1 Peter 1:5 – Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

I’m convinced that one of the most challenging Christian disciplines is that of self-control. Don’t get me wrong; diligence is difficult, and faith falters. Moral excellence is a mountain, knowledge is no picnic, perseverance can have problems, and godliness is grueling. All of these disciplines are challenging for Christians and never come easy. We have to work on them, and that’s what Peter’s point is. He encourages us to “increase” in these disciplines of Christianity. But “self-control” is a challenge for me, and I would imagine for you too. 

There are a variety of areas that we (I, me, myself, Alexander Blake Mills) need to work on to control. Here are a few: 

  1. We need to control our thoughts – Proverbs 4:23 – “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” What you think in your heart powerfully impacts your emotions and actions. The way it plays out is like this: We have a thought (that we treat like fact), and it brings up feelings in us that begin to control us. We respond to those feelings by doing something (if it’s a negative thought, then it can breed negative feelings). Bring your thoughts under the control of the word of God and the directions of the Holy Spirit, moment by moment. 
  2. We need to control our temper – Proverbs 16:32 – “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.” As we have already discovered, our thoughts breed our emotions, and sometimes our temper gets the best of us, and we allow anger to overwhelm us. Bind up your temper and stop lashing out when things don’t do the way you want them to go. While anger is not a sin, losing your temper is. Allow the Holy Spirit to calm you down to think and feel how Christ would think and feel. Use the example of how Christ faced an angry mob as inspiration for how you will face challenging situations in your life that need self-control. 
  3. We need to control our tongue – Proverbs 21:23 – “He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles.” If and when we can’t control our thoughts or our temper, what gives it away is when we use our tongues. When we open our mouths and speak things that are not true, hateful, and hurtful, we prove to our hearers that we don’t care what is right or wrong. Balance what you say in comparison to what God’s word says. Not just when you are speaking doctrine but when you’re speaking to others in any situation, on any topic. Ask yourself if what you are saying is something that you would say in the presence of Jesus (because really you are). Your words need to be under the control of the Holy Spirit. 

As Peter shows us, there are many disciplines Christians should work on all the time. Today, let’s work on self-control. Control your thoughts. Control your temper, Control your tongue. It’s easier said (written) than done; nevertheless, we should give it a try. 

(I wrote this for myself, knowing this is a struggle for me. Maybe it is for you too. I hope it helps). 

I love you, 

Alexander