It is very easy to let out minds submit their control to the authority of our emotions. It is also easy to allow those same emotions to steer the course of our lives in the wrong direction. I have found that most of what I am feeling in a specific moment isn’t what I will feel about 30 seconds later. When I cede to them, I end up letting my life slip out of control and I fall into all sorts of different troubles. God calls us all to discipline our bodies and I believe that the process starts in our thoughts. This idea is strongly supported in the Systems Thinking and Victim/Freedom Circle tools, both of which elaborate on the concept of self control in the Christian life.
Paul talks about the importance of self control all over his epistles. He tells us to “take every thought captive to obey Christ,” because our minds are the control towers of our bodies (2 Corinthians 10:5). The Systems Thinking tool is a practical way to implement this verse. There are two types of thought processes: System 1 and System 2. The first is basically our natural, subconscious reactions while the latter is triggered in conscious awareness. Allowing our minds to live in System 1 thinking means we are submitting to the control of our emotions. When this happens, we are prone to act rashly and negative results often occur. However, when we slow down, and take our thoughts captive, we can contemplate how to react as Christ would. I have done a poor job at this in my own life. When I get frustrated I let my feelings take over and end up saying things that no godly man should say. Self control has always been a struggles for me. On the bright side, God has been showing me how prayer and relationship with him makes it easier to catch myself in a System 1 thinking mindset. When we keep in step with the Spirit through constant prayer, our minds are set on the things above (Colossians 3:2). Paul explains this perfectly when he proclaims that “a mind set on the flesh is hostile to God,” but when our minds are set on the Spirit we have life and peace (Romans 8:6-7).
On a like note, the Victim/Freedom Circles tool is very useful in searching our hearts to see whether or not we are letting our emotions control us. When someone is playing the victim, life is happening to them. On the other hand, freedom comes when we realize that the world does not revolve around us. I have discovered that self pity keeps us from the freedom that Christ wants us to walk in. To fix this, we must understand what we can and cannot control in the world. There are about three factors that we have the ability to change: who we trust, our perspective/attitude, and our choices. When we focus on controlling these aspects of our life, we eliminate the power our feelings have and harness self control.
One of the biggest characteristics of a mature follower of Christ is self control. Without it, we are like “a city broken into and left without walls,” there is no chance of guarding the value inside.
