Some days it feels as if we are living on top of a powder keg and everyone’s fuse is unnaturally short. One misunderstood word and you may find yourself in the gale of a tirade. More alarming is that many of us feel that same tension residing inside ourselves. Our normally kind demeanor can turn into laser focused rage at the drop of a hat. It’s not who we are, nor who we wish to be. It’s easier to hold back the tide than to contain our anger. So, what are we to do?
More powerful than the mightiest of warriors is the one who can manage their anger. If we really wish to be powerful and effective, then we cannot be persons given to outbursts. We must learn how to be moderate in our reactions. This verse says that the one who can rule his own spirit is more powerful than a person who captures a city. We learn here that true power comes from within. You’ve heard that before and it sounds trite but think about it. Isn’t it true in your own experience? Aren’t temperance and patience the hardest attributes to master? Anyone can be a loudmouth with a bad temper. Sometimes I think our culture has boiled down to people behaving badly. Maybe those people are fun to watch on television, but who actually likes to be around people like that?
Mastering one’s own inner being is the true challenge and it requires work, faith and diligence. Having a sharp tongue sometimes served me in the practice of law but it was not always fun to be around me as a friend or family. How, though, does one become a person who is slow anger, one who can rule his or her own spirit?
I have found the only way I can do it is to enlist the help of God’s Spirit. I would say that first one has to choose to be slow to anger. Then ask the Holy Spirit to aid you in developing your spirit so that you are not a person quick to anger or quick to speak. Once when Jesus was challenged, rather than firing off a quick response, he knelt and began to draw in the sand (John 8: 6). What was he doing? He paused and inquired within his spirit for guidance from the Father. He ruled his own spirit by looking to the Father for instruction.
That is our model. Only with the help of the Holy Spirit can we tame the tirades which are brewing within us. I find when I have spent sufficient time in prayer, I am not as prone to expressions of anger, nor do I become frustrated as easily. When I allow myself to get too busy and don’t spend enough time with Jesus, I lose precious time in wasted emotion and wasted action.
Emotions are good. They are important, but Godly emotions are the blessing. Fleshly fits just waste valuable time, damage relationships and cause harm to our bodies because they create harmful stress. If we want to be effective in the workplace, if we wish to be revered by our peers, then we must become mighty. We must conquer the inappropriate expressions of the inner man. Speak truth but speak it kindly. Do not be provoked. Rule your spirit and you will have what is necessary to rule a city.
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