break the pattern of anger...

GOD has a better way to deal with the anger we sometimes feel in our lives.

i’d like to take a little different angle on it. 1 corinthians 13.5 (niv) says, love is not easily angered. james 1.19 (niv) says, everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. the bible doesn’t say don’t get angry. it just says don’t become easily angered – be slow to become angry.

there were times that JESUS was angry, so obviously there are times when it’s right to be angry. the bible says in mark 10.14 (tev), when JESUS noticed this, HE was angry, and HE said to his disciples, “let the children come to me.” HE was angry that the children weren’t being allowed to talk to HIM. it doesn’t say don’t get angry. it says don’t be easily angered.

what about not being easily angered? being slow to become angry? i’ve read a lot of what to do once the gauge gets red hot with anger. is there anything you can do to not have the gauge peg out so often?

yes there is. if, in your car, you waited until the gauge flashed red to put water in, that would be very damaging to your car. sometimes we do that with anger. there are some things you can do to not get there so often. be slow to become angry. there are dozens of things. i’m going to look at a top five list of what you and i can do to not become so easily angered. if you’ve found yourself to be constantly angry lately, this focus is for you. it’s for all of us because we all deal with it.

#5. break the pattern of anger.

it is easy to get caught up in the pattern of anger where anger breeds more anger breeds more anger. and it gets worse and worse. it’s a downhill slide.

there is a lot of anger in our movies. like the movie what about bob? it just gets worse and worse. you see the pattern throughout the movie. it’s an escalating pattern of anger from worse to worse to worse. some of you have been on that downhill slide. you may be on it right now. you know what that’s all about. instead of asking, “what about bob?” i want to ask, “what about GOD? what does GOD have to say about why this happens?”

proverbs 29.11 (nlt) says, a fool gives full vent to anger. a wise person quietly holds it back. it says, fool. it’s foolish to give full vent to your anger. why is it foolish? doesn’t that just get it out? make everything better? no! to give full vent to your anger just creates more anger. it gets worse.

just a thought from the front porch…