Fruit of the Spirit: Freedom Shaped By The Spirit

This is the last of our nine reflections on the fruit of the Spirit from the Apostle Paul's letter to the Galatians. Tomorrow we will begin our journey through the season of Lent... 

One of the many things that I have been learning over the past year and a half is that not all impulses are good for you.  

For example, the impulse to buy a bunch of clothes and shoes online and rack up credit card debt is not a great use of resources, and will one day come back to bite you in the behind.  Also, the impulse to eat fast food and junk food instead of actually cooking meals will have an adverse effect on your health.  

Thankfully, I have been able to get out of debt over the past several months and am learning to make better choices when it comes to food and the expense of not planning meals.  

I also found a way to sell most of the clothes and shoes I bought on impulse, which turned out to be one of the many ways I got out of debt.  I found that I didn't need many things (although I still have plenty) to live, and that planning meals, eating better, and saving money each had its own reward.  

But the matter of self-control has always been one that I struggle with, and perhaps this might resonate with some of you, as well.  What I'm learning is that I need a way to reframe self-control, a new way to look at it.  

Self-control is often framed as restriction, discipline, or denial—something imposed to keep desire in check. But when Paul names self-control as a fruit of the Spirit, he reframes it entirely. 

Self-control is not about repression; it is about freedom. It is the ability to live aligned with what gives life rather than being driven by impulse, fear, or compulsion.

Scripture reminds us that self-control is a gift shaped by grace, not willpower. Paul tells Timothy, “God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). Notice the order: power, love, then self-control. Self-control flows from love, not anxiety. It grows as we trust God’s presence within us.

When self-control becomes moralism, it hardens into shame. But when it becomes fruit, it creates spaciousness. It allows us to pause, discern, and choose wisely. Proverbs describes this as wisdom: “Those without self-control are like a city broken into and left without walls” (Proverbs 25:28). Self-control does not imprison us; it protects what is precious.

Jesus models this kind of freedom throughout his ministry. He resists temptation not through rigidity, but through clarity about who he is and whose he is. His choices flow from relationship with God rather than pressure from the crowd. This same clarity is what the Spirit seeks to cultivate in us.

Self-control grows slowly through attentiveness. It develops as we notice our patterns, name our desires honestly, and invite God into our decisions. Practices like prayer, silence, and reflection help us respond rather than react. Over time, we learn that we are not enslaved to every urge or emotion—we are guided by the Spirit who leads us toward life.

This fruit is not about perfection. It is about orientation. It is choosing again and again to live toward freedom, wholeness, and love. Self-control, shaped by the Spirit, becomes a gift we offer ourselves and the world.

Prayer
Spirit of wisdom, guide our choices. Shape our desires toward what is good and life-giving. Grant us freedom rooted in trust and love. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. Where do you experience tension between impulse and intention?

2. How does viewing self-control as freedom change your perspective?

3. What spiritual practice might help you grow in attentiveness and discernment?