32 Bible Verses about Self Control

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

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

A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, sober, prudent, grave,

but hospitable, benevolent, sober, just, holy, temperate;

that aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in the faith, in love, in patience:

And to this giving all diligence, add to your faith fortitude; and to fortitude knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience piety; and to piety brotherly affection; and to brotherly affection charity.read more.
For if these be in you and abound, they will not suffer you to be idle, nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he, that hath not these, is blind, or short-sighted, having forgot his baptismal purification from his former sins.

I therefore so run, not as unobserved: I so fight, not as one that beateth the air: but I mortify my body and bring it into subjection, least after having preached to others, I myself should be rejected.

But if any one think that he acts unbecomingly towards his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and that it ought to be so, let him do what he will; he doth not sin: let them marry. But he, that is stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doth well. So that he, who giveth her in marriage, doth well; but he, that giveth her not in marriage, doth better.

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification: that ye should abstain from fornication, and that every one of you should possess his vessel in sanctification and honor, not in the passion of lust, like the heathens who know not God.read more.
That no one over-reach, or wrong his brother in any thing: because the Lord is an avenger of all such crimes, as we also told you before, and testified to you. For God hath not called us to impurity, but to holiness.

Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, be sober, and stedfastly hope for the grace to be conferred upon you at the appearing of Jesus Christ;

Therefore let us not sleep like others, but let us watch and be sober: for they, that sleep, sleep in the night; and drunkards are drunk in the night: but let us, who are of the day, be sober; putting on the breast-plate of faith and love, and for an helmet the hope of salvation.

But the end of all things draws nigh: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer:

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

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

My brethren, be not many teachers, knowing that we who are such shall pass a stricter trial than others: for in many things we all offend; and if any offend not in word, he is a compleat man, able to manage also the whole body. Behold we put bridles into the mouths of horses, that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body as we please.read more.
Behold also the ships which are of so great bulk, and even when they are driven by hard winds, yet are turned about by a very small helm which way soever the pilot pleaseth. So the tongue is a small part of the body, yet boasteth great things. Behold how much fuel a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our several parts, defiling the whole body, inflaming the course of nature, and is set on fire by hell. For every kind of wild beasts, and birds, and reptiles, and fishes, 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 it we bless God even the Father; and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God: out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. These things, my brethren, ought not so to be. Does a fountain from the same opening send forth sweet water and bitter? Can a fig-tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine figs? so can no fountain produce salt water and sweet.

but I say unto you, Set not yourselves against him that injures you, but if any one smite thee on thy right cheek, rather turn to him the other also: and if any one would go to law with thee, to take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also, rather than strive with him:

But I say unto you my hearers, Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them that abuse you; to him that smiteth thee on the one cheek, offer also the other; and let him that taketh away thy cloke, have thy coat too rather than strive with him:

Ye who are servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and mild, but also to the morose: for this is an evidence of grace, if any one for conscience towards God endure griefs, suffering unjustly. For what glory is it, if when ye sin and are punished for it, ye bear it patiently? but if when ye do well and suffer for it, ye bear it patiently, this will gain favor with God.read more.
For unto this are ye called; because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye might follow his steps. Who did 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.

but he held his peace, and made him no answer. So the high priest asked Him again, and saith to Him, Art thou the Messiah the Son of the blessed God?

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the hall, and gathered the whole band about Him: and when they had stript Him, they covered Him with a scarlet robe; and having 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 in derision, saying, Hail king of the Jews:read more.
and they spit upon Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.

and we labour working with our own hands. When we are reviled, we bless: when persecuted, we bear it: when defamed, we intreat. We are made as the filth of the world, and the refuse of all things to this day.

Know ye not, that those, who run in a race, do all indeed run, but one only receiveth the prize? So run that ye may obtain. And every one that enters the lists is temperate in all things: they indeed do it that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible one. I therefore so run, not as unobserved: I so fight, not as one that beateth the air:read more.
but I mortify my body and bring it into subjection, least after having preached to others, I myself should be rejected.

And as he was reasoning of justice, temperance, and a future judgement, Felix trembled, and said, Go thy way for this time, and I will take a proper opportunity to call for thee again.

Wherefore God also gave them up to impurity, in the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies among themselves; who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature instead of the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. Therefore God gave them up to infamous passions: for even their women changed the natural use into that which is unnatural,read more.
and the men likewise, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust to one another, men with men committing shame, and receiving in themselves the recompence of their error which they deserved. And as they were not careful to acknowledge God, God gave them up to an undiscerning mind to do things that were not fit to be done: being filled with all injustice, lewdness, wickedness, covetousness, malignity; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and every evil habit; whisperers, slanderers, haters of God, injurious, haughty, proud, inventers of mischief, undutiful to parents, void of understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, and unmerciful:

Do not withdraw from one another, unless by consent for a season, that ye may attend to fasting and prayer: and come together again, least Satan tempt you through your incontinency.

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

which things indeed have a pretence to wisdom in voluntary worship, and humiliation, and bodily penance, as having no regard to the satisfying of the flesh.

But these men, like brute beasts naturally produced to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil of things which they do not understand, shall perish by their own corruption; receiving the reward of their unrighteousness: who account it a pleasure to riot even in the day; spots and disgraces; revelling in their frauds, while they partake of your feasts: having eyes full of adultery, and which cannot be restrained from sin: ensnaring unstable souls, and having a heart practised in rapine; cursed people:

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to obey it in the lusts thereof.

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

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

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