Blog: Self-Control
“When you feel so mad that you want to roar! Take a deep breath and count to four!”
“When you feel so mad that you want to roar! Take a deep breath and count to four!” These are the words of the wise one Daniel Tiger. He had some issues with anger and was in serious need of self-control. You may be thinking to yourself “I have my anger under control” but there are many other ways to “lose it” and the “it” that you cannot control may not be anger. It may be dietary habits, sexual immorality, lying, attention seeking, etc. Webster’s defines self-control as the ability to control oneself, in particular one's emotions and desires or the expression of them in one's behavior, especially in difficult situations. Self control is about the ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behavior in the face of temptations and impulses. But How?
You may have a temper, a bad mouth, engage in stress eating, or are physically violent! But I’m afraid that counting to four is not always the answer as Daniel so easily sings about. You’re probably wondering about the song so if you would like to listen then click HERE. Come back and finish the article!
You ready to finish learning about God’s solution? OK let’s finish! It is a terrible feeling to awake from losing it! You know the feeling right? You have done something that you know that you should not have done but the deed is done. You pressed send a bit too quickly, you yelled at your kids for no reason, you gave your spouse a mean dose of the silent treatment, or maybe you ate a whole jar of peanut butter! We all have that thing that is hard to control but coming to our senses after the fact is a dangerous way to live. The Bible calls the concept of self-control by many different names like temperance, sober-minded, and continence. But they all have something to do with the restraint of our passions and appetites in accordance with reason.
Passions have more to do with what we desire that we don’t actually need. Appetite has to do with something that is a need. But there is a such thing and having too much of a good thing. I’ll keep it light and give some examples of what they look like. The old popular cartoon Tom and Jerry was one loved by all and one that usually had a lot to do with self-control. I’ll give two pictures in response to what passion is and what appetite is.
Passion
Appetite
Neither of these are wrong BUT when they supersede the will of God, that’s where the problem begins! There is nothing sinful about being angry, but there is a problem with cussing folks out. There is nothing wrong with sex, but there is a problem when it is outside the confines of marriage. There is nothing wrong with speaking truth online, but there is a problem with killing people with your words. In today’s message I will do my best to help us as Christians to be able to understand how to have and activate self control. If you are reading this article after the sermon then just wait for it to be uploaded and take a listen. But here is a preview.
As Christians we have a responsibility to God. A position given to be an example. Let us take that seriously by knowing our role. Hint: Use your Bible!
When facing your weakness and before the volcano erupts, count the cost and consider how it will affect the influence of God.
There will be times when we are not going to be prepared to properly handle a situation in the moment. In those times, RUN away from temptation! Not in fear but self preservation! Let God handle it.