Broken-Down Walls
How would you describe a city with broken-down walls? Beaten. Weak. Conquered. Vulnerable. Susceptible to attack.
Proverbs 25:28
“A person without self-control
is like a city with broken-down walls.”
According to this verse, those descriptions of a city with broken-down walls can also describe a person without self-control. We’ve all had moments when we lacked self-control, but why? Why do we sometimes resemble a city with broken-down walls? How can we gain self-control? How do we fortify the walls of our city?
Self-Control is a Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
We have studied this before; the choice is clear: the sinful nature or the nature of the Holy Spirit. How can the Holy Spirit produce these fruits if we are not feeding the Holy Spirit? A tree won’t produce fruit if you don’t water it. We must be actively growing in the spirit. You want self-control? Strengthen the Holy Spirit within you; be in the word daily, pray without ceasing, tell others of Christ. Water the Spirit and the fruit of self-control will grow.
God Gave You a Spirit of Self-Control
We know that God did not intend for us to have broken-down walls, God did not intend for us to be lacking in self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-control.”
The spirit God gave us is powerful, full of love, and full of self-control and that is the spirit we should be living with: a powerful, loving, and self-controlled spirit. Living with the spirit God gave us.
Be Self-Controlled for the Sake of Your Prayers
1 Peter 4:7
“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.”
We know that being self-controlled is not just resisting temptation and being controlled enough to say “no” to the sinful nature and “yes” to the nature of the spirit. We must also be self-controlled in our prayers. We must be disciplined to be in the Bible every day and intentional with our prayers. It is going to be more and more challenging for the Christian as we get closer and closer to “the end of all things” and self-control is going to be essential in remaining faithful to our God.
Rebuilding Your Walls
Rebuild your walls and grow in self-control by strengthening the Holy Spirit within you, studying the Bible every day, being intentional and diligent in your prayers and in your faithfulness to the Lord. Strengthening of Spirit makes the choice of the nature of the Holy Spirit easier when temptation comes along. We can all gain and grow in self-control, we can be strong, fortified cities with walls that cannot be broken down. Be in the Word, pray, and be in fellowship. God wants His followers to be strong in spirit, loving, and self-controlled.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
—Redeemed
