3 Scriptures to Pray for Self Control

“Mommy,” my daughter said casually.  “I bit my finger today.”

“Oh no! What happened?”

“I was biting a Cheeto, and well… I just kept on biting it!” She said as if it was a very normal thing to say.

Pause.

Laughter.

Followed by more laughter.

This is a hilariously true story and a word for word conversation held with my middle daughter.

She stood in front of me with a band-aid wrapped around her pointer finger and explained the details of her recent Cheeto eating adventure.

Kaity and I have something in common, we love food. Not just for survival purposes but for the enjoyment. We tend to savor Every. Single. Bite.

Often at dinner, my husband and three other girls will beg Kaity to stop picking tiny pieces off of her muffin or drum stick and to just “take a bite!”

It is rather interesting to watch how long she can make a biscuit linger.

Bite by bite she is determined to enjoy every single morsel.

And then, she bit herself. Her own finger, she nibbled and nibbled on something delicious until it no longer existed…and the humor is she was so enthralled with her enjoyment that she did not even realize it was gone.

Humorous indeed.

Or is it?

I’m sure if you and I were to sit and think long enough, we’d agree that we have been there…may even be there.

One last bite.

Ouch.

Just one more laugh.

Just one more pair of shoes.

Just one more donut.

One. more. word.

It feels so good, doesn’t it? Until we feel the pain.

I’m not sure about you, but I have certainly bitten myself a few times. My friendships, my wallet…my tongue.

Bite. By. Bite. I’ve gone too far. Took things over the edge by just nibbling.

The beauty of self-control is knowing when you’ve reached the end– of a good thing.

Yes, savor the moment but when enough is enough sometimes we just need to stop.

Kaity, with her vanished Cheeto and wounded finger may not realize it just yet, but knowing when to stop is a critical discipline.

One of the most overlooked “Fruits of the Spirit” is self-control.  

Galatians 5:22-23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,[a] 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. We all lack it in one or more areas in our life.  

Here are 3 Scriptures to guide our hearts towards God’s truth. Seek The Lord today, that he might grow you in your love for Him, others, and yourself.

Titus 2:11-12

11 For the grace of God has appeared with salvation for all people, 12 instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age,

2 Peter 1:5-9

5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins.

1 Corinthians 9:24

Do you not know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

Blessings, 

Wynter Pitts, For Girls Like You