53 Bible Verses about Self Control

A fool utters all his anger, but a wise man keeps it back and calms it.

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, to know wisdom and instruction, to discern the words of understanding, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness and justice and equity,read more.
to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion, that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning, and that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsels,

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

For the saving grace of God has appeared to all men, disciplining us, so that, having denied irreverence and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and piously in the present age.

The overseer therefore must be blameless, the husband of one wife, without wine, serious minded, disciplined, loving strangers, able to teach,

but a lover of strangers, a lover of good, serious minded, just, devout, self-controlled,

Aged men are to be without wine, noble, serious minded, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.

Now this same thing also, having applied all eagerness, furnish in your faith, virtue, and in virtue, knowledge, and in knowledge, self-control, and in self-control, perseverance, and in perseverance, piety, and in piety, brotherly affection, and in brotherly affection, love.read more.
For these things existing in you and abounding, it leads to not being idle nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he in whom these things are not present is blind, being near-sighted, having deliberately forgotten the purification of his former sins.

I therefore run this way, not as aimlessly. I fight this way, not as flaying air. But I give my body a black eye and subdue it, lest somehow having preached to others, I myself might become disqualified.

But if any man thinks to behave improperly toward his virgin, if it is past the best time, and so ought to happen, she should do what she wants, she does not sin, they should marry. But he who stands firm in his heart, not having necessity, but has power based upon his own will, and has decided this in his heart, to keep his own celibacy, does well. And therefore he who gives in marriage does well, but he who does not give in marriage does better.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification, for you to abstain from fornication, for each of you to know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and reverence, not in passion of lust, as also the Gentiles who have not known God,read more.
not to transgress and to cheat his brother in the affair, because the Lord is vengeful about all these things, as also we forewarned you and solemnly testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in sanctification.

Therefore having girded up the loins of your mind, being sober, hope entirely for the grace brought to you at the revealing of Jesus Christ.

So then let us not sleep, as also the others, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are intoxicated get drunk at night. But we, being of the day, should be sober, putting on a breastplate of faith and love, and a helmet, the hope of salvation.

But the end of all things has approached. Therefore be serious, and be sober for the prayers.

Be sober, be vigilant. Your opponent the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom to devour.

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

Thou have proved my heart. Thou have visited me in the night. Thou have tried me, and find nothing. I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

The heart of the wise instructs his mouth, and adds learning to his lips.

He who keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.

Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive greater judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If any man does not stumble in word, this is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Behold we put bits into the mouths of horses for them to obey us, and we guide about their whole body.read more.
Behold also the ships, being so great and driven by fierce winds, are guided about by a very small rudder, wherever the impulse of the man who steers determines. So also the tongue is a little body-part, and boasts greatly. Behold a little fire, how much wood it kindles. And the tongue is a fire, the world of unrighteousness. Thus, the tongue is made to lead among our body-parts, defiling the whole body, and setting the cycle of nature on fire, and being set on fire by hell. For every species, both of beasts and of birds, both of creeping things and things in the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed by the human species. But no man is able to tame the tongue of men, an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. By it we bless the God and Father, and by it we curse men, who were made according to a likeness of God. Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and curse. My brothers, these things ought not to happen this way. Does the spring pour out from the same opening the sweet and the bitter? A fig tree, my brothers, cannot make olives, or a grapevine figs. In the same way, no one spring makes water salty and sweet.

But I say to you, not to resist what is troublesome, but whoever will strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And to the man who wants to sue thee, and take away thy coat, thou shall leave him thy cloak also.

But I say to you, to those who hear, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. To him who strikes thee on the cheek offer the other also, and from him who takes away thy cloak, also do not withhold thy coat.

Household servants, submitting to the masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wayward. For this is graciousness, if, because of consciousness of God, any man endures sorrows, suffering wrongfully. For what kind of credit is it, if, sinning and being beaten, ye will endure? But if, doing good and suffering, ye will endure, this is graciousness with God.read more.
For ye were called for this. Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example, so that ye should follow his footsteps. Who did no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. Who, being reviled, did not revile in return. Suffering, he did not threaten, but yielded to him who judges righteously.

And it came to pass, after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, Lay with me. But he refused, and said to his master's wife, Behold, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has put all that he has into my hand. He is not greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?read more.
And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not hearken to her, to lay by her, [or] to be with her. And it came to pass, about this time, that he went into the house to do his work, and there was none of the men of the house there inside. And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lay with me. And he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got out.

And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi. Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave, and Saul went in to cover his feet. Now David and his men were abiding in the innermost parts of the cave.read more.
And the men of David said to him, Behold, the day of which LORD said to thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thy hand, and thou shall do to him as it shall seem good to thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. And he said to his men, LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, LORD's anointed, to put forth my hand against him, since he is LORD's anointed. So David restrained his men with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.

