Colossians 3:8 But now you must get rid of all these things: anger, passion, and hateful feelings. No insults or obscene talk must ever come from your lips.
A gentle spirit is not a character trait or a spiritual gift; it is a fruit that we must consciously and meticulously develop. Overcoming anger is easier said than done. We must develop strategies and have stringent rules on our thoughts and tongue to overcome anger tantrums. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice (Ephesians 4:31). Spiritual growth would be stunted if we yield to silly thoughts and bad temper.
Strategic approach and preset mindset are absolutely essential to overcome anger. Practice the Six Second Rule: Taking a 6-second pause, when we are triggered by stress, allows us the space to make a conscious decision about what to do or say next. Count one to six before reacting or retorting. Take a deep breath and compose your thoughts. Choose to think smartly and get rid of silly stinking thinking. Take corrective actions and have stringent rules in place to put on gentleness instead of a grouchy attitude. A soft answer and composure to a stinging reply makes us the bigger person. The meek are mighty. Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city (Proverbs 16:32).
Moses lost his temper and struck the rock twice instead of speaking to it. Water gushed out to quench the thirst of the dehydrated multitude yet, God shut the door to the Promised Land on Moses because of his outrageous fury (Numbers 20:12).
Strategies to overcome Anger:
1. Six-Second Rule: Pause, breath and calm down. Stress levels drop from 10 to 2 in six second. The six-seconds rule “quieten reflexes”. It relieves muscle tightening, jaw clenching and breath holding and activates the sympathetic nerve. Quieten reflexes in six-seconds.
2. Strategic-Approach: As the sympathetic nerve is activated, do physical activity that will calm your system. Wash your face, drink water, go out for fresh air; sing instead of scream and smile instead of sulking. Energize the sympathetic nerve.
3. Smart-Thinking: Switch from silly thinking to smart thinking. It is easy to snap back and retort but choose smart thinking. Smart thinkers will choose a soft answer to an angry question. Smart thinkers will choose calmness instead of clamour. Smart thinkers will not talk or argue but wait for the heat to settle down before they share their point of view. Angry acidic arguments have never had a good outcome. Get rid of silly stinking thinking and choose smart thinking.
Quieten reflexes by applying the six-second rule, take a strategic approach and choose smart thinking to overcome anger, rage and wrath.
Proverbs 19:11 A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.
Prayer: Dearest Lord Jesus, help me not to be the hearer but the doer of your word. Coach me to apply the six-second rules to calm my reflexes. Holy Spirit, give me the swiftness to apply the strategies and have a control over my emotions. Give me the alertness to switch to smart thinking instead of silly broodings. Amen.
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