Freedom in Christ does not give believers liberty to cast off all moral restraint, nor does it call for a withdrawal from life and its temptations. What it does demand is self-discipline.           

Someone has said that self-control is the power to say no to self and yes to what we know we should do.  The truth is, being a faithful child of God is all about self-control.  If we are to bear the fruit of the Spirit and show that we are holy, we must exercise discipline in all areas of our life.

• We must be disciplined in our devotion.

Devotion has to do with the practice of religious exercises that demand a devoted period of time and energy.  Acts of devotion such as prayer, Bible study, and assembling with other saints should occupy a permanent presence in the life of every Christian.  Sadly, many fail because they do not discipline themselves when it comes to being devoted to spiritual things.  We must make time for God.  We must make time to read the Bible and pray every day, giving God first place in our lives (Matthew 6:33).

Psalm 63:1 (NKJV)
¹  O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.  

• We must be disciplined in our desires.

Uncontrolled desire is what the Bible calls lust.  Whether we are lusting for something innocent within itself, or something that is forbidden by God, lust is simply desire without restraint.  The one who is following the Spirit, however, avoids the pitfalls of such lust because he has control over himself.  This was Paul’s determined purpose.

1 Corinthians 9:27 (ESV)
²⁷  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Paul’s life was a depiction of temperance.  Let us be followers of his example (1 Corinthians 11:1).

• We must be disciplined in our duties.

If you are a Christian, you have God-given duties in Christ.  We have the duty of living holy lives (1 Peter 1:14-16), abiding in the doctrine of Christ (2 John 1:9), and being actively involved in the Lord’s work (Ephesians 4:16).  These duties, and any others we have been given by the Lord, are not accomplished by accident.  It takes self-control to properly fulfill them.  We must discipline ourselves to use our time wisely and push ourselves to do the work God has given us, even when we don’t, at times, feel like it.

Are you being led by the Spirit?  Remember, to be led by the Spirit simply means to live by the Word of God that He has revealed to us.  If we are doing that, it will be seen by the fruit that we bear.  Maybe we have not mastered any of them, but love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control should all be a noticeable part of our character.  Let’s be sure that they are.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.