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Anger

How do you control your anger when you get angry? What makes you angry? How do you calm yourself down? 

19 "Understand this my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires." (James 1:19-20) (NLT).

When someone causes you to be angry it is God using them to shape your character just like sandpaper. Sandpaper is used to polish surfaces. God uses the people he brings into our lives to take off our rough edges and smooth us. Sometimes we just have to overlook the behaviour of those who make us angry, annoyed and frustrated and show them mercy instead of insulting them back or getting even. The Bible says, 38 "You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also." (Matthew 5: 38-39) (NIV).

Even though we may want to retaliate and get back at someone for doing wrong to us, it is not up to us to do whatever we want to that person. It is up to God! We must forgive them, that is our job, when we get angry. The Bible says, 23 "Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble." (Proverbs 21: 23) (NLT). We need to try to not get even with someone who does us wrong. Refuse to get angry or even offended by their words, because if you do choose to get angry that makes you no better than them! Don't let the little things or even the big things get to you, for example if someone pushes past you on the tube or if a driver cuts in front of you or if someone is plainly rude to you. Do not let yourself give into anger, frustration or upset. With wisdom comes patience. You become able to ignore an offence from someone when you acquire the wisdom to do so. The Bible says, 11 "A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offence." (Proverbs 19: 11) (NIV). 

When you encounter a person who causes us to be angry and offended by something they have said, do you think of what they may be going through themselves which may cause them to act in a particular way? Sometimes all it takes it to overlook their behaviour and really think about if that person may have been irritated or hurt themselves to then cause you hurt. They may be going through distress or sorrow and all we see is the outside, what they want us to see. So, because of this we do not see their pain or know they are hurting. We need to think about what type of day that person may be having or have had. We need to ask ourselves what is that person going though to make them act this way. For example, are they going through a loss? or are they financially troubled? Questions like these make us overlook their behaviour and allow us to understand them a bit better. The Bibe says, 12 "A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted." (Proverbs 12: 16) (NLT). As soon as you understand people's pain, you will begin to be more patient with whatever people throw at you.

2 "Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love." (Ephesians 4: 2) (NLT). Remember, people who hurt you may not know they are causing you upset. Think back to when you may have annoyed a person but you were unaware of it? Why do we find it hard to ignore things, those minor irritations, that are done to us? The Bible says, 13 "Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." (Colossians 3:13) (NLT).


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Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to see when we become angry, open our hearts to love others, those who make us angry and help us to be unselfish and to think and put others before ourselves, to see their hurt frustration and pain; things that we, ourselves, may be going through. Lord, please help us to be slow to anger and to forgive others the same way you forgave us. In Jesus' name. Amen!

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