Cool Thoughts for Hotheads – Part 2

And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. 1 Samuel 18:9

A hot temper: 1) drives a wedge between you and your loved ones. Esau resented his brother Jacob so much that he wanted him dead. When his mother Rebekah heard this, she sent Jacob away to live in Haran (Genesis 27:41-43). As a result, the family was separated and they suffered. Angry people intimidate others and rob them of their sense of security and peace of mind. Psychologists say anger is a leading cause of divorce, child abuse and addiction. What a terrible price to pay! 2) undermines a life that pleases God. ‘Understand this…(be) slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires’ (James 1:19-20).Your anger isn’t just ‘your own business’, it’s God’s business, too, because it hinders your ability to live the life He intended. You can’t be right with God until you are right with others. 3) blinds you to reality. Looking through the lens of misguided anger, you see only what you choose to see. It causes you to focus on options like revenge and retribution. Saul saw David as a threat, someone who planned to take his kingdom and throne. So he ‘looked at David with suspicion from that day on.’ His anger made him see David as someone who deserved to die because he was God’s choice to succeed him as Israel’s next king. Sadly, it also kept him from seeing that David was actually his best friend. Don’t let that happen to you.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to control my anger so that I can objectively view things that I cannot see when angry. In Jesus’ Name, Amen