“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
Galatians 5:22-23
Do you have friends who come to your house occasionally to visit with the hidden intention of eventually turning your house into their second home? Each time they visit, they claim to have forgotten some of their properties and before you know what’s going on, you already have tenants in your space. It’s quite hilarious, right?
This is how some of us think of the Holy Spirit. We think He goes and comes or gives us His gifts in bits and pieces. That’s not true at all. Everything that God gave to us in salvation was in full.
Jesus cleared all of our sins through the sacrifice of Himself, then gave us the Holy Ghost in all His fullness (John 1:16). Unlike the aforementioned kind of friend, the Holy Spirit doesn’t move into us gradually, instead, He does so permanently with all of His gifts and abilities. Therefore, as long as you have the Holy Spirit, you have all the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit. All you have to do is to believe and use them.
Today, we will take a further look at the gift of self-control, a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23). The Greek word for “self-control” explains it as the virtue of someone who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites.
As a believer, self-control is a fruit of your regenerated spirit. This means that as a result of having the Holy Spirit in you, you have the ability to control your feelings and appetites in all situations. You are not one who makes random decisions and behaves carelessly claiming “that’s how I am, I can’t help it”.
No. You are one in whom the Holy Spirit is at work. Long before Jesus came and died, God gave His word:
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” – Ezekiel 36:27 (KJV)
Listen, you have received a new heart. You can control your words, feelings and actions. You can bless even when a situation or person doesn’t warrant it. You can be disciplined in your finances, career and relationships. You can control your appetite for food, money and related things. You can put your flesh under subjection.
As long as you have the Holy Spirit, self-control is an ability that you exhibit. Be conscious of it and start practicing it from today onward.
Bible Reading Plan:
Luke 24:13-27, Hebrews 12:1-13, Proverbs 29:1-14, Isaiah 56-58