“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable” (1 Cor. 9:25, ESV).

To truly excel and succeed in athletics, self-control is a must. An athlete who lacks self-control will not eat properly, will not train properly, will fail to break bad habits in their life, and ultimately will not compete very well or be victorious.

To truly excel and succeed spiritually, self-control is a must. The Christian who lacks self-control will be spiritually weak, will fail to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, will not make the needed changes in his or her life, and in the end will not be victorious. Every Christian is instructed to give all diligence to add this fruit of the Spirit to our faith (2 Peter 1:5-6; Galatians 5:22-23).

There have been many athletes that are willing to devote themselves entirely to their craft to reach the pinnacle of their particular sport in order to win the trophy. And so, they exercise self-control in ALL things. But again, that’s for a perishable wreath. What about Christians today? How much does receiving the eternal reward of Heaven mean to us? How much more should we be willing to exercise self-control in ALL things in our life and “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). And yet, exercising self-control (an inward spiritual virtue exhibited outwardly through restraining or controlling one’s total being - thoughts, speech, actions) in our day-to-day lives proves to be a real struggle and weakness for many Christians.

• We need to exercise self-control with our thoughts (Phil. 4:8; 1 Pet. 1:13-16).
• We need to exercise self-control with our emotions (Jam. 1:19; Eph. 4:26-27).
• We need to exercise self-control with our tongue (Jam. 1:19, 26; 3:1-10).
• We need to exercise self-control in the sexual realm (Matt. 5:28; 1 Thess. 4:3-7; 1 Cor. 7:5).
• We need to exercise self-control with our time (Eph. 5:15-16; Matt. 6:33).

With God’s help and our determination, we must learn to Control-Self! As our brother Paul would go on to say, “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27). So, let us never lose sight of what our spiritual race is all about and what is at stake. Let us strive each day to exercise self-control in all aspects of our life so that we may one day receive that imperishable crown!