The 10 Best Bible Verses About Self Control

Why is self control important to faith? These 10 Bible verses about self control will tell you why God thinks self control is important.

The 10 Best Bible Verses About Self Control

If you ever want an example– a great example, of what self control looks like, just read the stories of Olympic athletes.

All athletes have to exhibit self control in order to succeed in their sport, but there is something about athletes who compete in the Olympic games that’s really inspiring. Many of these athletes train for years, some for a lifetime.

Since they were kids. A lifetime of absolute dedication. Training for hours and hours a day. Watching everything that they eat and they drink. They are meticulous, ensure that they get proper rest, practice visualization techniques, and study their competition.

This dedication and high degree of self control is to prepare them for a two to three minute shot at winning the Olympic medal. That’s it. All that preparation for three minutes worth of work sometimes. Countless hours of singular focus to win one chance at an esteemed, but fleeting prize.

Related Reading: The 10 Best Bible Verses About Goodness and How to Be Good

In a way their striving is not that much different than our striving when we are striving to live a life in harmony with Godly principles.

We train for years, a lifetime. We commit to a lifetime of absolute dedication, subject ourselves to God’s rules about how we should live; what behavior is acceptable or not. As followers of God we watch what we consume and how we spend our time.

We ruthlessly monitor our thoughts and our attentions so that our heart is pure. We study the word of God so that we are able to discern right from wrong.

But unlike an Olympic athlete, we are not striving for a prize that is fleeting. We are not striving for a prize that can be destroyed.

Our singular focus is for the chance to bask in the glory of God forever and for all eternity. Wow.

When we arrive at the finish line of our life here on Earth, the prize we receive, which admittedly we did not earn, cannot be taken away by anyone.

Why not? Because it will have been given to us freely by the unchanging and omnipotent God. Our prize will be given to us through grace, by the great I AM, our God. That’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?

But what does self control have to do with salvation? Well, check out these scriptures for more information.

The 10 Best Bible Verses About Self Control

1. Proverbs 21:23

Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue

   keeps his soul from troubles.

2. II Peter 1:5-7

Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge;  and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control patience; and in patience godliness;  and in godliness brotherly affection; and in brotherly affection, love.

3. I Corinthians 6:19-20

Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

4. Romans 6:12

Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

5. II Timothy 1:7

For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

Related Reading: 10 Encouraging Bible Verses About Patience That Will Help You Wait On God

6. Matthew 5:39-40

But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.

7. James 3:8-10

But nobody can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God. Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

8. Philippians 3:13-14

I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

9. I Corinthians 9:27

but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.

10. Matthew 5:29

If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.

Time to reflect:

• If you are striving to live a life of self control, what acts can you take today to make yourself, or train yourself to be spiritually stronger?
• If we are saved by grace through faith, why is self control even important?

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