Anger Management Prov. 16:32 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
The world likes this phrase and so I’ll use it – it reminds me of a mother I saw hollering at her young son in the swimming pool and telling him to use his anger management tools [too late – he had already lost his cool].
The world likes a hero and a mighty man is certainly admired by most (remember David over Goliath) – a man who takes a city is certainly a powerful man to be able to command the troops and organize the siege and cause the city to capitulate (Joshua) – but as great as these men are in their greatness and strength, they are not as great as a man who can control his spirit and temper his anger – to do this takes some real character and strength – anger management takes:
Discretion Prov 19:11, understanding Prov 14:29, and control Jas 1:19-20.
There are many contributing factors:
Patience – slow to anger the Bible says – you have to really take your time when things are getting pressed – things aren’t going the way you planned or scheduled and you get pressed – you have to pull back – otherwise the mess you are about to make is going to end up taking more time (cleaning up the disaster you just left – people hurt and things broken – injuries you might cause to yourself) – you have to adjust to the changes and be flexible.
Planning – plan a job you don’t want to do around a time when you feel like doing it so that you can enjoy it rather than fight it – make sure you have all the necessary tools and make all the necessary preparations so that you don’t get mad trying to force something to work that just won’t work.
Humility – proud wrath (Prov 21:24) is one of the most dangerous kinds of anger – you have to settle down and realize that you may just be wrong – all this loud anger to get your own way is going to cost you big time – it’ll destroy your family – hear the other guy out – he may have something very valuable to say – speak softly when you reply to keep from escalating the discussion into an argument (Prov 15:1).
Compromise – this is the time when you want your way and someone else wants their way – there’s going to be an explosion – when you feel the urge coming to the surface, back off a second and realize that both of you can’t have your way – explain why your way is so important to you and let the other person explain why his way is so important to him and then weigh the importance – it isn’t going to kill you to give in a little.
Discretion – some people know your buttons to push and they know the bait to throw you to draw you in to an argument – don’t pick up the bait.
Rest – it is really easy to blow your cool when you are tired and worn out – so get plenty of rest.
Nutrition – sugar and white flour are big culprits for some folks – they fuel your fire!
Temperance – alcohol is fuel for the fire (Prov 20:1) – stay away from it!