Fruit of the Spirit Series: Self-Control- Part 9 of 9

          Self-control is the final gift listed with the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Self-control is very important in the Bible. Look at 1 Peter 5:8:

8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

           The verse before talks about casting you anxiety on God, so you can look at this passage as talking about not allowing Satan to use your unresolved anxieties as weapons to attack you, but there are also other ways of looking at it. When we become angry and we do not control that anger by being self-controlled and alert, we give Satan the tools that he needs to hurt the people in our lives, hurt our testimony as Christians, and do some damage to ourselves. However, Anger is an emotion that is welcomed in the Bible. We know of Jesus flipping tables in the temple because of his anger over the desecration of the temple by the money changers. There are also verses in the Old Testament that speak of God's righteous anger. Look at Nahum 1:2-3:

2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
    the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes
    and maintains his wrath against his enemies.
3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power;
    the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
    and clouds are the dust of his feet.

          We know that God is a good and loving God, but that does not mean that he does not get angry or take vengeance. Of course, when it comes to vengeance, we are supposed to give that over solely to God. Look at Romans 12:18-20:

 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

            Even when people blatantly insult us and irritate us, we are to treat them with patience and calm. Look at Proverbs 12:16:

16 A fool shows his annoyance at once,
    but a prudent man overlooks an insult. 

             and Proverbs 15:1:

1 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger. 

           Being patient does not mean overlooking justice, however. Micah 6:8 says:

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God. 

            and Psalm 68:5:

5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
    is God in his holy dwelling. 

          Therefore, we need to let the emotion of anger expose evil that is occurring and respond to that emotion with thought, rather than suppressing it. Christianity is not an anti-emotion faith; we apply our faith to our lives with not just our mind, but with our hearts as well. However, the proper use of these requires thought and practice to perfect. For more on this topic, revisit my very first blog entry on this site, "Heart and Mind: 1 Corinthians 14:13-17".
           That's all for the Fruit of the Spirit series. Check back next week and see what comes next!
Peace,
Simeon Snow