The Value of Self-Discipline in the Christian Life
At the end of May, I completed a three-day fast. It was my first ever fast from food. For over a month, I had sensed the Lord pulling on my heart to undertake the spiritual discipline of fasting. But to be honest, I was very intimidated by it. I didn’t know how I would be able to give up food for three days straight. How would I deal with the hunger? Would I have enough energy to go about my daily schedule? What symptoms would I experience? Despite my hesitation, I knew I couldn’t ignore what the Lord wanted to teach me.
Needless to say, fasting for three days and consuming only water was not a pleasant experience, but it was well worth the effort. As my schedule allowed, I filled my time of fasting with worship, prayer, and rest, and what came of it was life-changing! The Lord broke strongholds that had been over me for some time and showed me a new path forward for the new season He was calling me into. But one of the most significant rewards I gleaned from my experience with fasting was the development of self-discipline. I learned that discipline is not always fun at the moment but will lead to great results in the long run – spiritually, mentally, and physically.
So what is self-discipline, and what value does it bring to the Christian life? In a culture that celebrates self-indulgence, the Lord has revealed to me three reasons we should do the opposite: embracing self-control, persevering through temptations, and pushing our flesh to accept discipline.
1. Self-Control Helps Us to Become More Sanctified
The Bible clearly states that God desires for His people to have self-control. One role of God the Father is to discipline His children. He does this in love so we become righteous in our actions, free from the bondage of sin, and embrace all He has created us to be. Obeying God’s discipline helps us cultivate self-control as we abstain from sin and grow in holiness.
One virtue of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. When we display self-discipline, we show the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives and to others. The more time we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, the more sanctified our Christian walk will become.
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Titus 2:11-14
2. Developing Self-Discipline Prepares Us to Complete the Good Works God has Planned for Us to Do
It’s no secret that walking the righteous path in this fallen world is not easy. Every Christian has had instances where they have struggled to do the right thing, considered pleasing people over God, or fallen into temptation. We are human, after all. However, under this worldly flesh is a heavenly spirit where God works within our hearts to transform us to be more like Him. The Lord is more concerned about our spiritual journey than our physical one, as He works daily to build our character and prepare us for eternal life in heaven.
One way He does this is by calling us to carry out good works, each person having their own unique callings and tasks given to them by God. By saying yes to these callings, we can grow closer to God and learn to rely more on His strength; we can help those around us and hopefully bring other lost souls to faith, develop our spiritual maturity, and become more like Christ.
However, to do all this, we must complete the good works God gave us. We must stay on the straight path and continue the race even when life becomes difficult, the way forward is not certain, and temptations are strong. And that takes self-discipline and perseverance.
Most of the time, in my experience, God will give us smaller tasks to complete to develop our perseverance. When we show we can handle those minor things, He will provide us with more to steward. It will be hard at first, like when you start working out. The muscles are weak and resistant to training. But as your self-discipline grows with practice, just like the muscle grows with more exercise, you can more easily handle the weight of a higher calling from God and fully complete the good works He has planned for you.
“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:25-27
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
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3. Self-Control Helps Us Be More Like Christ
One person who has walked this earth has displayed more self-control than anyone, and that is our sinless Savior, Jesus Christ. The gospel accounts of Jesus’ life are filled with scenarios of Him demonstrating self-control and discipline when interacting with others and Himself. Let’s examine a few:
Firstly, Jesus was known to rise early in the morning to pray privately to God. It was also recorded that He would pray for hours at times. Jesus used self-discipline to deny Himself sleep and personal time to connect with His Father because He knew He had to rely on His Father’s strength and guidance to complete the mission He had been put on this earth to do.
“It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12
“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.” Mark 1:35
Next, Jesus needed to display a good bit of self-control when interacting with other people during His ministry. On several occasions, Jesus resisted the attempts by the people to make him into something he was not. Some who experienced his miracles and teachings attempted to promote him as a famous miracle worker or a political revolutionary. At the same time, the religious leaders tried to portray him as a fraud and lawbreaker. Yet, Jesus refused to conform to their expectations. Self-discipline in His interactions with others was necessary to present Himself honorably, not according to the people’s wishes or their disdain, but to the calling God had given him– to fulfill the law and become the sinless Savior of the world.
In Scripture, we see the mistreatment of Jesus on several occasions. From being accused of lying, blasphemy, and using demonic power, and of course, arrested, beaten, and humiliated on the cross, Christ didn’t let these things control His words or actions. He kept steady on what He had been sent to do, a perfect example of self-discipline indeed.
“Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus said, ‘You have said so.’ But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate said to him, ‘Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?’ But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.” Matthew 27:11-14
Lastly, my favorite example of Jesus exhibiting self-control was displayed during His forty-day fast. Before beginning his public ministry, He completed a forty-day fast alone in the wilderness. Jesus’ experience was hugely significant because not only did he display obedience and self-discipline to get started on this amazing feat, but he developed even more self-discipline throughout the fasting process. We even see Jesus rejecting Satan’s temptation of food after His fast. In the end, Jesus' successful encounter with Satan during his fast perfectly revealed his self-discipline and dedication to God’s will and call. He would not take any shortcuts but only took the path God asked him to follow. He knew that a triumphant walk with God only goes where the Father leads.
Jesus’ example shows us that before we can pursue the more prominent works God is calling us to in life– like Jesus completing His earthly ministry– we must follow Christ’s example in devoting ourselves to the smaller tasks, like fasting, for example, to prepare ourselves accordingly and to learn the dependence on God that is necessary for a triumphant ministry.
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’... Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.” Matthew 4:1-4, 10-11
Conclusion
After all of this, has your opinion about self-discipline changed? Do you believe you have an adequate amount of self-control? And most importantly, where is God calling you to be more disciplined in your life? Maybe it’s your physical health, your quiet time with the Lord, or keeping up with chores around your home. Whatever it may be, ask the Lord to help you persevere to push through the unpleasantness of the short term to achieve a higher reward in the long run!