What's Your But? ~Wednesday

​I’m about to bare my soul to you.

I struggle with anger.

It’s well controlled except when my children fail to follow directions for the umpteenth time.

I know, good Christian woman aren’t supposed to be hot tempered. But I’m a redhead… Oops, there I go again, trying to blame God for making me this way.

For a long time, I told my boys I screamed at them because they didn’t listen otherwise. I have even tried to justify it by citing instances where God’s own righteous anger burned against the people of the Old Testament. But really, those are just a couple more big old “BUTs.”

My anger was my own sin. And it is a choice. A choice  I must learn to make intentionally. I need to recognize my triggers and then turn away from the temptation to fall into this comfortable old sin. Allowing the situation to dictate my response is a failure of self-control.

Making deliberate decisions helps us avoid unintended impulses.

If you struggle with a similar inclination, I hope you’ll join me in committing the following passage to memory. When the urge to give in to my anger strikes, I try to repeat these words until the fruit of the Spirit takes hold.

My dear brother, take note of this:
Everyone should be quick to listen,
slow to speak and slow to become angry,
for man’s anger does not bring about
the righteous life that God desires.
(James 1:19-20)

It reminds me first that God doesn’t want me to get angry, and second that my anger never accomplishes what I hope it will. My anger isn’t good for me or my children. By giving in to my outrage, I’m teaching them it is alright to get upset when people don’t act they way you want them to. That’s the polar opposite of what I’m trying to teach them about their own finger pointing.

If you struggle with another reactive sin like bitterness, hatred, or jealousy, do a topical search on a site like, BibleHub.com and see if you can find a verse to memorize for when Satan strikes with temptation to sin in response to the enemy’s provocation.

Dear Father,
Forgive me for my sin of anger. Lead me in Your ways of righteousness. Help me to effectively wield the power of Your Word to make intentional decisions that eliminate the risk of unintended impulses to sin. Strengthen my self-control by Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

​Author: Liz Giertz

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