Week 10: SELF-CONTROL

Read Galatians 5:22-23.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Today we learn the last Fruit of the Spirit! Did you hear it in the Scripture we just read?

It’s Self-Control. Any idea what that means?  

If you simply switch the words around, you’ll hear exactly what it means...controlling yourself. That means when you feel like doing something that isn’t right, you stop yourself – you control yourself. It means not yelling and throwing a fit when things don’t go your way. It means not doing bad things no matter how tempting they are.

What if you get fouled by someone on the other team and the referee does not make the call?  What if your teammate doesn’t see that you’re WIDE OPEN right under the basket, and passes the ball to someone else?  What will you do if you have self-control?

That’s right!

God wants us to have self-control. When we are tempted to do things we shouldn’t do, God is right there with us helping us to do the right thing. He helps us to control ourselves!

So, every time you are tempted to do something you shouldn’t, or tempted to get angry or upset, ask God to help you be self- controlled.

Let’s pray:

Dear God,
Sometimes I want to do something I know I shouldn’t do, because I get angry or upset.  Please help me have self- control and not give in to the temptation to do something I shouldn’t do. Help me to remember the Fruits of the Spirit that you have given us.
Amen.