THE MEANING OF SEL-CONTROL.

The meaning of self-control is typical with Platonic early dialogues that never arrived at a completely satisfactory definition, but it raised many important points.
A number of original-language words convey the thought of keeping in check, restraining or controlling one's person actions or speech.
Self-control is a fruit of God's Spirit (Gal.5: 22,23), though possessing unlimited powers, when it is exercised at all times. It allows time to pass so that the wrongdoers might have the opportunity to turn from their bad ways and thereby gain God's favor.
Once the spirit of self control is firmly established, God's right to execute judgment is refrained. A case
in point out the opposite situation involves the Jews, whose spirits of self-control failed to recognize that God allowed them to have authority and through this divine authority, gain control of the Israelites to the purpose of discipline them for unfaithfulness, instead, these desolators used the divine authority invested in them to treat the Israelites without mercy and carried the discipline farther than God's judgment had required. (Compare Isaiah 47 and Zech. 1). God foreknown this and, through the prophet Isaiah, indicated to them, that the time would come when He would no longer hold back from punishing these desolators:"I have kept quiet for a long time, I continued silent. I kept exercising self-control. Like a woman giving birth I am going to groan, pant, and gasp at the same time. I will devastate mountains and hills, and all their vegetation I will dry up."
Christ Jesus also exercised self-control. Peter, when calling to the attention of house servants to the need to be in subjection to their owners, wrote:"In fact, to this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving you a model for each of you to follow in His steps closely ... When He was being reviled, he did not go reviling in return. When He was suffering, He did not go threatening, but kept on committing Himself to the One who judge righteously." 1Peter 2:21-23
The Scripture says that in the last days lack of self-control will be one of the characteristics marking those who would not be practicing True Christianity. (2Timothy 3:1-7). It should especially be in evidence among those serving as overseers if they are to deal effectively with problems inside Christian congregations (Titus 1), they must maintain self-control in word and deed.  Since Christians are the imitators of God and of His Son, they should strive to cultivate self-control in all things. (1Cor.11; Eph.5; 1Cor.9). Failing to exercise it in a given situation can tarnish a long record of faithful service and plunge one into all kind of difficulties. Illustrating this is what happened to King David. Though loyal to true worship and having love for the righteous principles of God's law (compare Psalm 101), David committed adultery with Bath-Sheba and this led to David's action of having her husband Uriah placed in a battle position where death was a near certainty. As a consequence, for years afterward, David was plagued with severe difficulties within his family (2 Samuel 12). His case demonstrate the wisdom of avoiding situations that can lead to a loss of self-control (2 Samuel 11).
Peter stated,"Supply to your faith virtue, to your virtue knowledge, to your knowledge self-control, to your self-control endurance, to your endurance godly devotion, to your godly devotion brotherly affection, to your brotherly affection love. For if these things exist in you and overflow, they will prevent you from being either inactive or unfruitful regarding the accurate knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1).