42 Bible Verses about Self Discipline

As for profane legends and old wives' tales, leave them alone. Train yourself to lead a religious life;

No! Arm yourselves with the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, and spend no thought on your earthly nature, to satisfy its cravings.

Do not you know that on a race-course, though all run, yet only one wins the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Every athlete exercises self-restraint in everything; they, indeed, for a crown that fades, we for one that is unfading. I, therefore, run with no uncertain aim. I box-not like a man hitting the air.read more.
No, I bruise my body and make it my slave, lest I, who have called others to the contest, should myself be rejected.

That the very spirit of your minds must be constantly renewed; And that you must clothe yourselves in that new nature which was created to resemble God, with the righteousness and holiness springing from the Truth.

Not that I have already laid hold of it, or that I am already made perfect. But I press on, in the hope of actually laying hold of that for which indeed I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. For I, Brothers, do not regard myself as having yet laid hold of it. But this one thing I do--forgetting what lies behind, and straining every nerve for that which lies in front, I press on to the goal, to gain the prize of that heavenward Call which God gave me through Christ Jesus.

Therefore, as God's People, consecrated and dear to him, clothe yourselves with tenderness of heart, kindliness, humility, gentleness, forbearance;

For the Spirit which God gave us was not a spirit of cowardice, but a spirit of power, love, and self-control.

But 'solid food' is for Christians of mature faith--those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish right from wrong.

Seeing, therefore, that there is on every side of us such a throng of witnesses, let us also lay aside everything that hinders us, and the sin that clings about us, and run with patient endurance the race that lies before us,

Everything that is written under divine inspiration is helpful for teaching, for refuting error, for giving guidance, and for training others in righteousness; so that the Servant of God may be perfect himself, and perfectly equipped for every good action.

leading us to renounce irreligious ways and worldly ambitions, and to live discreet, upright, and religious lives here in this present world,

And not only that, but let us also exult in our troubles; For we know that trouble develops endurance, and endurance strength of character, and strength of character hope, And that 'hope never disappoints.' For the love of God has filled our hearts through the Holy Spirit which was given us;

We are engaged in confuting arguments and pulling down every barrier raised against the knowledge of God. We are taking captive every hostile thought, to bring it into submission to the Christ,

In fulfillment of the charge with which I have been entrusted, I bid every one of you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think till he learns to think soberly--in accordance with the measure of faith that God has allotted to each.

Do not conform to the fashion of this world; but be transformed by the complete change that has come over your minds, so that you may discern what God's will is--all that is good, acceptable, and perfect.

That the very spirit of your minds must be constantly renewed;

But the end of all things is near. Therefore exercise self-restraint and be calm, that you may be able to pray.

We often make mistakes, every one of us. Any one who does not make mistakes when speaking is indeed a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body as well. When we put bits into horses' mouths, to make them obey us, we control the rest of their bodies so. Again, think of ships. Large as they are, and even when driven by fierce winds, they are controlled by a very small rudder and steered in whatever direction the man at the helm may determine.read more.
So is it with the tongue. Small as it is, it is a great boaster. Think how tiny a spark may set the largest forest ablaze! And the tongue is like a spark. Among the members of our body it proves itself a very world of mischief; it contaminates the whole body; it sets the wheels of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by the flames of the Pit. For while all sorts of beasts and birds, and of reptiles and creatures in the sea, are tameable, and actually have been tamed by man, No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless plague! It is charged with deadly poison! With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made 'in God's likeness.' From the very same mouth come blessings and curses! My Brothers, it is not right that this should be so. Does a spring give both good and bad water from the same source? Can a fig tree, my Brothers, bear olives? or a vine bear figs? No, nor can a brackish well give good water.

Do not undo God's work for the sake of what you eat. Though everything is 'clean,' yet, if a man eats so as to put a stumbling- block in the way of others, he does wrong. The right course is to abstain from meat or wine or, indeed, anything that is a stumbling-block to your Brother.

No, I bruise my body and make it my slave, lest I, who have called others to the contest, should myself be rejected.

Therefore do not let Sin reign in your mortal bodies and compel you to obey its cravings. Do not offer any part of your bodies to Sin, in the cause of unrighteousness, but once for all offer yourselves to God (as those who, though once dead, now have Life), and devote every part of your bodies to the cause of righteousness.

If you live in obedience to your earthly nature, you will inevitably die; but if, by the power of the Spirit, you put an end to the evil habits of the body, you will live.

For you learned with regard to your former way of living that you must cast off your old nature, which, yielding to deluding passions, grows corrupt;

Therefore destroy all that is earthly in you--immorality, uncleanness, passions, evil desires, and that greed which is idolatry.

We often make mistakes, every one of us. Any one who does not make mistakes when speaking is indeed a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body as well.

But, if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged. Yet, in being judged by the Lord, we are undergoing discipline, so that we may not have judgment passed upon us with the rest of the world.

for while the training of the body is of service in some respects, religion is of service in all, carrying with it, as it does, a promise of Life both here and hereafter.

Every athlete exercises self-restraint in everything; they, indeed, for a crown that fades, we for one that is unfading.

On the contrary, he should be hospitable, eager for the right discreet, upright, a man of holy life and capable of self-restraint,

Therefore, if what I eat makes my Brother fall, rather than make my Brother fall, I will never eat meat again.

If your right eye is a snare to you, take it out and throw it away. It would be best for you to lose one part of your body, and not to have the whole of it thrown into the Pit.

If your eye proves a snare to you, tear it out. It would be better for you to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye, than to have both eyes and be thrown into the Pit,

And those who belong to Jesus, the Christ, have already crucified their earthly nature, with its passions and its cravings.

Do not you know that on a race-course, though all run, yet only one wins the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

I press on to the goal, to gain the prize of that heavenward Call which God gave me through Christ Jesus.

Do not let any one defraud you of the reality by affecting delight in so-called 'humility' and angel-worship. Such a man busies himself with his visions, and without reason is rendered conceited by his merely human intellect.

For what hope or joy will be ours, or what crown shall we have to boast of, in the presence of our Lord Jesus, at his Coming, if it be not you?

And now the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just Judge, will give me on 'That Day'--and not only to me, but to all who have loved his Appearing.

Blessed is the man who remains firm under temptation, for, when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of Life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades.

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The Devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tempted, and may undergo persecution for ten days. Be faithful even to death, and I will give you the Crown of Life.

I will come quickly. Hold to what you have received, that no one may take your crown.