Proverbs 14:29 People with understanding control their anger;
a hot temper shows great foolishness.
a hot temper shows great foolishness.
30 A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body;
jealousy is like cancer in the bones.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, please give me understanding, patience, and forgiveness to reflect your love to those around me. I pray that the peace that you give will transcend all understanding and guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. I pray that I will be so focused on you that I will not be frustrated by this world. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Since I am a recovering "Hot Tempered" guy, I will say that the verse is spot on.
ReplyDeleteHere's the point though, I cannot control my anger by myself, and neither can anyone else.
Point 2, controlling anger doesn't mean not becoming angry; but how you react/handle those times.
To be "hot tempered" means to lash out in that anger like an explosion (or implosion). I've done that plenty of times in my life, and every time I reflect back on it, I can honestly say that I feel foolish for those moments. I can also say that others viewed me as such in the "heat" of lashing out.
As James 1:19-20 says as well, "{This} you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak {and} slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God." (NASB).
What has greatly helped me through this (though I'm not perfect), is to recognize when the anger starts in me. I do this by assessing the situation of why I am angry, giving myself time to think it through.
Proverbs 19:19 says, "People with good sense restrain their anger; they earn esteem by overlooking wrongs." (NLT). This verse helps me with the next step. Once I recognize it, cry out to the Lord in my anger and allow Him to replace it with His love. I ask him to help me to forgive those who have transgressed (knowingly or unknowingly) against me. If another person is involved, often times I have physically go and ask their forgiveness; which is pretty humbling in itself.
Like a lot of other things in life, once I do this; there still seems to be thoughts about the whole thing that linger around. I have to submit myself, and those thoughts to the Lord; or otherwise I haven't accomplished anything. I pray, "God, I have given this over to You, and I continue to submit these thoughts to You. Please help me to stand against these thoughts, and I pray that You would put them under Your subjection." Then I tell the devil, "Satan, I've asked that the Lord take this situation from me, and I've submitted to Him in this area. This is no longer my battle, but His. You need to take this up with Jesus Christ; Who has given me the authority to rebuke you in His name. So the Lord rebukes you from me, in the name of Jesus; leave me alone." I usually have to do this several times, as if the devil is "making sure" I'm serious about it.
I repeat this process as long as I need to. I hope this encourages other readers who are struggling with anger. I also want you to know that this process is not for anger alone, but you can use this process for anything that causes you to stumble; and that is how you gain a "peaceful heart" in the Lord.
Sorry for the long reply. Great post, and great prayer you reflect.