By Emilie Gruben.
”The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control…” -Galatians 5: 22-23.
Self control. Self discipline. What is it? By the Oxford Dictionary’s definition, it is “The ability to control one’s feelings and urges in order to overcome a weakness; the ability to pursue what one thinks is right despite temptations to abandon it.”
The understanding and practice of self discipline is important so that we can take action before temptation arises, causing us to fall away from our relationship with God and worldly achievements.
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteous, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”- Titus 2:11-13.
In this verse we see that we must deny ungodly company, interests, and mindsets, not giving in to lusts of the world, lest we lose sight of what God has commanded us to love and cherish after coming to Him for salvation. We read these commands over and over throughout the Bible due to its importance.
To practice self-discipline, you must find what things are affecting you negatively, and what makes you want to engage them. Maybe you’re getting bad outcomes on your tests because you didn’t study well and then made the choice to do them, last minute.
A self-discipline practice to get better at studying could go like this: Put away all of your recreational reading on Sunday night. Right after your morning routine, you won’t be tempted to get into another chapter instead of starting the school week as you should. If you have a phone or computer that isn’t absolutely necessary for school, turn it off and put it in the hands of someone you trust, and only retrieve it after you are done with every task. Removing the obstacle until you have a routine of avoiding them, yourself, is often a good starting point.
When someone else is holding you accountable, you are less likely to waver. This model is often seen in different ways. Our parents and faith often hold us accountable more than our own thoughts. “God wouldn’t allow that.” “My parents would never want me to do that.” Our attitudes change these thoughts, for good and bad, but regardless the rules are there. Discipline is reminding us of what we should and shouldn’t do.
Of course, we can’t just rely on people to hold us accountable. That wouldn’t be true self-discipline-it’s right there in the name of the game! That comes from only us. But to start, it’s okay. However, as time goes on we decide for ourselves. Our parents won’t always be there to help us, and God’s word won’t always be as vivid as we will want.
But God has given us our own minds. We have the choice to do what is right and what is wrong. In the end, there isn’t a list long enough to list all the tips and tricks to strengthen self-discipline. It’s up to our personal choice to do what is good, true, and noble. I pray that you may always make the effort to use self-discipline.
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13.
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