Rule Over Your Spirit
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city
that is broken down, and without walls
(Proverbs 25:28)
The Bible says in 2 Peter 1:5-6, “And beside
this, giving all diligence, add to your faith
virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge
temperance; and to temperance patience; and to
patience godliness.” “Temperance” in the scripture
above is the Greek word, “egkrateia,” which means
holding yourself in. It also means self-control; the ability
to keep your cool and maintain your composure even
when others try to ride roughshod over you.
Imagine you were driving, and a careless driver
bumped your car, instead of apologising, he even
got abusive. What would you do? Would you pour
invectives at him? Some may even alight from their car
to engage in a brawl. No! That’s not for the Christian.
Irrespective of the situation, restrain yourself from any
form of altercation or bandy of words. This doesn’t
mean you’re naïve; rather, you’re simply living out your
true nature—the Christ-nature and kingly life in you.
As a Christian, you can’t afford to live carelessly;
you must be able to hold yourself in from doing or
saying things that could cast dent on your Christian
character. Consciously train yourself to exercise
moderation in all things.
An athlete who’s gunning for a new record at
the games, for example, can’t afford to live carelessly
prior to the games, because it’ll affect his performance.
There’re things he’d have to endure to keep fit. He
may not like some of those things, but because he has
his eyes on the prize, he’d have to endure them. This
is the picture the Word creates for us in admonishing
that you add temperance to your faith.
It’s not okay to do whatever you feel like doing;
always hold yourself from within. If you couldn’t do
it, God wouldn’t have asked you to. Self-control is in
your spirit, and to be activated when the need arises.
Someone without self-control is like a city without
walls, which the enemy can plunder at any time. Don’t
be that way. Fortify yourself, your life, your spirit,
against the adversary; and one of the ways to do that
is to have rule over your spirit: self-control.
Prayer
Dear Father, I thank you for the indwelling presence of the Holy
Spirit in me. I’m disciplined, cultured, and temperate in all
things. As the epistle and icon of Christ, I manifest excellence and
righteousness always, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Further Study
Philippians 4:5; Galatians 5:22
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
Philippians 4:4-23
Isaiah 42-43
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
John 4:10-18
1 Kings 12