Have you ever heard the old saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”? This isn’t true. According to the Word of God, words have power. It’s not just your positive words that have power! Those words create life, while words said in anger cause death! Proverbs 16:32 says “he who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city”. The good news is, God never asks something of us that we cannot accomplish with Him! This means you can control that anger. You can rule your own emotions! We want to give you scripture and help you apply it to this area of your life.
So often people feel powerless to their emotions. Anger is at the top of that list. It seems to take over our thoughts, our words, and then our actions. What does the Word say about this? Ephesians 4:26-27 says “ But don’t let the passion of your emotions lead you to sin! Don’t let anger control you or be fuel for revenge, not even for a day. Don’t give the slanderous accuser, the Devil, an opportunity to manipulate you!” We can tell by this scripture that anger is a scheme of the enemy to manipulate you. We know the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy. He wants to use anger to kill your relationships, steal your peace and joy, and destroy your future. Good thing he is a defeated foe! By filtering life through the Word of God we can overcome these schemes.
Proverbs 15:1 says “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”. The enemy would love for us to respond to anger with anger. In order to show others the powerful love of God we should respond to anger with love. Speak gently and kindly to others. Our response shouldn’t be a reaction to what others say and do. Instead, our response should be a reflection of who Christ is, as well as evidence that He is inside of us! Proverbs 21:23 says “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles”. This means you aren’t just protecting others when you respond with love, you’re also protecting yourself from trouble.
Have you read in 1 Samuel about Abigail and Nabal? If you’re not familiar with the story read 1 Samuel 25:2-42, and then comes back. Long story short, David protected Nabal’s men and his herd. David asked for food in return. Nabal responded in anger, acting like he didn’t owe a thing to David for his protection. Abigail found out and she delivered food to David and apologized for Nabal’s anger. David accepted the food and the apology. He spared Nabal any harm because of his wife’s kindness. When Nabal found out about this he became even more angry. His anger affected his heart and his health and he died! When David heard about Nabal’s death he asked Abigail to be his wife. When David became a king, Abigail was queen! All of that happened because she responded to her husbandsanger and wrath with kindness. We see through this story that anger can stop your heart (meaning it can affect you physically), it can stop your harvest (Nabal’s anger almost resulted in the death of his men), and it can stop your happiness (Nabal lost his life!).
We believe with all of our hearts that God wants you to walk in peace and victory. You are more than a conqueror through Him! He wants to release your pain. Call on Him! Philippians 4:6 says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Hebrews 4:16 says Let us come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
We invite you to pray this prayer with us! Lord, I don’t want to be angry. I want to be a person who walks in your peace and your joy. I know it’s my strength! I want to have wisdom. Lord, give me the strength and faith to filter all of life through Your Word. Help me to be sensitive to You and Your Spirit. Help me give soft answers, always Lord. Thank you in advance for the work You are doing in me! In Jesus wonderful name, amen!
