Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Proverbs 25:28 (NKJV) Whoever has no rule over his own spirit, Is like a city broken down, without walls.

“Rule over his own spirit…”  Translated: self-control.

“A city broken down with no walls…” that’s a description not very familiar to us today but is perfectly clear to most of humanity. Historically, when people gathered to live in a community they had to construct walls around their location to defend against those would come to steal, kill and destroy.  City walls were required to protect those inside.

Self-control is like “city walls for the soul”.  Self-control protects us from people, circumstances, temptations and the powers of darkness that come to steal, kill and destroy us spiritually and morally.

Self-control is the ability to reign in, temper and deny your emotions, desires or fleshly impulses in exchange for what is best long term. We live in a culture that worships a lifestyle of doing whatever you want, whenever you want, as long as your immediate lusts, feelings and desires are fully indulged.

Turmoil, drama, crisis… it is no surprise that this describes the lives of those who lack self-control. They are cities without walls.

Think It Over: Whether it’s you, or someone you know, how many times have you seen this truth played out? Those who lack self-control are constantly in circumstantial crisis and spiritual deterioration, yet the idea of having self-control is completely objectionable because it would mean denying short term gratification.  Often, there is only one thing that changes this kind of person: PAIN. When the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing, they may finally build some city walls.