During his term as president of the United States, Lyndon Johnson was overweight. His wife challenged him: ‘You can’t run the country if you can’t run yourself.’ The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said, ‘I count him braver who overcomes his own desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self.’ The Greek word, which we translate as ‘self-control’ literally means power over self or self-mastery. But self-control as a fruit of the Spirit is more than that. Paul writes “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” On our own we may have a certain self-control that anyone can exercise. But if we are talking of a fruit of the Spirit, we need a power beyond our own. Self-control here means being controlled by the Spirit. Paul elsewhere writes, ‘Run in such a way as to get the prize. Every athlete exercises strict self-control in all things. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.’ Athletes exercise self-control because they have a clearly defined goal, getting the crown. We can define this final fruit of the Spirit as the ‘control of self by the Spirit for the sake of the gospel’.

A key element to help us keep control under the guidance of the Spirit is having clear goals. ‘Run in such a way as to get the prize.’ The prize is the motivation you need to undergo the discipline of training. The prize, the goal, provides focus. The reason so many do not exercise self-control well is because we don’t have a goal. There is no motivation to discipline ourselves. Why should we control the hurtful things we can say if we do not have as our goal the deep desire to bring the love of God into the lives of other people. One of the reasons we battle to have good habits of Bible reading and prayer is that we have no spiritual goals. We plan many things. But do we plan to get to know God better? Good discipline, solid training, will only come about if there is a clear goal. Our ultimate goal is to gain “the crown that will last forever.” Our aim is eternal life with Christ on the new earth. So how do we line up our lifestyle for that goal? The advantage of having goals is that it becomes easier to make decisions. An athlete has little trouble saying no to things that will not help them win the race. We are constantly faced with all sorts of things. Many are good, others definitely not. But not all will help us move toward fulfilling our goals. Staying focused on the goal makes self-control much easier.

Is what I am tempted to do going to please or grieve the Spirit? Is it helping the progress of the gospel or hindering it? Will it move towards the prize of the crown of life or away from it? As Paul writes, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all… It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour...!” There are some practical ways that can help us ‘…say ‘No’ to ungodliness…’

1. Admit you have a problem with self-control, at least in certain areas. If you think you are fine, you are in trouble.

2. Yield to the Lordship of Christ. Constantly be aware of the Spirit in your life and yield to him.

3. Be regular in pray and Bible reading. Reflect all day on what you have read. It will remind you of what is good.

4. Invest in spiritual friendships. Have friends who keep you accountable, who have the courage to ask you the hard questions.

5. Know what your weaknesses are and avoid them.

6. Welcome gracious correction.

Finally, we note Paul reminds us of the return of Jesus, and that his return is our only hope and glory. Instead of living only for today, we live for what is to come. This is the big picture as far as our goals are concerned. Thinking of Jesus and the judgement to come is in stark contrast to those who give up self-control and go after all the so-called pleasures that this life has to offer. Knowing that we will see Jesus face-to-face should stir us on to live under the control of the Spirit. Knowing that every thought and word and action will come under judgement generates a very powerful motive for self-control.

Leo Douma