The Discipline of Self-Control
By Pastor Chuck Swindoll
When the Spirit Is in Control
“If I have a loose tongue, when the Spirit’s in control, there’s verbal restraint. If I have a temper, when the Spirit is in control, I have anger restraint. If I struggle with wandering thoughts, the Spirit in control brings mental restraint. If I lust and the Spirit is in control, there is moral restraint and I find myself saying, ‘Swindoll, you’re better than that. You’re a child of the King. You don’t need that.’ That’s the Spirit speaking. ‘You’re My vessel unto honor.’ When I am tempted to dominate others and the Spirit is in control, it is power restraint, and I deliberately hold back. I deliberately do not attempt to control another person’s life.”
Operate Under the Spirit’s Control
“In other words, if you plan to be one of the winners in this race, coming through without being disqualified, you operate under the Spirit’s control, and as you do, self-control kicks in. It’s one of the fruits of the Spirit. That’s how you love like you ought to love.”
“I Buffet My Body”
“‘I buffet my body’ means to make black and blue on the face, under the eyes. I punch myself. I get up early. I go at it hard. When I’m tempted to eat too much, I say no thanks. When I’m tempted to look in the wrong direction, I stop.”
When We Lack Self-control
“But the wall that’s missing is the wall of self-control, and when it’s broken into, when there isn’t a wall, your flesh kicks in. And it will happen in your ministry more times than you even want to imagine or you even want to think about this morning. As you who have your ministry all in front of you and we who have more of our ministry behind us, we can just stop and remember times and we think, ‘Why on earth did I say that when I said that?’ ‘Why on earth did I act that way when I knew better?’ And the toll it took and, in some cases, months to recover because of the lack of self-control.”
The Work of the Flesh
“That’s the flesh, that’s you, and that’s me. Dress us up however you wish, tuxedo or pajamas, that’s who we are, on guard or unguarded, that’s who we are, and you’ll never be what you should be till the rapture. Never are you going to be any better in the flesh.”
Additional Resources
First, sign up for our Chuck’s Insights on Ministry email where we bring you his best thoughts on preaching, leadership, and ministry each week. By signing up, you’ll instantly receive a one-page checklist with 20 preaching insights from Chuck. See this page’s sidebar.
Second, check out our new Preach The Word articles and video series on YouTube where we’re teaching Chuck’s best insights on this important calling.
Third, listen to Chuck’s messages to those in ministry through our Seminary Chapels page. For decades, he offered students at Dallas Theological Seminary his best thoughts on church leadership and ministry. Now, we have put them at your fingertips. Also, you can find them through this YouTube playlist we created for you.
Fourth, if you don’t own a copy of Chuck’s book on preaching, Saying It Well, we highly recommend you add it to your library. It’s his preaching memoir that is also like a practical preaching manual. You won’t be able to put it down.
About the author
Pastor Chuck Swindoll
Pastor Charles R. Swindoll has devoted his life to the accurate, practical teaching and application of God’s Word. He is the founding pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, but Chuck’s listening audience extends far beyond a local church body. As a leading program in Christian broadcasting since 1979, Insight for Living airs around the world. Chuck’s leadership as president and now chancellor emeritus at Dallas Theological Seminary has helped prepare and equip a new generation of men and women for ministry.
