Freely Speaking Audio Devotion

August 27, 2025 

Welcome to Freely Speaking, an OHSOFREE devotional ministry where we share our hearts and trust God for transformation.

Today’s devotion is written by Angela Vandagriff. 

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

I allowed grief to crush the walls in my life; the walls that protected my mind from the attacks of the enemy. Unable to process grief, life desensitized me, and I lost self-control. I had become a broken, shattered pile of ruins. I began to make choices contrary to God’s will. I could not stop. I had no self-control over any aspect of my life. I didn't even recognize who I was. Can you relate? 

In that desolate place, I began to understand how easy it was for raw emotions to crush every solid wall in a person's life, no matter how strong they were. With this newfound understanding, God can now use me to help someone else walk through a dry place. 

Self-control is the ability to control oneself during difficult times. We need to possess the ability to initiate self-control when we need it. If not, we leave ourselves open for the enemy to invade and take over our lives. Our reference verse tells us this very thing. If we lack self-control, we are like a city with no boundaries, vulnerable to attacks from the enemy. In biblical times, walls were usually a city's first line of defense. Using this visual was something they could understand. 

Today, our boundaries look different. Boundaries are like our personal property lines, marking behavior we will accept and red-flagging threats to our well-being. Strong emotions can become an acid that erodes our walls, and they crumble, disrupting our ability to make sound judgments. 

Setting physical, emotional, mental, and workplace boundaries creates walls that protect our mental health. Broken walls and crumbled boundaries lead to chaos and consume our relationships. Good mental health equals strong self-control. A strong relationship with Christ equals strong walls giving a strong defense. Be willing to say no to anything that will weaken the walls around your life. Exhibit self-control and say no to anything contrary to God's Word. 

Thank you for joining us today. If you would like to learn more about OHSOFREE Ministries, please visit us at www.ohsofreeministries.com.