Fruit of the Spirit - Self-Control

Proverbs 25:28 28 Like a city that is broken into and without walls
Is a man who has no control over his spirit

Romans 7:21²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 

Romans 7:22²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 

Romans 7:23²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.  

Galatians 5:22-23 

James 1:13¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 

James 1:14 ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 

James 1:15¹⁵ Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 

 James 4:11 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?

 James 4:2 ² You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.  

Central Truth: Self-control is the buffer zone between temptation and sin.  

Proverbs 29:1111 A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back. 

Proverbs 16:3232 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city. 

1 Corinthians 6:1818 Flee sexual immorality. 

1 Peter 2:11¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

3 Practical Tips to Partner with the Holy Spirit to Experience Greater Self Control 

1. Go to church. Make in-person worship a regular habit of your life. 

2. Surround yourself with people who exercise self-control. 

3. Each morning, daily yield control of your life to the Holy Spirit. 

Romans 7:24²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?  

Romans 7:25²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!