Building Your Walls of Self-Control

Discipleship Devotional, January 6th, 2025

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
– 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

In preparing for all that God has in store for you in a year or even in your life, one compulsory course that must be mastered is the subject of discipline. It is said that no one without discipline can achieve much in life. Needless to say, it is the same and even more when it comes to the kingdom of God.

God, however, has not left us without help in this. He has given us His Holy Spirit, which produces the fruit of self-control in our lives as long as we yield to Him. If you are someone who has lacked self-control in different areas of your life, you will notice that the more you grow in the Lord, the more the walls of your self-control are built high and strong. I used the term walls of self-control because the Bible says anyone who lacks self-control is like a city without walls (that is, unguarded).

“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”
– Proverbs 25:28 (ESV)

This shows us how dangerous it is to live without self-control. It is like living without any protection—you are easily attackable by the vices of this world. Just as in ancient times, a city without walls was vulnerable to all manner of attacks and subjugation, so too are we when lacking self-control. You will easily fall into temptations.

On the contrary, when we yield to the Spirit of God, we find that the walls and guardrails in our lives grow stronger daily. This is the will of God for us. If we must make the most of the year, we must consistently walk in self-control.

One of the spiritual exercises that helps to build self-control is fasting. When we fast, we deliberately put our natural needs aside for more spiritual and eternal pursuits.

Therefore, I urge you to have a structure for fasting this year. It does not have to start with many days of fasting. You can dedicate one day a week to fasting. This was a practice in the early church. Some records suggest that the early church fasted every Wednesday and Friday, making it a normal spiritual discipline they undertook.

PRAYER
Help me, Lord Jesus, to yield to Your Holy Spirit in the area of self-control. Help me to give myself to fasting and prayer. Amen!