Four Steps to Gaining Self-Control
“Everyone must choose one of two pains: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret.” ~Jim Rohn.
Gaining and practicing self-control is a dilemma for many people. It’s easy to practice self control when nothing is going on in life that requires self control. It’s a different matter when that’s not the case.
The dilemma is how to actually exercise self-control. It’s hard to maintain something when it may seem like so much is coming at you. Exercising self-control when your friend betrays you or your child is being defiant is a difficult task, to say the least.
What do you do when circumstances and life events are causing you to lose the very thing that you can’t seem to maintain, but try desperately to do daily? How do you find that moment to snatch self-control up and use it as the Word says you should?
There are some key concepts of self-control that will help you to regain your willpower, discipline, and self-control… once and for all.
1. Understand what it really is. Understanding what self-control is will help you to find those areas in which you actually lack it. The definition of self-control is the control of one’s own emotions, desires, and actions. Often, we will make excuses for our behavior by comparing ourselves to someone else. This is a trick the enemy uses to keep us believing that a little sin is okay and that our lack of self-control is no big deal. But we know better than that! We know that it is a big deal. Otherwise you wouldn’t want to get control of it in the first place, right?
2. Acknowledge where you lack restraint. Think about what areas oinyour life are out of balance because of your lack of self-control. Make a list of those things you struggle with controlling. Be honest with yourself as you write the list and pray about what other areas need some improvement.
3. Pray about those areas that you need more self-control. After you understand how important self-control is in your life and acknowledge the areas that you need to work on, the next step is to ask God to help you. He is there waiting for you to ask for His assistance. He wants to aid you in living a more fulfilling life and that includes self-discipline, too. It will be because of His power, not yours, that you will be able to overcome those areas of life where you need more self-control.
4. Be accountable. One of the best ways to overcome any obstacle or keep focused on a task of any kind is to ask someone else to keep you on track. Share with another sister or brother in Christ about your attempt to do better in whatever area you will focus on first. Allow that person to hold you accountable to the behavior that God desires. When you slip or fall, don’t be discouraged, just admit your problem, talk it through, and move on to towards a better and more obedient you.
Believe it or not, you already have self-control within you. It’s just waiting on you to reel it in. If you take the time to examine the areas you need help with, seek God’s assistance and ask for help from others, you will find it easier to work through each of these four keys to regaining self-control. By applying them daily, you will be able to exercise the self-control that is already a part of you as a child of God.
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