53 Bible Verses about Self Control

A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;read more.
To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain to wise counsels:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us, that denying ungodliness, and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and piously, in this present world;

A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience;

And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.read more.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purified from his old sins.

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so I fight, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast-away.

But if any man thinketh that he behaveth himself uncomely towards his virgin, if she hath passed the flower of her age, and need so requireth, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. Nevertheless, he that standeth steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from lewdness. That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles who know not God:read more.
That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness.

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that are drunken, are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breast-plate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch to prayer.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

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

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

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

The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.

Whoever keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

My brethren, be not many teachers, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we all offend. If any man offendeth not in word, the same is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the mouths of horses, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.read more.
Behold also the ships, which though they are so great, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they are turned about with a very small helm, withersoever the governor willeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire from hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of animals in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed by mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With this we bless God, even the Father; and with this we curse men, who are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig-tree, my brethren, bear olive-berries? or a vine, figs? so no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.

But I say to you, That ye resist not evil: but whoever shall strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.

But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to them who hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them who despitefully use you. And to him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke, forbid not to take thy coat also.

Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thank-worthy, if a man for conscience towards God endureth grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye are buffeted for your faults, ye bear it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye bear it patiently, this is acceptable with God.read more.
For even to this were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who committed no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph: and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said to his master's wife, Behold, my master knoweth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand: There is none greater in his house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art 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 hearkened not to her, to lie by her, or to be with her. And it came to pass, about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within. And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and went out.

And it came to pass, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told to 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 sheep-cotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.read more.
And the men of David said to him, Behold the day of which the LORD said to thee, Behold, I will deliver thy enemy into thy hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good to thee. Then David arose, and privately cut off the skirt of Saul's robe. 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, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD. So David restrained his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose 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 trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay about him. Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thy enemy into thy hand this day; now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear, even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time. And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not; for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD'S anointed and be guiltless?read more.
David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD will smite him; or his day will come to die; or he will descend into battle and perish. The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against the LORD'S anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go. So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they departed, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep: because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them.

Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah 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? so let him curse, because the LORD hath said to him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Why hast thou done so?

I Made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said to him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered to him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews?read more.
And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and struck him on the head.

And labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it; Being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things to this day.

Know ye not, that they who run in a race, all run, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so I fight, not as one that beateth the air:read more.
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast-away.

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

Thus saith the LORD to this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not restrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.

And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand. And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall. And David escaped from his presence twice.

Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon's house, and dress meat for him. So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house; and he was laid down. And she took flour, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. And she took a pan, and poured them out before him; but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Have out all men 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 which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. And when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her, and said to her, Come, lie with me, my sister. And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly. And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou wilt 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. Howbeit, he would not hearken to her voice: but being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her.

They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes: Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spoke unadvisedly with his lips.

My son, if thou art surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, depart for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up to vile affections. For even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:read more.
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one towards another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventers of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

Defraud ye not one the other, except with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan may not tempt you for your incontinence.

But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh.

But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption: And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day-time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: they have a heart exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts of it.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.