PUTTING WALLS UP
Proverbs 25:28 NLT
28 A person without self-control
is like a city with broken-down walls.
If you told someone that you were putting walls up in your life, they may express displeasure at your decision. The idea of putting walls up indicates a person who is not open and honest. A person with walls is perceived to be closed off and difficult to read. But there are some walls that need to go up. The walls of self-control act to bring about protection in our lives.
Studies have been done on children to determine how self-control impacts their lives. The Dunedin Study looked at 1000 children over a forty-year period. Here is their summation: "To our own surprise, our 40-year study of 1,000 children revealed that childhood self-control strongly predicts adult success, in people of high or low intelligence, in rich or poor, and does so throughout the entire population…" So science is saying what Solomon said thousands of years ago—self-control matters.
Solomon likened self-control to the walls of a city. In the ancient world, a city with walls was a much safer place to live. There were armed robbers and enemy raiding parties that could impact entire areas. There were no laws or restrictions like we have in our country. So, you can imagine that if you were living out in the open or your city had broken down walls, you would be extremely vulnerable.
By the same token, an individual without self-control is vulnerable not only to the attacks of Satan, our enemy, but life is going to be harder for that person. Self-control is the ability to control thoughts and actions. Without self-control, the temptations of the enemy and of the flesh can dominate a person. The ability to say no. To wait. To move deliberately can save marriages, families, careers, and health.
The good news is that we have the capacity for self-control. In Galatians 5, Paul refers to self-control as one of the fruits of the Spirit. And Peter, in his second letter, wrote that as believers, we are to give diligence to add virtue, knowledge, and self-control to our lives. No room is made for people to declare that they simply do not have the capacity. Self-control is similar to a muscle. The more you use self-control, the stronger it becomes. The first step toward developing self-control is to acknowledge that you can get stronger in this area of your life. Believing that you were born with weak self-control will keep you on the outside. Acknowledging that you can grow and develop self-control in your life is always a great place to start.
We want to put the walls of self-control up in our lives. You are stronger than you have believed, so let's start building those walls.
PRAYER
Lord, help me develop self-control. I have the capacity, so I choose to exercise and grow in self-control. I believe I am like a strong-walled city.