray and ask the Holy Spirit for us to have self-control EVEN in the difficult situations. When we have self-control, we call that “our fruits running over” or “our cup is overflowing”.

You are not alone friends. I have difficulties having self-control all the time too. It’s not easy. You might be thinking these two things, “Why do I need to have self-control? I don’t think I can have it on my own even if I tried”. To answer your first one. God calls us, as followers of Him, to have the fruits of the spirit. ( Refer to Galatians 5:22-23 if you do not know the Fruits of the Spirit ). To show others His light, His love, etc we can display the fruits of the spirit. That’s why we should have self-control. Secondly, God doesn’t call for you to figure out life alone! You don’t have to “try” alone! Trials, temptations, etc are going to come up in our lives and we are going to need to have self control. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” It says, God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear! He knows you!! He knows what you can and can not take. It also says, “he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” When a situation arises and you need to have self-control, look for that WAY OUT! His word says, He will ALWAYS provide a way for His Children. Now, for one of my favorite times ya’ll. BIBLE STORY TIME!!

David and Saul

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David and Saul ⚔️

Saul in this part of the story was king. King Saul wanted to kill David because he had become envious of David. King Saul brought with him three thousand men into the forest with him to find David, where he was hiding. Talk about a lot of people 😂. King Saul needed to take a bathroom break during his hunt for David so he went into a cave. No big deal right… the cave David was HIDING IN!!! King Saul didn’t see David but David saw him. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 24:4-7, “The men said This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.  He said to his men, The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.  With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.” David showed so much self-control in this story. He had the opportunity to kill someone who was TRYING to kill him. He then told his men not kill Saul because God didn’t want that. He wanted Saul to be king. David didn’t only have self-control but He obeyed the Lord. Now, talk about getting 2 things at once!

Often people think self-control is not good. That it’s a sign of weakness and it’s better to be loud. To always say something, even if it’s not right. Sometimes it is better to be silent, and others will think your weak ,but it’s actually a sign of self-control. Love you guys ❤️! Have and show KINDNESS, give and have LOVE, have, show, give PATIENCE, and most of all SHOW and HAVE SELF-CONTROL! ✌🏽

#SELFCONTROL #FRUITSOFTHESPIRIT #BIBLESTORY #WORDWEDNESDAY #BIBLEVERSE