The Essence of Living

How To Deal With Your Temper

       Do you lose your temper quickly?

       When you’re caught in traffic, do you lose your cool?

       Do you have shouting matches with your spouse?

       Do you yell at your kids often?

       Do you use degrading language?

       Do you not speak to people you’re angry with for days, weeks, or even months?

       If your answer is “Yes” to some of these questions, then you have a problem with patience. And you need to hear what I’m going to say today.

       Here’s my big message for you today:  Impatience means you lack trust in God. Many times, you’re impatient because you take matters in your hands. If you want to be patient, learn to take matters into God’s hands. (If you don’t understand this yet, it’s okay. By the end of this article, you will.)

       Let me tell you about two men who were blowing their top…

Two Very Angry Brothers

       I love this very human story.

       Jesus was being rejected by a Samaritan Town. And James and John were so angry at them, they asked, Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them? (See Luke 9:52-56)

James and John were so angry, they wanted to massacre an entire town. They wanted to kill men, women, and children. Including cute babies.  Fry them all to a crisp.

In the brothers’ minds, it was their right to be angry.   To them, this was righteous anger.   Why? These Samaritans were making the most horrendous mistake of their lives. They were rejecting Jesus, the Son of the Living God.

       So they said, “Kill ‘em, Lord!”

       Here’s an important point: An angry person always thinks it’s his right that he should get angry. In his mind, it’s perfectly justifiable.

       But what did Jesus do?

       He rebuked them.

       Perhaps he said to them, “Look guys, once upon a time, you were hard-headed too. You were as obstinate and foolish as they were. But God didn’t throw fiery comets at...