The best Bible verses for self control (ESV) include passages about God's love, strength, and guidance. This page features 15+ carefully curated Scripture passages for self control (ESV), each selected for its relevance and depth. Read, save, and share the perfect verse for your situation.
"For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."Romans 8:6
"For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."Romans 8:6
"You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him."Romans 8:9
"Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."1 Peter 1:13
"The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers."1 Peter 4:7
"But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation."1 Thessalonians 5:8
"Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,"1 Timothy 3:2
"and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,"2 Peter 1:6
"Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control."1 Corinthians 7:5
"And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”"Acts 24:25
"Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness."Titus 2:2
Translations differ in what they optimise for. Some follow the original wording closely at the cost of a natural English sentence; others read smoothly and make interpretive choices to get there. Neither is wrong, but they produce noticeably different verses.
Each of the 15 verses below is shown in the translation you asked for, and every verse links to a page comparing all six side by side — which is usually the fastest way to see where the translators disagreed.
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The most-cited Bible verses for self control (ESV) are Romans 8:6, Romans 8:8, Romans 8:9. This page collects 15 of them, each with its full passage, context and the text in six translations.
Read the verse in its surrounding passage before you use it — a verse that fits in isolation sometimes says something different in context. Compare two translations where the wording is unclear, and pick for the person who will read it rather than for the theme.
Scripture returns to self control (ESV) across both testaments rather than settling it in one passage, which is why the verses on this page do not all say the same thing. Read together they give a fuller answer than any single verse does.
There is no single best translation. The NIV and NLT read most naturally and communicate well to someone outside the church; the ESV and NASB stay closer to the original wording; the KJV carries the phrasing most people recognise. Every verse here links to a page showing all six side by side.
More than any page can list. This one carries the 15 that are most often turned to for self control (ESV), chosen so each stands on its own and links through to the full chapter it belongs to.