Christians
& Self Control
Trying
to control our feelings and emotions can get overwhelming. Somebody might
unknowingly “press a button” and set us off on a rant and rave. We sometime
look back at our over reactions and become depressed or ashamed of ourselves.
This is not a fun situation. We all experience inner turbulent upheavals. As
Christians, God has given us instruction about how to deal with this issue.
First, as Christians we are under the constant learning
process and this involves the realization that God totally governs us. We have
the problem of surrendering to God’s will and to be silent sometimes. We have a
hard time controlling our tongues. One practice that we offer is to start inner
prayer when you feel anxious or over excited about what somebody else is doing
or saying that upsets you. Sometimes, and if at all possible, it is good to
leave the room or area that this type of behavior is occurring.
As Christians we need to develop self-knowledge through a
close relationship with God first. We need to understand what excites us and
upsets us. We need to learn to not blame others for our own emotions. God wants
us to learn healing through tough times. This means being in control of
ourselves – thoughts, feelings, and actions. This happens in a very simple way,
surrender.
As we learn to become still and surrender to God in every
moment, we give Him room to operate. He will take charge of any situation on
His terms and in His way. We need to learn to “get out of the way” of God. If
you want to truly help others, learn to first help yourself. Be humble in your
relationship with God and others. Christians must learn to be conscious of
other people’s emotions and feelings and not just themselves. This takes time
but gets easier as you mature in your Christian faith. Also, realize that any
situation you find yourself in, you want to be able to look back at it and say:
“Thank you Lord for controlling my thoughts and actions.” You will gain “gold
nuggets” of experience through this process.
As Christians we need to acknowledge one true mind, the Mind
of Christ. We must get our minds out of the way. Angry thoughts and revengeful
thoughts are not coming from God. Bad thoughts are coming from your old
sinful-nature. We must learn to let our new-natures take control (our Begotten
– “Born Again” nature). We need to feed our new nature, not our old nature.
Keep the new-nature strong with the Word of God, Christian fellowship and
worship.
Evil is arrogant. The Bible instructs us that true Godly
wisdom, Godly knowledge and understanding helps with self-control (Proverbs
2:1012). Understanding the fact of our sinful nature and its fight with our
new-nature produces a proper self-knowledge. We gain a proper self-hood by
understanding our inner connection with Jesus Christ. This process is what
helps one create a better self-control.
“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and
left without walls.” ~ Proverbs 25:28
Only through and by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit
does the Christian develop true self control. We can learn from our past
mistakes so that we do not repeat them. We also need to let the Holy Spirit convict
us so that we get pointed into the right behavioral directions. The Ancient
Antiochene Church of God has called the Holy Spirit the true “thought
adjuster”. We need to stay attuned to the fact of the Holy Spirit’s presence at
all times.
We also should learn not to place ourselves in locations
that we know that we have a weakness with. Our environment is also key in
learning how to develop self-control. Our main fellowship should be with other
believers. Our environment and thoughts can only control us if we become
unaware of them. Thinking properly is a developed skill. Learning God’s will
through the study of His word is key. Self-control does not mean to be
emotionless or stay away from other people who upset us but we must learn to
react correctly – first, regarding “smaller” issues that upset us then we can
gain control over the larger issues.
What we watch on computers, cell phones, and television
should be controlled. Start with this first. Things that we watch or listen to
may upset us and cause anger. So why watch and listen to such things? As
Christians we are not “self—dependent”, we put our full trust in God. It is by
God’s strength and power, not our own, that we learn to become overcomers. The
Bible teaches, “when we are weak, He (God) is strong.” This means learning to
rest our thoughts and emotions in God – He is holding us.
God wants us to be spiritually healthy. To do this, find
fellow Christian friends, find brothers and sisters in Christ. You can always
continue to study with us here at “The Shepherds Way & Nugget of Truth”. We
keep you all in our prayers.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
AACG (February 25th 2026)
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