A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention. — Proverbs 15:18

I believe anger is one of man's great problems. But I think this problem is very misunderstood and over-diagnosed, primarily because the angry outbursts of others have hurt so many.

So what is anger?

Anger is a feeling. A man will experience and express this feeling when he is irritated by some event. Therefore anger signals that something does not sit right with him, and he will sometimes express this irritation in an outburst of anger. And extreme forms of this outburst, like rage, stir up strife with others.

But anger is often more defined by the strife others experience rather than the feeling being signaled by an irritating event. And because men move through the process of anger so quickly, most have trouble slowing the flow of the progression before it becomes an outburst. Here's how the process works in most cases:

Triggering Event | Emotional Irritation | Feeling of Anger Outburst of Anger Strife

But the wisdom of the proverb is this — slow it down.

And the only way to slow it down is to address the triggering event, irritation, and feeling before it becomes a fit of anger.

Fellas, we have to take time before we respond to understand the event, irritation, and feeling before it becomes an outburst. Because if we don't, the process will persist. One angry person will quickly become another and another. But the only thing that stops the progression is one man who knows how to identify the feeling and irritation and quiet the contention within him first to quiet the contention with others.

So today, when you get angry, take a second or two to consider this question before you respond in an outburst.

"Why am I angry?"

And rather than bursting with rage, try to quiet the contention with you first so that you can contend appropriately with others.

ASK THIS: What are you angry about today and why?

DO THIS: Identify the issue and respond quietly.

PRAY THIS: God, take control of me. May your spirit give me supernatural control over my anger and angry responses.

PLAY THIS: Slow To Anger | Vinyard

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