Sprout: 21 Days for the Fruit of the Spirit to Bloom in Your LifeSample

Not the Most Popular Fruit

By Elisabeth Dunn

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. —Proverbs 25:28 ESV

As a child, learning to read was a struggle. But after lots of tears (mine) and multiple prayers (my mom’s), I became a voracious reader. I love the written word. If I had to lose one of my five senses, I would give up hearing. I could live in a silent world, but I could not live without the written word. Reading has made my world big and wonderful. Reading is how I learned about Amy Carmichael as a teenager and knew I wanted to visit India one day. And then, in 2014, I had the privilege of spending two months in India. Through books, I was introduced to the great Russian Empire of the 1800s, and later getting to experience the places I had read about in person was one of the most extraordinary events in my life. I learned about people who became heroes to me, like Anne Frank (I may or may not have also given my diary a name as a teenager), Corrie Ten Boom, and Virginia Hall, just to name a few.

I don’t reread books often, but I do read the Bible in its entirety almost every year. The Bible is like no other book ever written, and it is by far the most important book I read because it is living and active (see Hebrews 4:12). And as a teenager, I always tried to read my Bible before I read any other book.

As I grew older, though, and everything I read wasn’t chosen by my parents or a teacher, I had to learn that what I let through my eye-gate wasn’t only about the movies or shows I watched; it also related to what I let in through reading. I didn’t always do the best in this area. One day in my early 20s, I felt a prompting from the Holy Spirit that I needed to fast a particular genre of literature for a year.

I don’t talk about this a lot because it’s kind of embarrassing to tell people I fasted romance books for a year. Now before you get all judgy, I wasn’t reading those romance books with shirtless men on the front. Just your good ol’ run-of-the-mill Christian romance. A little Janette Oke here, some Lori Wick there, and a sprinkle of Francine Rivers everywhere.

The books I was reading weren’t bad; in fact, they had Scripture in them! But it was less about what was in the books and more about my heart and where I was choosing to let my mind and emotions escape. In 1 Corinthians 6:12, the apostle Paul writes, “It’s true that our freedom allows us to do anything, but that doesn’t mean that everything we do is good for us. I’m free to do as I choose, but I choose never to be enslaved to anything” (TPT). The worlds that authors create are incredible, and I believe that creativity with the written word is a gift from God. However, if I continued to choose fictional worlds filled with frilly, fancy whims as my escape when I was sad, mad, depressed, or confused, I would be disappointed again and again. Those books could not fill the void in my heart. Only Jesus could.

I know this might seem like a minor example of self-control. But sometimes weeds that appear to be small on the surface have a deep and thriving root system underground. Our hearts are similar; left unattended, things we think we can ignore become stumbling blocks. I am glad I chose to uproot my proclivity for romance books to gain a deeper and more intimate relationship with Jesus. I exchanged escapism for refuge in the Lord. And I learned to recognize when I am relying on something other than the Lord to sustain me emotionally.

Self-control is probably not the most popular fruit of the Spirit, but without practicing it, we can easily miss out on peace, patience, kindness, and faithfulness. You might find yourself in a similar situation. Maybe you are feeling a need for self-control in the area of the TV shows you watch, the video games you play, or how often you shop. It could be one of a million different things. Whatever it is, I promise that by practicing self-control in obedience to the Holy Spirit, you will receive good and perfect gifts from our heavenly Father.

Prayer

Father, thank You for the opportunity to draw nearer to You. I come before You today with open hands and a heart ready to surrender. If there is any area in my life where I need to practice self-control, show me. Thank You that I am not on this journey alone—You will be with me every step of the way. Thank You that following Your lead will produce good fruit in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For Further Reflection

1. Did the Lord highlight an area in your life in which you need to practice self-control? As you act in obedience, don’t let condemnation in. Read Romans 8:1–2 and reflect on the life-giving Spirit who has freed you.
2. Ask the Lord to show you any area of your life where you might be relying on something other than Him to sustain you. Reflect on Psalm 91:9–16. It is full of promises available to us when we make the Lord our refuge.