31 Bible Verses about Self Control

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law.

For the grace of God which leads to salvation hath appeared unto all men, instructing us, that denying ungodliness and worldly affections, we should live soberly and righteously, and godly in the present day;

A bishop then must be irreprehensible, the husband of one wife, temperate, sagacious, respectable, hospitable, well qualified for teaching;

but the stranger's host, the good man's friend, grave, just, holy, temperate;

that the elder men be sober, grave, discreet, sound in faith, in love, in patience.

and with intelligence moderation; and with moderation patience; and with patience piety; and with piety fraternal affection; and with fraternal affection love. For if these things are in your possession, and abounding, they will render you neither inactive nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.read more.
But he that hath no possession of these things, is blind, dim-sighted, sinking into oblivion of his purification from the sins of his former days.

I therefore so run not as uncertainly; so do I exercise with my fists, not as striking the air: but I beat down my body, and bring it into subjection, that I may not by any means, after having preached to others, myself become reprobate.

But if a person supposes it would be unseemly for a virgin of his if she should pass the flower of her age [in celibacy], and that duty directs it should be so, let him do as he is inclined, he doth not sin: let such marry. But he that is stedfast in his heart, not having any necessity, but retaineth power over his own inclination, and hath determined this in his heart that he will preserve his own virgin state, doeth well. Wherefore though he who giveth in marriage doeth well, yet he who avoids a matrimonial connection, doeth better.

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from whoredom; that every one of you may know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honour, not in the vile passion of lewdness, as the Gentiles which know not God;read more.
that no man transgress against, or act dishonestly to his brother in this matter because the Lord is the avenger of all such things, as we have told you before, and testified. For God hath not called us unto impurity, but unto holiness.

Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, vigilant, wait with assured hope for the grace, which shall be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Let us not then sleep as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they who sleep, sleep in the night, and they who are drunken, are drunken in the night; but let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

But the end of all things is near: be ye therefore sober-minded, and vigilant in prayers.

Be sober, be vigilant; for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, prowleth around, seeking whom he may devour:

MY brethren, be not many teachers, knowing that we shall receive a severer judgment. For in many things we all offend. If any man offend not in word, he is a perfect man, and capable of reining in the whole body. Behold, we put bits into the horses' mouths, that they may obey us, and we turn about their whole body.read more.
Behold also the ships, though so great, and driven by tempestuous winds, are turned about by the smallest rudder, whithersoever the inclination of the pilot pleaseth. So also the tongue is a little member, and proudly vaunts. Behold how great a pile of wood, a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: in such manner is the tongue placed among our members, that it defileth all the body, and setteth on fire the circle of nature; and is set on fire of hell. For every species of wild beasts, and also of birds, of reptiles, and even of fishes, is tamed, and hath also been tamed by human ingenuity: but the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless God even the Farther; and with the same we curse men, though after the likeness of God. Out of the same mouth goeth forth blessing and cursing. These things, my brethren, ought not to be thus. Doth a fountain from the same aperture spout forth sweet water and bitter? Can a fig-tree, my brethren, produce olives; or a vine figs? so also can no fountain send forth salt water and sweet.

but I say unto you, Resist not an injurious act; but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him also the other. And if a man will prosecute thee, and take thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you, and pray for those who wantonly insult you. To him that smiteth thee on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who would take from thee thy cloak, withhold not thy coat also.

Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but even to the froward. For this is gracious conduct, if for conscience towards God, any man undergo sorrows, suffering wrongfully. For what glory would there be, if committing faults, and being buffeted, ye suffered patiently? but if, when ye behave well, yet suffer, ye bear it patiently, this is graciously accepted of God.read more.
For hereunto have ye been called, because Christ also hath suffered for you, leaving you a pattern, that ye should follow his steps; who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he used no menaces; but referred himself to him who judgeth righteously:

But he kept silence, and made them not a word of reply. Again the high-priest questioned him, and said to him, Art thou the Messiah, the Son of the blessed?

Thereupon the soldiers of the governor taking Jesus away to the Praetorium, gathered around him the whole band: and stripping him, put about him a scarlet cloak. And platting a crown of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a cane in his right hand: and bowing the knee before him, mocked him, saying, Hail, king of the Jews!read more.
And spitting upon him, they took the cane, and struck him upon his head.

and work hard, labouring with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it; being injuriously spoken of, we entreat; we are made as the ordures of the world, as the sweepings of all things unto this day.

Know ye not that they who run on the course, all run indeed, yet but one obtaineth the price? So run, that ye may obtain. And every one who contendeth [in the games] is temperate in all things: they indeed therefore do it that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run not as uncertainly; so do I exercise with my fists, not as striking the air:read more.
but I beat down my body, and bring it into subjection, that I may not by any means, after having preached to others, myself become reprobate.

And as he discoursed of righteousness, and temperance, and the judgment which is ready to be revealed, Felix being greatly terrified, replied, Go, for the present, I will some time hence take another opportunity of calling for thee.

Wherefore God abandoned them, through the lusts of their own hearts, unto impurity, to dishonour their own bodies by themselves: who perverted the truth of God by falsehood, and worshipped and paid divine honours to the thing created instead of the Creator, who is blessed for evermore. Amen. For this cause God gave them up to dishonourable passions. For even their women did change the natural use into that which was contrary to nature;read more.
and likewise the men also, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lewdness one towards another; men with men committing indecency, and receiving in themselves the recompence of their delusion, which was meet. And since they thought not fit to hold the Deity in acknowledgment, God abandoned them to a reprobate mind, to practise deeds unbecoming; replete with all injustice, whoredom, wickedness, covetousness, villany; full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, evil habits; whisperers, backbiters, God-haters, contumelious, insolent, boasters, inventors of wicked practices, disobedient to parents, unintelligent, unfaithful to engagements, unnatural, implacable, unmerciful:

Defraud not one another, except it may be by consent occasionally, that ye may have more leisure for fasting and prayer; and come together again, lest Satan tempt you through your incontinence.

But if they have not the gift of continence, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

Which things indeed hold forth an appearance of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and bodily mortification, [though] not of any value, [but] a gratification to the flesh.

But these men, as the naturally irrational brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil of the things of which they are ignorant, will perish by their own corruption; receiving the recompence of iniquity, counting daily luxury their pleasure; spots and blemishes, when they feast together with you; riotously indulging in their own delusions: having eyes full of adultery, and insatiable of sin; ensnaring souls of no stability; having a heart practised in all the wiles of covetousness; children for a curse:

Let not therefore sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the passions thereof.

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

He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be to him a God, and he shall be to me a son.

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