20-01-promises01-web

Day Twenty Seven
Be Slow to Become Angry
My dear brothers, 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
We’ve all known people who were “quick to fly off
the handle.” They are not comfortable to be around
because you don’t know when something is g oing to set
them off.
James is giving us three keys to controlling our
anger; be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to
wrath.
What does it mean to be "quick to hear?" It means
to listen carefully. Sometimes we can quickly take
offense at a sentence we half heard or even of a
thought that was not expressed adequately. Listen
carefully and process what is meant by what is said.
Being slow to speak indicates that we don’t just
respond to what “we hear” but to what is meant by the
one talking. To do that we have to think through our
response. Sometimes the best response is to ask
questions to get clarification before we respond.
The third key is simply to keep a lid on your anger.
Don’t let others control you by being able to
manipulate you into becoming angry and doing
something that will embarrass you.
Here is a prescription for lowering your blood
pressure: Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to
become angry. Try it! It really works.