Cultivate Self-Control

The Apostle Paul’s listing of the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit ends with self-control. That was neither random nor accidental on his part. You see, a believer has to master self-control to gain mastery in all the fruit. You cannot be loving, have a joyful heart, be a peacemaker, etc., without exerting the fruit of self-control. That is why he puts an exclamation mark on the list with this ninth fruit. So just what is self-control? Paul actually defines self-control in the verse that follows his list of the fruit when he writes, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” (Gal. 5:24) Crucifying your sinful nature, that’s it. Put another way, self-control means to gain mastery over your moods, impulses and behaviors. In modern vernacular, it means to get a grip on every area of your life where you lack control. In this message, you will learn not only what self-control means, you will also learn where the Bible specifically calls you to get a grip, and the simple steps you can take to gain mastery of this fruit.