Are you living the life that God planned for you to live?

We are able to live the life that God intended for us to live.  We are offered everything we need to become the person God intended us to be.

This is the fourth of a series of posts discussing qualities we need to develop in our lives that will help us live the life that God intended us to live.

2 Peter 1:5-8 lists seven qualities that will help us become the person God wants us to be.

This post addresses self-control.

Self-control is the ability, with God’s help, to control your feelings, emotions, desires, or actions rather than allowing yourself to be controlled by them.

Scripture instructs us to practice self-control.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,  and knowledge with self-control … (2 Peter 1:5-6 ESV)

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:8)

Self-control comes from God.

God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7 ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,  training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,  waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, (Titus 2:11-13 ESV)

Without self-control you are vulnerable to Satan’s attacks.

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. (Proverbs 25:28 ESV)

Scripture tells us that it is better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. (Proverbs 16:32 ESV)

Spiritual leaders are expected to have self-control. (The qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3 are requirements for spiritual leaders but are clearly important qualities for anyone who wants to live the life God has planned for them.)

Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, (1 Timothy 3:2 ESV)

For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, [8] but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. (Titus 1:7-8 ESV)

 If you want to live the life that God has planned for you to live, you need to practice self-control.

Prayer:  God, help me to exercise self-control in all areas of my lives.

 (Be sure to read future posts that will discuss more qualities that will help us live our lives as God intended.)

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.