I Could Punch Him in the Mouth!

Recently while listening to an angry man, those words were uttered and then ended with a bit of a smile as if it made his indignation acceptable.

Folks, we live in an angry world!  And you are asking me, “Did you just climb out from under a rock?!?!”

Well, truth is, in the past few weeks I have heard and seen the fruit that comes from that root.  Anger, wrath, bitterness from an evil heart destroys.

What does the Bible say about anger?  Please take time to read these passages and let them sink into your heart.

• Psalm 37:8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
• Proverbs 14:29 Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
• Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
• Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
• Proverbs 16:32 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
• Proverbs 19:11 Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
• Proverbs 29:11 A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.
• Ecclesiastes 7:9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.
• Ephesians 4:26-27, 31 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
• Colossians 3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
• James 1:19-20 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Anger rooted in a selfish, sinful, deceitful heart (Jeremiah 17:9) always produces fruit that damages and often destroys lives, homes, churches, marriages, and the world around you.

If you are person given to anger, please soak your soul in these truths from God’s Word.  Repent, be reconciled, and memorize these passages.  Better to think on truth that sets you free than on the offense that will eat you up inside and cause your heart to be outwardly exposed.

To be angry about trifles is mean and childish; to rage and be furious is brutish; and to maintain perpetual wrath is akin to the practice and temper of devils; but to prevent and suppress rising resentment is wise and glorious, is manly and divine. (Isaac Watts)

Go ahead . . . punch him in the mouth.  Then, who’s the fool?