Self-control, being a fruit of the Spirit and a gift of the Spirit, allows the individual to be part of the process of working out their own salvation. We must, by being a doer of the word of God, begin to put the self to death, by denying it of its fleshly pleasures that control us. We must begin to mortify the members of our body, bring them under our control, being led by the spirit of God, taking up our cross and following Jesus.