Stephen Jerubba’al
It has been said that men are difficult to control. While this thought may hold a context of truth, there is also another side to it—humans are not stable under external control. This is one of the reasons why slavery is a dangerous concept when you talk around people or when a person experiences it. Slavery is the state of being controlled by someone or something against your own intentions or will.
On the flip side, while we should deviate from controlling others and choosing to lead them instead, it is important that we learn to control ourselves. A wise man once said, “Internal vigilance is the pride of liberty.” A man without self-control is like a city without walls—scriptures!
What then is self-control?
Self-control is simply defined as the ability or tendency of a person to put himself or herself under control in order to marshal themselves to what is best for them, based on values and principles. For example, when you say you want to stay off carbonated drinks, it is self-control for you when you are able to stay off areas or environments that will entice you to take any carbonated drink.
Hey! There are numerous profits that are associated with being able to control oneself. There are also consequences for not being able to keep yourself in check without external push. A man once said, “I have decided in my mind that I will not set my eyes on any female lustfully”—that’s a step to self-control.
In a world where anything goes, for those who are poised at moving forward and staying off any lifestyle that will complicate their lives, self-control is a necessary skill. We have heard stories of men who end up regretting actions that they could have avoided in the past. The lack of self-control empties lives of meaning!
The benefits of self-control will be evidenced in the near future. This is because the end is always a revealer, as the present is a revealer of the past. The endpoint reveals what a person has been doing with their lives until that time. Basically, self-control is DISCIPLINE in a situation in spite of what or how you feel about it as long as it does not align with your values.
Self-control and godly relationships!
Twitter and several other social media platforms have been littered with several explanations on why men are not able to control themselves. But the climax of this is that no explanation can explain away your inability to control yourself under situations that contradict your values. It will only reveal your laziness!
When it comes to relationships and marriages, there are values and principles that if upheld will lead to thriving relationships. Values around love, purity, truth, discipline, and so on are expected to be seen in godly relationships. However, there are certain situations that may come to threaten those values, and this is where self-control comes in.
Dear men, the fact that you are engaged to be married is not an excuse to have sexual intercourse with her before the wedding night. The fact that your wife is not around is not a reason at all to be unfaithful to your spouse—you may console yourself with an excuse, but failure to be disciplined plus excuses does not mean success.
Conclusion
In clear terms, self-control is possible, and no one is exempted from it. You either control yourself, which is profitable, or be controlled by yourself, fulfilling its desires—certainly, this is destructive in the long run! Cheers to self-control, men! Cheers to a life with meaning!
THE BRIDGE HUB 