How to Build Self-Control Without Relying on Willpower
Don't define yourself a failure if self-control is hard. But also understand that self-control is really important to get you to the next level of what God wants you to be for his service.
See the principle clearly
Don't define yourself a failure if self-control is hard. But also understand that self-control is really important to get you to the next level of what God wants you to be for his service.
There are things in your life that you would like to see happen that will not happen until you learn the art of self-control and how to build it.
Let Scripture shape it
That emotion that says, I feel sorry for myself. And so what I think is greatest, for me at least, about growth and self-control over the past couple of years, since we've been making these episodes, is not that it's kept me from doing wrong things, though in truth it has, it has removed the obstacles that were keeping me from doing important things, things that I knew needed to be done.
So as we move into this second section answering this question, what are some things that greater self-control helps us do?
Bring it into daily life
Self-control says I only have so much time and so much energy, and I'm going to actually take those two things from something else, which could be the couch, I don't know, and I'm going to put it, invest it into something where I know it will actually pay off. Discomfort has stopped many a people from progress, but there is literally not a single thing you will get great at or you will excel in for God that will not involve some level of discomfort as you change, as you grow, as you push through the limitations that have held you back.
But self-control says I have to control the emotion that doesn't like discomfort and start to feel sorry for myself.
Take the next faithful step
But you need to get crystal clear on what is important to you because self-control is hard. You're not going to fight for things that you don't really care about.
Everybody says they want to read their Bible every day and go to church more, but not a lot of people actually really care about that.
Take the idea with you.
- 01Where does the central idea of “How to Build Self-Control Without Relying on Willpower” show up most clearly in my life right now?
- 02What does this episode call me to believe, stop, start, or handle differently?
- 03What is one specific action I can take today instead of merely agreeing with the idea?
Listen to the original episode
This article was adapted from Science of Self-Control. Continue with the podcast for the original teaching in Kris’s voice.
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