Anger…Sin or Sign? – Tuesday

Week 2 | Been There

Listen instead of reading

Take a Moment

Ask God what He wants to show you before reading today

Read The Daily

“You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” (James 1:19-20)

Anger. Frustration. Irritation. We all feel it from time to time. Sometimes it just explodes—at our kids, our spouse, our co-workers—and we wonder if there’s something dark lurking inside us.  Anger doesn’t have to run—or ruin—your life. In fact, if you learn to manage anger correctly it can give insight into areas of your life where you’re living short of all God intends for you.

The thing you probably want answered first is, “Why do I get so angry?”  The simple answer is: You get angry because you are not getting what you want.  You have some hopes and dreams for yourself and your family, but all around you are threats to those dreams. When you get angry at something happening to you, it’s always because of something happening inside you. Anger isn’t a sin. It’s just a sign. It’s a sign that one of your hopes and dreams is being threatened.

There are three specific hopes and dreams that we all have. We want:
1. Security: (physical, financial, emotionally)
2. Connection: (relationships, feeling valued and accepted)
3. Control: (feeling empowered to make choices and have options)

We get angry when we feel one of those three is being threatened. But the good news is that God already provides all of those things and more with the gospel.  When you start feeling that threat, your brain energy shifts away from your prefrontal cortex (the problem-solving part of your brain.) At that point, all rational and reasonable thought basically shuts down. So we have to step away, take a deep breath, calm down, and get thinking straight again.   That’s what the Apostle James is talking about in today’s verse: “You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” 

Prayer for the Day

God what are you  showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?

Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.

Read The New Testament In A Year

4 x 6 Plan | Read: Mark 14:66-72 & 2 Corinthians 8:16-24