Tag: anger

Be Slow To Anger

Proverb 14:29 NASB, “He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.

Being patient will take us much farther than having an angry attitude. Although we may at times be justified in our being angry, we still have a responsibility as Christians who follow Jesus, to make sure we are not allowing anger to control us. In Ephesians 4:26, we are reminded not to sin while we are angry.

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While living in South Florida, I realized that driving in heavy traffic, was one way that you can see how angry people are. The honking of the horns, cutting people off, or even seeing people speed up, instead of slowing down and letting someone get in front of them. I’ve seen arguments at stop lights, and episodes of road rage that resulted because of the argument. These actions show the anger and aggression that people have. This day in time, people are much more stressed out, which usually means zero tolerance when they feel they have been violated in some little way.

God calls His children to be understanding, (even while driving 😊). We can rely on the Holy Spirit to teach us and empower us to be calm, even when confronted with issues that cause anger. Doing this will help show His loving nature to the world. There is usually someone or something waiting to irk us, but giving our angry feelings to the Lord in prayer and remembering the endless mercy He shows us will help us to extend mercy to others.

New Day, New Mercy

Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT, “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”

So many mornings I have remembered this verse and felt joy. The mercy of Jesus is new every morning. Everyday He gives us a fresh start. Even when we fall into sin, His love, forgiveness, and mercy will meet us right where we are. All we have to do is repent.

When the pressures of life come our way, and our energy is low, He will uphold us. He will give us strength to face the day. He will not allow us to be consumed. Praise the Lord for His new mercies! Great is His faithfulness.

Praying Over Our Emotions

Our emotions can change like the weather. They can fluctuate depending on things that are happening in our lives. You can start off fine, and then someone can come along and say something to make you angry or sad. Or you can be having a bad day, and someone can say something that makes you happy or hopeful. There can even be days where maybe it doesn’t have to do with people or outside influences at all, you just don’t feel like yourself for some reason. You may not even know what the reason is.

Regardless of what emotions we feel, we should always give our emotions to the Lord. When amazing things happen, we should praise Him. When not-so-amazing things happen we should still thank Him for being God and let Him know we are hurting. This is what I’m learning to do, because on good days I want to glorify Him for His blessings. However on bad days, instead of just trying to work through things myself, I am learning to make prayer my first response. I am noticing that in talking to God about my emotions rather good or bad, it brings me peace. He said that’s what would happen in Philippians 4:6-7. He said to give Him our prayers and He would in turn give us His peace.

Asking God to help us manage our emotions is a humbling experience, because we are basically acknowledging that how we feel may be right or it maybe wrong. But in either case, we are putting our trust in Him to teach us how to act when life happens. He’s God. He always has been God. He always will be God. I can’t even begin to imagine the depth of His wisdom. He can handle our emotions and teach us how to do the same.

A Look at Psalm 37 (verses 8-9)

Psalm 37:8-9 (NIV), “8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret it leads only to evil. 9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.”

It’s pretty easy to see that the world we live in has become a very angry place. Many people are extremely unhappy and feel very empty inside. They are attempting to fill the void in their hearts in ways that are only creating more emptiness.

Anger usually happens when we feel that we have been cheated out of something in life. Rather we caused the misfortune in our lives ourselves, or rather someone else did it to us, we feel hurt. Constantly living in this pain called anger can lead to evil. When we are angry it can cause us to say and do things that bring harm to others. That’s why God tells us to refrain from anger and turn away from wrath. It’s natural to get angry in certain situations, but it’s how we handle that anger that determines our destiny. We have to learn how to give our angry feelings to the Lord, so that it doesn’t destroy our lives or our relationships.

We don’t have to fight anger alone. God has given us options that will keep us out of trouble. Prayer, meditating on scripture, exercising, talking to someone you trust, journaling, or spending time doing your favorite hobby, can help release anger. It also helps greatly to remember what God says about you. His opinion of you is what matters most. We are priceless to Him, no matter what others may think. The inheritance we have in Him is greater than anything we could ever achieve on our own. When we hope in Him we will never be put to shame (Psalm 25:3)

Keep Reading: A Look at Psalm 37 (verses 10-11)

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