“When my cousin start to argue with me, I hold e neck. I be want kill-am.”​—Paul.

“For house, small thing de quick vex me. I de scatter things like, chairs, toys, anything at all wey my hand reach.”​—Marco.

We fit really no vex reach this people. But sometimes e de hard us to control ourself. The main reason na because we get sin for body, and we collect-am from the first man Adam. (Rom. 5:12) Just like Paul and Marco, e de hard some people to control their temper. E de hard other people to control the things wey them de think. For example, them de think about the things wey de make them fear. And this one de affect them. E fit still de hard other people to stop to use drugs, to stop to over drink or comot hand for sex wey God hate.

When person no fit control the things wey e de think about, the things wey e body want, and the things wey e de do, this one fit scatter e life. But we fit avoid this kind bad result. How we fit do-am? Na when we get self-control. Make we talk about three questions wey fit help us: (1) Wetin be self-control? (2) Why we need-am? (3) Wetin fit help us get this character wey be part of the fruit wey the “spirit de produce”? (Gal. 5:22, 23) Then we go talk about wetin we fit do when we no fit control ourself sometimes.

Person wey get self-control de fit hold e self. E no de talk or do things for the way wey go make God vex.

Jesus show us wetin e mean to get self-control. Bible talk say: “When them de insult-am, e no insult them back. When e de suffer, e no threaten anybody, but e put e self for the hand of the person wey de judge well.” (1 Pet. 2:23) Jesus show say e get self-control when e enemies de laugh-am for the pole wey they hang-am. (Matt. 27:39-44) Before this time, Jesus show say e really get self-control when leaders for religion de ask-am plenty question, because they want make e talk something wey they go use catch-am. (Matt. 22:15-22) Even when some Jews wey de vex throw-am stone, e still show say e get self-control! E no fight them back. Bible talk say: “Jesus hide and comot for the temple.”​—John 8:57-59.

We go fit copy Jesus example? We go fit, as our power reach. Apostle Peter write say: “Christ suffer for wuna, and e show wuna example so that wuna go fit follow e example well.” (1 Pet. 2:21) Even though say we no dey perfect, we fit copy Jesus example well. Why we need to do like that?

If we want be Jehovah friend, we need to get self-control. Even if we don serve  Jehovah well for long time, we fit still spoil our friendship with Jehovah if we no de control wetin we de talk and do.

Make we talk about Moses wey “dey humble well-well pass any other person for the earth” that time. (Num. 12:3) For many years, Moses don de sofri listen to all the complain wey Israel people de complain. But one day, Moses no fit control e self again. Moses vex when the people complain again say they no get enough water. E talk to the people anyhow. E say: “Make wuna listen, strong-head people! Na this rock we must make water come out from, for wuna?”​—Num. 20:2-11.

Moses fail to control e self. Jehovah use Moses to do miracle. But Moses no praise Jehovah for the miracle wey E do to give Israel people water. (Ps. 106:32, 33) So because of this one, Jehovah no allow Moses to enter the Promise Land. (Num. 20:12) Till the day wey Moses die, e go don regret why e no fit control e temper.​—Deut. 3:23-27.

Wetin this one teach us? Even if we don de serve Jehovah for many years, make we no ever talk anyhow to people wey we no like the way them de do things, or people wey need correction. (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:12) The truth be say, as we de old e fit de hard us sometimes to dey patient. But make we remember the example of Moses. We no go want spoil the friendship wey we don get for long time with Jehovah, because we no get self-control. Wetin we fit do so that we go get this important character?

Pray make Jehovah give you e holy spirit. Why? Because self-control na one part of the fruit wey God spirit de produce. And Jehovah de give e spirit to anybody wey beg-am. (Luke 11:13) Jehovah de use e spirit give us the power wey we need. (Phil. 4:13) E fit still help us get other character wey be part of the fruit wey holy spirit de produce like, love. And this one go make-am easy for us to show self-control.​—1 Cor. 13:5.

Avoid anything wey fit make-am hard for you to get self-control. For example, make you avoid any website for Internet and some things wey you de like to use relax and enjoy yourself wey get bad thing. (Eph. 5:3, 4) The truth be say, we must avoid  anything wey fit make us do bad thing. (Prov. 22:3; 1 Cor. 6:12) Anybody wey no get self-control for sex matter, go need to avoid any book or film wey get anything to do with sex.

E fit no dey easy to do this one. But if we try our best to do-am, Jehovah go give us the power wey we need to fit de control ourself. (2 Pet. 1:5-8) E go help us to fit de control the things wey we de think about, talk and do. The example of Paul and Marco wey we don talk about before show say this one na true. Two of them learn to control their hot temper. Make we talk about another example of one brother wey no de fit control e self when e de drive, sotey e de even quarrel with other drivers. Wetin help this brother? E talk say, “I de use all my heart pray to Jehovah everyday. I de read some topics wey talk about self control and cram some Bible portion wey fit help me. Even though say I don de struggle with this problem for many years, one thing wey de help be say, I de remind myself every morning say I need to dey calm. And I de make sure say I de comot for house very early so that I no go late go where I de go.”

Sometimes, e fit hard us to control ourself. When this one happen, we fit de shame to beg Jehovah to help us. But na this time we really need to beg Jehovah to help us. So, no waste time pray to Jehovah. Beg-am make e forgive you, make e help you, and make up your mind say you no go do the same mistake again. (Ps. 51:9-11) No think say Jehovah no go listen to your prayer and show you mercy. (Ps. 102:17) Apostle John remind us say the blood of Jesus Christ “de make us clean from all sin.” (1 John 1:7; 2:1; Ps. 86:5) Remember say Jehovah tell e servants to always de forgive. So we fit dey sure say Jehovah go forgive us too.​—Matt. 18:21, 22; Col. 3:13.

Jehovah no happy with Moses when e no fit control e self for the wilderness. But even with that one, Jehovah forgive-am. Bible talk about Moses as person wey really get faith, and this one na fine example for us. (Deut. 34:10; Heb. 11:24-28) Jehovah no allow Moses to enter the Promise Land, but e give-am the hope to live forever for Paradise. We too fit enjoy that kind blessing if we do everything wey we fit do to get self-control.​—1 Cor. 9:25.