Today's Promise

Self-Control Is Better

Today's Promise - April 30

Dr. Bill Bright


"It is better to be slow-tempered than famous; it is better to have self-control than to control an army" (Proverbs 16:32).

You and I know from experience that it is not easy to discipline our emotions, our passions or our self-will. In fact, apart from God's help, it is an impossibility.

  • A lustful person who does not control his thoughts quenches and grieves the Spirit.
  • An overweight person, because he cannot control his appetite, quenches and grieves the Spirit.
  • A Christian who places undue emphasis on material possessions quenches and grieves the Holy Spirit.
  • A gossip who cannot control his tongue quenches and grieves the Spirit.
  • A husband, wife, or child who fails to live according to the commands of Ephesians chapter 5 quenches and grieves the Holy Spirit.
  • A student who fails to study adequately because of poor discipline quenches and grieves the Spirit.

Many pages would be required to list all the ways in which lack of self-control quenches and grieves the Holy Spirit.

The spirit, mind and body are the three aspects of our being over which we are told to practice self-control.

What is man's spirit?

It is his immaterial being - man without his body, if you will. The Bible gives many characteristics of the spirit of man. It is that which communicates with the Spirit of God.

Man's spirit is the center of emotions (1 Kings 21:5), the source of passions (Ezekiel 3:14) and the seat of volition or exercise of the will (Proverbs 16:32). Our spirit is subject to divine influence while housed in our mortal body (Deuteronomy 2:30 and Isaiah 19:14), and leaves the body at the time of physical death (Ecclesiastics 12:7 and James 2:26).


1 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger.

2 The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,
    but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

3 The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,
    keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

4 The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
    but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

5 A fool spurns a parent’s discipline,
    but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.

Today's Action Point

Drawing upon this enabling power of the Holy Spirit, I will practice the vital discipline of self-control.

Related Topics:
Devotional Proverbs 16

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