"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires." James 1:19-20
James is wanting my attention on this one; he says, "Listen up." This concept is so important to heed and practice, yet so difficult to act upon at times. There is a reason God gave me two ears and only one mouth. I am to do more listening than speaking. If I spent more time listening than speaking, a lot of hurt and misunderstanding could be avoided. James also admonishes me to be slow to get angry. As a Christian, I should have no place in my heart for human anger. I refer to it as human anger because there is a righteous anger which Jesus exhibited when He overturned the tables of the moneychangers. (John 2:14-16). When I refer to anger from here on out, I'm referring to human anger. It only serves to distance me from God and prohibit me from following what He has planned for. God spends a lot of time in the Bible addressing anger. It's an emotion that, when left unchecked, can have dangerous effects. Anger usually results from envy or pain or hurt that someone has caused, and often leads to bitterness if it's not addressed. It didn't take long for anger to surface in the Bible; just look at the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4. That anger led to the first murder in the Bible.
Our world seems to be filled with anger, so I felt the need to focus on this particular part of the verse. God gives an abundance of verses dealing with anger, so I will try to keep it to a few. These are all taken from the NIV.
Proverbs 15:18
Patience, not anger is what helps calm an argument. When I can speak rationally and take time to listen, it helps to stop anger from taking root and often helps settle the conflict sooner.
Proverbs 22:24
"Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one
easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared."
If I hang around those who get angry easily, it will rub off on me. I need to stay away.
Proverbs 29:22
"An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins."
Anger causes more problems.
Ecclesiastes 7:9
"Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools."
We are fools if we allow anger to live inside of us.
Ephesians 4:25-27
Paul quotes a portion of Psalm 4:4 in these verses. If we allow anger to settle in our hearts, we are giving the devil a foothold, a way into our hearts to keep us from doing what God's called us to do. Anger needs to be dealt with immediately before it causes more problems. Don't allow it to take root in your heart.
Ephesians 4:31-32
One of the keys to getting rid of anger is forgiveness, especially when that anger is the result of a pain or hurt someone caused. Forgiveness can be very difficult to do, yet God commands us to forgive others as He forgave us.
I urge you, do not let anger have a foothold in your life. It will only put increasing division between God and me as well as those around me. I need to address it before it grows into an obstacle that blinds me to God's leading and one I can't seem to get past. A lot of trouble can be avoided by listening more and speaking less. One thing I often have to remind myself to do is walk away if I'm angry, and let the emotions settle down before speaking. Speaking out of anger is never a good thing.
James is wanting my attention on this one; he says, "Listen up." This concept is so important to heed and practice, yet so difficult to act upon at times. There is a reason God gave me two ears and only one mouth. I am to do more listening than speaking. If I spent more time listening than speaking, a lot of hurt and misunderstanding could be avoided. James also admonishes me to be slow to get angry. As a Christian, I should have no place in my heart for human anger. I refer to it as human anger because there is a righteous anger which Jesus exhibited when He overturned the tables of the moneychangers. (John 2:14-16). When I refer to anger from here on out, I'm referring to human anger. It only serves to distance me from God and prohibit me from following what He has planned for. God spends a lot of time in the Bible addressing anger. It's an emotion that, when left unchecked, can have dangerous effects. Anger usually results from envy or pain or hurt that someone has caused, and often leads to bitterness if it's not addressed. It didn't take long for anger to surface in the Bible; just look at the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4. That anger led to the first murder in the Bible.
Our world seems to be filled with anger, so I felt the need to focus on this particular part of the verse. God gives an abundance of verses dealing with anger, so I will try to keep it to a few. These are all taken from the NIV.
Proverbs 15:18
"A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel."
Patience, not anger is what helps calm an argument. When I can speak rationally and take time to listen, it helps to stop anger from taking root and often helps settle the conflict sooner.
Proverbs 22:24
"Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one
easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared."
If I hang around those who get angry easily, it will rub off on me. I need to stay away.
Proverbs 29:22
"An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins."
Anger causes more problems.
Ecclesiastes 7:9
"Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools."
We are fools if we allow anger to live inside of us.
Ephesians 4:25-27
"Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. '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."
Paul quotes a portion of Psalm 4:4 in these verses. If we allow anger to settle in our hearts, we are giving the devil a foothold, a way into our hearts to keep us from doing what God's called us to do. Anger needs to be dealt with immediately before it causes more problems. Don't allow it to take root in your heart.
Ephesians 4:31-32
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
One of the keys to getting rid of anger is forgiveness, especially when that anger is the result of a pain or hurt someone caused. Forgiveness can be very difficult to do, yet God commands us to forgive others as He forgave us.
I urge you, do not let anger have a foothold in your life. It will only put increasing division between God and me as well as those around me. I need to address it before it grows into an obstacle that blinds me to God's leading and one I can't seem to get past. A lot of trouble can be avoided by listening more and speaking less. One thing I often have to remind myself to do is walk away if I'm angry, and let the emotions settle down before speaking. Speaking out of anger is never a good thing.
Such perfect timing today.... I needed this!
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