Slow To Anger Prov. 16:32 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

The purpose of this broadcast is to help you become slow to anger.  You can see how monumental this task is by considering what Solomon says about a man who can control his anger.  He says that a man that is slow to anger and who can rule his spirit is better than the mighty and a man that taketh a city.  Well then, by comparison, it must take quite a man to temper his spirit.

Today you are going to learn some very practical things from the Bible and from experience that will help you get a handle on your temper.  If you want to become slow to anger then you must realize that:

Getting control of your temper is going to take commitment.

You have a choice in the matter.  People choose to be angry.  Therefore, you must decide once and for all that you are going to do whatever it takes to become slow to anger.  The decision to stop blowing your stack is absolutely necessary because the temptation to lose your temper is going to be high and you are going to get angry still.  But if you are resolved to quit your angry outbursts you will stay with this work until you get it done.

Getting control of your temper is going to take diligent work.

Prov 16:32.  Mighty men are not born mighty, they must diligently work to strengthen themselves.  A man who is skillful enough to take a city is a man who has trained and labored over years to learn the strategies, tactics, methods and logistics to conquer a city.  So, to get control of your temper is going to take years of vigilance and diligent work to learn how to do it successfully.  This is not something that comes to you overnight.

Getting control of your temper is going to take honesty.

Prov 25:28.  People who blow up usually cannot give you an honest answer as to why they exploded.  All they can do is blame the nearest and most convenient target of their anger.  Honestly, you must admit that you are an angry person.  Loss of temper is the way you deal with things that bother you.  But if you are going to change then you must honestly evaluate every single thing in your life that contributes to your anger.  There are myriad factors.  They include: nutrition, caffeine, sugar, emotions, stress, rest, thoughts, attitude, habits, miscommunication, fear, sin, self-righteousness, circumstances, expectations, loneliness, hatred, pride, manipulation, and so forth.  Everyone of these things plays a part.  Be aware every time you feel anger coming on and identify all the contributing factors.  Remember that you are the only one in the universe that can change the way these things affect your spirit.  And remember that alcohol and drugs are not the answer.

Getting control of your temper is going to take responsibility.

Prov 27:3-4.  You must admit that you are the one that got mad, no one else made you mad.  Admitting your fault is terribly difficult for a man with proud wrath.  You have been using your anger to blame others and to manipulate them.  But they are not the ones at fault when it comes to your angry reactions.  You are the only one to blame for that kind of behavior.  You are the fool that loses your cool.

Getting control of your temper is going to take change.

You cannot keep doing the same things the same way and expect different results.  You must change yourself.  It is disingenuous for you to believe that everyone else should change so that you won’t be mad anymore.  You need to change.  For instance, if you see a tendency to get a little jacked up with coffee, tea, sugar, or energy drinks [be honest here because we know that you cannot imagine life without these “drugs”] then you need to eliminate them from your diet.  They are bad fuel for an angry person.  If you are having a conversation with your spouse and you can feel your blood rising, you need to tell your spouse that you are starting to get mad about the subject of your conversation.  You need time to cool down and then you can resume.  I know this will hurt your pride but that is honest communication.  If you find that when you stay up late you have a tendency to be more easily provoked the next day then skip the late night show and get some sleep.  If driving 5 miles over the speed limit keeps you mad at the slow pokes going the speed limit in front of you, leave earlier and back off.  You can see many correlations in your life to what you do and how you respond.  You must change EVERYTHING that contributes to the stress that lies beneath your angry outbursts.

Getting control of your temper is going to take humility.

Prov 21:24.  People who blow up to get their way and who blow up at others because they don’t know how else to deal with circumstances are very proud people.  It is very humbling to admit to someone else that you are the one at fault.  And it takes humility to apologize when you blow up and then to deal with yourself rather than the other person.  As long as you continue to point the finger at others and ignore your own problem, you will never get it fixed.

Conclusion: If you truly want to become slow to anger then you must implement each of these points that you heard today.  You cannot only deal with one or two of these things.  They are a complete package deal.  All or none.  You either will or you will not.  The choice is yours!!