Pro 16:32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
By the wisdom and inspiration of Solomon, one learns that self conquest can be a difficult thing. It takes a strong minded individual to overcome his own passions. Our society screams, “Go for it! Don’t hold back”! God knows and has instructed us that we must learn to keep our desires under control and not give in to them. To rule the spirit of man we must know who the enemy is. “The devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” 1 Peter 5:8. But he can only tempt us. He plants the doubt, the accusation, and the lie and then we choose. The real enemy is I. Marcus Tullius Cicero wrote, “The enemy is within the gates; it is with our own luxury, our own folly, our own criminality that we have to contend”. James clarifies the source of sin in 1:14-15, But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Someone has written, “I have met the enemy! The enemy is me”.
The conflict involves our love for the things of this world. John said, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” 2:15. Our own worldliness causes us to battle what God said is good. Unfortunately our wills can be greater than God’s word. Jesus warned “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Mark 8:36. It is not the world itself that will condemn us, but rather our attitude towards the world. We must have total self-control over our relationship with the world. As Jesus prayed, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” John 17:15
Self-control comes at a high cost. First we must deny ourselves, Mark 8:34. That means denying ourselves the pleasures of this world that would cause us to turn from God. We have to go against the social norm and many times stand alone in this task. Next, self-control involves the crucifixion of our flesh. “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” Gal. 5:24. Prior to verse 24 Paul discussed the fruit of the Spirit; notice that one of these is self-control, v. 23. Lastly we must have the faith. Without faith there is no pleasing God, Heb. 11:6. In 1 John 5:4, John writes “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” Faith is developed through the word of God, Rom. 10:17.
Self-control is an addendum to faith 2 Peter 1:6. We cannot please God without faith therefore we cannot get to heaven without self-control.
“If you conquer yourself; you have conquered the world” Paulo Coelho