So David and Abishai came to the people by night. And, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the place of the wagons with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the people lay round about him. Then said Abishai to David, God has delivered up thine enemy into thy hand this day. Now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not smite him the second time. And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not, for who can put forth his hand against LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?read more.
And David said, As LORD lives, LORD will smite him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go down into battle and perish. LORD forbid that I should put forth my hand against LORD's anointed. But now take, I pray thee, the spear that is at his head, and the cruse of water, and let us go. So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's head, and they got away. And no man saw it, nor knew it, neither did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from LORD was fallen upon them.

Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? Because he curses, and because LORD has said to him, Curse David, who then shall say, Why have thou done so?

I made a covenant with my eyes. How then should I look upon a virgin?

He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that is mute before its shearers, so he opened not his mouth.

But he remained silent, and answered nothing. Again the high priest demanded him, and says to him, Are thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?

Then the soldiers of the governor, having taken Jesus into the Praetorium, gathered the whole band to him. And having stripped him, they put a scarlet robe on him. And having woven a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand. And having knelt down before him, they ridiculed him, saying, Hail, king of the Jews!read more.
And having spat upon him, they took the reed and were striking him on his head.

And we toil, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being slandered, we entreat. We became as trash of the world, an offscouring of all things, until now.

Know ye not that those who run in an arena, indeed all run, but one receives the prize? So run that ye may seize it. And every man who strives for mastery exercises self-control in all things. Indeed therefore those men do it so that they might obtain a perishable crown, but we an imperishable. I therefore run this way, not as aimlessly. I fight this way, not as flaying air.read more.
But I give my body a black eye and subdue it, lest somehow having preached to others, I myself might become disqualified.

A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.

Thus says LORD to this people: Even so they have loved to wander. They have not restrained their feet. Therefore LORD does not accept them. Now he will remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.

And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house. And David played with his hand, as he did day by day, and Saul had his spear in his hand. And Saul cast the spear, for he said, I will smite David even to the wall. And David turned away from his presence twice.

Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon's house, and make food for him. So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, and he was laid down. And she took dough, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. And she took the pan, and poured them out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Have all men out from me. And they went out every man from him.read more.
And Amnon said to Tamar, Bring the food into the chamber that I may eat from thy hand. And Tamar took the cakes that she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. And when she had brought them near to him to eat, he took hold of her, and said to her, Come, lay with me, my sister. And she answered him, No, my brother, do not force me, for no such thing ought to be done in Israel. Do not do thou this folly. And I, where shall I carry my shame? And as for thee, thou will be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from thee. However he would not hearken to her voice, but being stronger than she, he forced her, and lay with her.

They also angered him at the waters of Meribah, so that it went ill with Moses because of them, because they were rebellious against his spirit, and he spoke ill-advisedly with his lips.

My son, if thou have become surety for thy neighbor, if thou have struck thy hands for a stranger, thou are snared with the words of thy mouth, thou are taken with the words of thy mouth. Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, since thou have come into the hand of thy neighbor. Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor.

Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint, but he who keeps the law, happy is he.

And as he discoursed about righteousness, and self-control, and the judgment going to be, Felix, having become afraid, answered, Go now, and having a convenient time, I will summon thee.

And for this reason God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, to degrade their bodies among themselves, who changed the truth of God into the lie, and worshiped and served the creation against him who created it, who is blessed into the ages. Truly. Because of this God gave them up to shameful passions, for even their females changed the natural use into what is against nature.read more.
And likewise also the males, having left the natural use of the female, burned in their lust toward each other, males with males producing shamelessness, and receiving in themselves the recompense of their deviancy that was fitting And just as they did not approve having God in knowledge, God gave them over to an unfit mind, to do things that are not fit; having been filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; being gossips, slanderous, God-hating, aggressors, arrogant boasters, contrivers of evil things, disobedient to parents; without understanding, untrustworthy, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful.

Do not defraud each other except from agreement for a time, so that ye may have time for fasting and prayer. And come together again for the same thing, so that Satan not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

But if they have no self-control they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn.

Which having, are indeed a matter of wisdom in will-worship, and self-mortification, and austerity of the body--not in any value against indulgence of the flesh.

But these men, like irrational beasts of nature, having been born for capture and destruction, speaking evil at which things they do not understand, will be destroyed in their corruption, getting back a wage of unrighteousness. Men who consider soft living in the daytime to be pleasure, spots and blemishes reveling in their deceitfulness, feasting together with you, having eyes full of adultery, and unceasing sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, children of a curse,

He who guards his mouth keeps his life. He who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body in order to obey it, in its lusts.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who takes a city.

He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be God to him, and he will be a son to me.

And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets,