We all face moments when we wonder who is truly in control of our lives. Is our destiny predetermined, or do we have genuine free will to become masters of our fate? As Christians, we believe that God has gifted us a remarkable power – the sovereignty and self-control to transcend our circumstances and walk in His purposes.
This liberation begins the moment we place our faith in Christ. However, experiencing the fullness of this freedom is an ongoing journey as we learn to exert the self-mastery made possible by God’s grace. Sanctification is the lifelong process of walking in the “glorious liberty” we have been given. As we submit more areas of our hearts to the Lordship of Jesus, His sovereignty dethrones the residual power of sin and empowers our self-control. Through the Spirit working within us, we can increasingly overcome worldly desires and choose to align our thoughts, words, and actions with God’s will. True freedom is not just a status but a dynamic relationship with Christ that enables us to progress in holiness. As we build spiritual disciplines into our lives, we strengthen our capacity for self-governance. In this way, we fully unlock the gift of sovereignty that allows us to live abundantly as God designed.
Defining God’s Gift of Sovereignty
The sovereignty God grants is not an autonomous, isolated control where we can do whatever we wish. Instead, it is the power to take responsibility for our thoughts, words, actions, and habits within the will of God. As Dallas Willard wrote, “Personal transformation into Christlikeness is the purpose of discipleship.” This transformation requires exerting mastery over the natural human tendencies that pull us away from God’s best – tendencies we often blame on genetics, early childhood, or our environment.
We can overcome these destructive thought patterns and impulses with God’s grace working in our hearts. We can bring them captive to the obedience of Christ, aligning our inner world to His virtues of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and self-control. The more we submit to the Lordship of Jesus, the more we become self-governing in a way that honors Him. God gifts us sovereignty so that we can freely choose against the tide of worldly values and walk in freedom as Christ designed.
Biblical Basis for God’s Gift of Self-Control
Throughout Scripture, we see evidence of the self-determination God grants humanity. When Adam and Eve are tempted in the Garden, they have the choice to reject the serpent’s deception and obey God’s command. Noah could have conformed to the sinful tendencies of his generation, but he alone walked with God faithfully. Moses brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, but then they had to exert their own mastery by choosing to enter the Promised Land rather than rebel.
The New Testament speaks abundantly to this God-given ability for self-conquest. Verses like Romans 12:2, Philippians 4:8, and Colossians 3:1-2 urge us to purify our thoughts and set our minds on things above. We see Jesus Himself model supreme self-control when tempted in the wilderness to misuse His divine power. And repeatedly, the Bible assures that sin will not master us because Christ has freed us from its dominion (Romans 6:14).
God gifts every believer the capacity to echo Paul’s declaration: “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:18-19). Yet the verse gives us hope – through Jesus Christ, we can overcome and do the good! Our spiritual discipline liberates us to will and to work according to God’s purpose.
Perspectives on Self-Control in Christian History
Many great Christian theologians have unpacked this concept of human self-determination. Augustine argued that humanity was given free choice of the will so that we would not be forced into faith but enter it voluntarily. Centuries later, John Calvin asserted that the freedom Christ won for us is the liberty not to be enslaved by sin.
C.S. Lewis stated: “To walk out of his will is to walk into nowhere.” Within its framework, we are safe. Outside perishes. Our gift of sovereignty only leads to abundant life when submitted wholly to God. Lewis also imaginatively depicted this gift through figures like Aslan the lion, who granted animals the power of speech and reason in Narnia.
The common thread is clear: When yielded to Christ, our God-given self-control empowers us to live in the power of the Holy Spirit, overcome sinful tendencies, create life-giving habits, and freely pursue virtues that honor God. We become more truly who God created us to be, transformed into His likeness.
Living Out God’s Gift of Self-Control
What does exerting the self-control that God provides look like daily? Here are some practical examples:
– Choosing patience when insulted or offended rather than lashing out verbally
– Persisting in prayer and fellowship when struggling spiritually rather than withdrawing
– Forgiving past hurts, refusing to nurse grudges or dwell in victimhood
– Switching from browsing social media to reading Scripture and devotional books
– Choosing Christlikeness by conviction, not just sporadic motivation
– Eliminating destructive dialogue that fuels anxiety, depression, or pride
– Setting disciplined boundaries around habits to reflect moderation and godliness
Each time we exert mastery over our thoughts, words, actions, habits, or priorities to align them with Christ, we strengthen our self-control “muscle.” This takes tremendous honesty, accountability, and spiritual discipline. But God promises to supply the power as we yield to the Holy Spirit.
The Gift Leads to Abundant Life
Why does growing in self-control matter? Because this is how we become fully alive as God designed us to be. His gift of sovereignty enables us to throw off sinful weights, run the race He has marked out for us, and experience freedom, joy, and purpose.
As G.K. Chesterton wrote: “In that sense, every act is an act of self-sacrifice. When you choose anything, you reject everything else… Every act is an irrevocable selection and exclusion. Just as when you marry one woman, you give up all the others, so when you take one course of action, you give up all the other courses.” We find inexpressible hope when we recognize our lives are not fixed scripts but dynamic journeys in which we can choose holiness over sin through Christ’s power.
So today, wherever you find yourself spiritually, start small. Make one choice to assert dominion over your inner world. Renounce one thought or attitude displeasing to God. Then, watch what He starts to do as you embrace the gift of self-control. For one day, we know this sovereignty will become an absolute victory, as we are finally free forever from the presence of sin and death. But until then, His gift is ours for the choosing.
Josh Cehulik 