Anger Resistant

 

 

Prov 19:11

 

11 The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,

And his glory is to overlook a transgression.

NKJV

Some people are so even-tempered.  They never seem to lose their cool. It takes a whole lot to get them worked up.  I am not one of those people!  It is very easy for me to get irked when a person has blinked that they are turning for 20 miles.  It drives me crazy when my kid is not given a fair chance. It lights my cannon  when others help to make a mess, but leave me with all the clean up. 

Anger is one of the mechanisms that the Lord wired us with to help us to know when we are being mistreated.  It serves as a warning system of sorts.  But it is something that we must tightly control.  This passage indicates that it is highly favorable to be slow to anger.  This is something I have been perfecting for many years.  Trust me- I have come a long way!  But I am not nearly where I want to be.  Typically, when I am angry, I am can feel that way, without sinning.  But I want to go beyond that.  I want to be less prone to feeling the emotion in the first place.

I think the secret to that may be contained in the second part of this verse. Overlooking a transgression short circuits a lot of opportunities to become angry.  When someone cuts you off in traffic, assume that they did not see you.  When someone cuts you off in conversation, believe that they did not intend to be rude.  Extending the benefit of the doubt to others can go a long way.

Truthfully, however, there are times that we know a person meant to mistreat us.  At that those times, if we can just choose to let it go, it is very beneficial.  And probably, it is rewarded by the Lord's pleasure. If you find that you cannot overlook an offense, sometimes the only recourse is to address the issue first-hand. In love, we must confront.

Dear Lord, help me to be the kind of person that is slow to anger.  Give me grace to overlook offence and to flow in the fruits of the Spirit.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri

 

 

Venting Full Throttle

"A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control."  Proverbs 29:11

Have you ever been so angry you  were just about out of your mind with it?  Have you ever had  your mind flooded with nothing but inappropriate things to say?  I  have.   And I hate that feeling. Anger is such a negative emotion to me.  I hate the way it makes me feel out of control.  It makes your hands numb, your heart race, your guts knot up...anger is a physiologically taxing event.  And even more so emotionally.  And spiritually.

I have known Christians, who lose all semblance of Christianity when they become angry.  Nothing is off limits, they are ranting, raving, cussing, attacking, and saying things they can never take back.  Giving someone "a piece of your mind" is not all that it is cracked up to be.

As  Christians, we are called to live a life of self-control.  We cannot afford to say  whatever comes to mind.  We have to live Spirit-controlled lives if we want to be a witness.

What are your primary shortcomings with anger?  Do you become violent?  Profane?  Do you run away?  Do you become rude and hateful?  If so, you have some work to do! We  all have things that push our buttons quicker than others.  But we can walk in the Spirit to the point that we do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (or its tantrums).

If temper is an issue for you, as it is for me, there are some things you can do.  I try to recognize when my temper is spiraling and not allow it full vent.  I try to prevent an all-out anger episode.  I create boundaries in my life.  There are things I simply will not allow myself to say, no matter how furious I am.  What boundaries do you need to erect? 

Another way to combat anger related problems is to confide in an accountability partner who will let you know when you are getting out  of control.  When you get serious about conquering anger, you will go to any lengths to avoid falling  into a fit of carnality.

A wise man controls himself.  Why?  Because he knows the fall-out is not worth it.  Because damage clean-up is messy business.  Because he walks in the wisdom of the Spirit.  When we sin internally, we sin between us and God. When we sin to others, or in front of others, then we have to make amends with the people and with God. Isn't it just easier to zip your lip?

Dear Lord, help me to be spirit-controlled, not controlled by my emotions.  Help me to walk in wisdom and to keep profanity, hurtful speech and carnal ways far from me.

 

Sherri

Looking a Fool

“For man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”  James 1:20

The Bible records that Jesus was angry.  But only a few times, and each instance was marked by righteous anger.  Once he was angry because the people were turning the temple into a marketplace.  Another example was when the man with the withered hand was in the synagogue and the people were trying to trip Jesus up and prevent him from healing on the Sabbath.  There were a few other instances when he showed indignation (when the disciples tried to prevent the children from coming to him.)  Other than that, you do not see Jesus going around throwing fits.  His one most notable recorded incident of being angry was based in righteousness and indignation toward people who were exploiting the things of God.

But man’s anger, well… it does not bring about a righteous life.  Why?  Because often our anger is based in selfishness, pride, hypocrisy and fear.  Whereas Jesus’ anger only had to do with the things of God, rejecting of truth or trying to prevent God’s will from coming to pass, ours is often not so noble.  His anger was always rooted in righteous judgment.  When he declares something wrong, it is wrong.  When we declare something wrong, often it is just our opinion or our perspective.

That is why a Christian must endeavor to avoid anger as much as possible.  In fact, the Bible urges us to stay away from people who are hot-tempered.  Proverbs 29:11 states:  “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”  When we are angry, it almost seems we must give vent to our feelings.  But exploding in anger often results in increasing anger and bad feelings.  Especially if through our venting our anger turns to sin and condemnation.

A Christian is wise, to hold back on venting their anger to the full extent.  There is wisdom in self-control. A truth the Lord has impressed on me many times is this:  if I have bad feelings in my heart toward someone, I must only apologize to God.  If I tell somebody off, I will have to apologize both to God and the one that I have behaved in an ungodly manner toward.  When it comes to apologies, less is more.  The less crow you have to eat, the less your tummy is sour!

Dear Lord, help me to be a person of control and restraint. Help me to walk in wisdom in relationships and to always demonstrate love, even in the midst of anger.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Sherri

Up to Speed

“My dear brothers, take note of this:  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”  James 1:19

This is one of those verses.  When I am doing well and having nor problems, I can read this and quickly assent, “Yes, that’s a good way to live.”  But when I have an injustice done to me, it seems the anger is there before I have a chance to think.  Then, BOOM!  I am quick to listen,, quick to speak and quicker still to become angry.  Then this verse hits me between the eyes.  Can anyone relate?

God’s Word is wise and profound.  Every syllable penned in the Word of God is intentional and has a purpose.  They exist because we need to hear them.

 Many a grade school teacher has reminded the students, “You have one mouth and two ears, so you should be listening twice as much as you are talking.”  I hate it.  But it’s true.  Why?  Because many times we only hear half the story.  We assume a whole bunch, we read into it and we blow our fuse before the person finishes what they are saying.

Choosing to hear a matter out to the end before jumping to a conclusion is one of the wisest things we can do.  Often, we are taking it as far worse than it is.  And of course, sometimes we are taking it exactly like it is.  That is why the next part says we are to be slow to speak.  Just because it crosses our mind does not mean it needs to jump out of our mouth.

How many times have we uttered hateful words when angry, because we wanted to reciprocate pain to the person hurting us?  How many times later do we regret those words?  We all know that an apology seldom erases all of the damage that thoughtless words have inflicted.  We forgive, but forgetting? That is so much more difficult.  If a comment is worth saying, it will be worth saying when all of the emotion of the moment has settled down.

Slow to become angry.  That’s a toughie, because it often seems like the anger comes out of nowhere.  But anger is something we can exert control over- if we rely on the help of the Holy Spirit.  We have to renew our minds to the truth of the Bible, and defer to the quiet voice of the Spirit speaking to us.

Dear Lord, help me overcome every evil tendency in my human nature.  Help me to reflect your image at all times and in every situation.  Help me to walk in wisdom and restraint.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.