Self-Control

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. – 1 Peter 5:8

Have you ever been so angry that you felt out of control? Your heart starts beating fast, your breathing becomes shallow, and you’re about to blow your top. Everyone has these moments, and they seem to come unannounced, unplanned, and definitely unwanted.

If you want to work toward controlling your anger, you have to decide to do so, and you have to decide long before you find yourself in a situation that triggers those emotions. Maybe you’ve decided to never raise your voice in anger. You might not be 100% successful the next time your anger resurfaces, but work at decreasing your volume, and eventually those efforts will make a difference. Pray and ask God to help you with the steps you’re taking.

If you have already let your anger fly and need to apologize, do so. Even if time has passed, making amends for losing your temper can begin a new path for your future. You cannot move forward with the decision to control your anger without repairing whatever damage your anger has done. Humility is a part of controlling your anger, and owning your part and making things right is part of humility.

Finally, recognize what is pushing your buttons and begin to work on the buttons themselves. As you stay alert to your warning signs of anger, you develop self-control—and have the opportunity to change the future.

I want my life to radiate what happens when God has a person’s heart at his full control, when every event or circumstance is simply another avenue to know him better and show forth his glory. – Priscilla Shirer

I am a spiritual being.… After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. – Max Lucado

Anger is not in itself sinful, but…it may be the occasion for sin. The issue of self-control is the question of how we deal with anger. Violence, tantrums, bitterness, resentment, hostility, and even withdrawn silence are all sinful responses to anger. – R. C. Sproul

TODAY’S PRAYER
Lord, I am making the decision to control my anger. Help me to recognize when I am struggling to keep it under control, and please provide a way out. Help me to make amends to those I have hurt with my anger. I want to be self-controlled and live a life that reflects you. Amen.

Taken from 100 Days to Freedom from Anger copyright © 2021 by Stephen Arterburn and Becky Brown. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.