Alan Redpath used to talk to young people about the vital importance of what he called “blanket victory.” He was referring, not to some strategy for overall success, but to the necessity of getting out of bed at a reasonable time in the morning to pursue the business of the day. If a young person could not get victory over his blankets, it was unlikely that he would be self-controlled in many other areas.
Made For His Pleasure, Moody Press, 1996, p. 129. Get this book!
Our minds are mental greenhouses where unlawful thoughts, once planted, are nurtured and watered before being transplanted into the real world of unlawful actions… These actions are savored in the mind long before they are enjoyed in reality. The thought life, then, is our first line of defense in the battle of self-control.
The Practice of Godliness, NavPress, 1996, p. 138. Used by permission of NavPress – www.navpress.com. All rights reserved. Get this book!
The exercise of inner strength under the direction of sound judgment that enables us to do, think, and say the things that are pleasing to God.
The Practice of Godliness, NavPress, 1996. Used by permission of NavPress – www.navpress.com. All rights reserved.
Men that have their spirits heated and enraged and rising in bitter resentment when they are injured act as if they thought some strange thing had happened to them. Whereas they are very foolish in so thinking for it is no strange thing at all but only what was to be expected in a world like this. They therefore do not act wisely that allow their spirits to be ruffled by the injuries they suffer.
Charity and Its Fruits
A temperate man doesn’t lose his physical, psychological and spiritual orientation. He is stable and steadfast, and his thinking is clear… [He] doesn’t go to extremes… [He] doesn’t go on emotional tangents. He has a sense of inner peace and security, no matter what is happening in life generally. This doesn’t mean he never has periods of anxiety, but overall he has a sense of stability. In the words of James, he is not a “double-minded man” (Jas. 1:8).
The Measure of a Man by Gene Getz, Copyright 1995, p. 55-56, Gospel Light/Regal Books, Ventura, CA 93003. Used by Permission.
Use self-control! Here are two pitfalls that most of us fall into in this regard. One is we let the individual take us off the main point. Maybe it’s the scoffer: “What about those who never heard the Gospel?” “Where did Cain get his wife?” Maybe it’s the person that just wants to share unrelated stories. You need self-control to prevent yourself from going down rabbit trails that will take you away from the four core elements of the Gospel (God-Man-Christ-Response). Second, you will need self-control to avoid getting emotional, angry, discouraged, frustrated or offended. Oftentimes these conversations can get very sensitive. You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and produce the fruit of self-control even if the other person has lost his. Don’t let their spirit dictate your spirit.
Sermon, Effective Evangelism, Proverbs 11:30, October 8, 2017.
As it pertains to temperance (Tit. 2:2), we are talking about someone who is sober in thought, even-keeled and moderate. Young people tend to be emotional and impulsive, but the mature saint should have learned stability, consistency and balance. Men who lack temperance are seen bouncing in and out of ministry, constantly changing jobs. Life is a continual roller-coaster of extremes, overreactions, unstable relationships, inconsistencies and faithless living. On the contrary there is a steadiness to a temperate man. He prays and waits on the Lord to save making a foolish or rash decision. He doesn’t overreact to problems. He is self-controlled. He recognizes the hills worth dying on. He thinks before he speaks. He avoids false excitement but also refuses to be paralyzed by sorrow. He wisely controls his money, feelings and words. He is not tossed here and there by every comment he hears off the lips of another. He knows how to ride out the storms of life.
Sermon, Men of Character, Titus 2:2, June 17, 2018.
When we think of sobriety, what naturally comes to mind is not being intoxicated by a substance (often alcohol). Specifically, we are called not to be drunk with alcohol, but to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18). Alcohol or any substance has the ability to control us which in turn causes us to lose control. In general, Christians are called to be sober-minded (1 Pet. 1:13). This speaks of the mind regarding anything that leads us into a state of spiritual intoxication. The fruit of the Spirit is self-control. Christians are called to be temperate, we could say level-headed, biblically evaluating all things, clear-minded, sober in spirit.
Sermon, “Therefore,” 1 Peter 1:10-16, October 31, 2021.
Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. It’s the ability to restrain our sinful passions. It’s being level-headed, patient, temperate, guided more by the Spirit than your flesh. It’s mastery of the head overruling the body. It’s living a focused, disciplined, deliberate life.
Sermon, The Gift Christians Ignore, 2 Peter 1:1-7, May 8, 2022.
Self-control is…not the same as self-dependence, in which we rely on personal will power to control ourselves. Instead, self-control is a gift of the Holy Spirit, given through faith in Jesus Christ… Self-control is a strategic countermeasure to the insatiable cravings of sin.
Addictions – A Banquet in the Grave, P&R Publishing, 2001, p. 212-213, Used by Permission. Get this book!
Our bodies are inclined to ease, pleasure, gluttony, and sloth. Unless we practice self-control, our bodies will tend to serve evil more than God. We must carefully discipline ourselves in how we “walk” in this world, else we will conform more to its ways rather than to the ways of Christ.
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, 1991, p. 132, Used by permission of NavPress – www.navpress.com, All rights reserved. For more information please see the website www.BibicalSpirituality.org. Get this book!
