James 1:19-20 urges us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry because our anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. However our natural tendency is to be slow to listen, quick to speak, and faster than Usain Bolt to become angry!
Ephesians 4: 26-27 instructs us: "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." We can observe four principles from this passage:
- First, we are going to get angry
- We should not sin (Learn to attack the problem, not the person)
- We need to deal with our anger, and PRONTO! (The longer we stew, the more likely we are to strike.)
- Finally, beware of the Devil's sneaky wrestling moves. He wants to get a foothold.
Proverbs 15:1 says, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (ESV) We need to learn to give a soft- even Snuggie like answer!
Giving a soft answer doesn't mean I don't give a truthful one.
Don't be a gasoline queen or king, throwing fuel on a small spark that could ignite a fiery feud.
Before interacting with others, sometimes--in a spiritual sense-- we need to utter the words Karen's son spoke when playing his video game: "Hang on a second. I gotta die." We must learn to embrace and adopt the practice the apostle Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 15:31, "I die daily."
Enjoy this week's video...
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