Do you get mad at times? I do myself..Hey, we are all human! However, I sometimes catch myself getting tempered where I hurt people verbally and sometimes physically. It was worst when I was younger when I didn't really know how to control it. I decided to write on this issue after watching 2 siblings fight with each other. I had to raise my voice to tell them to stop and share my personal testimony.
I look back and I try to pin point where I got this "rage" from. First, before I share my past, I want to let you know that I take responsbility of my actions now. Growing up in St. Paul, I lived in a household where there was constant fighting between my parents. I hated it whenever my parents fought (physically and verbally). Well, this really affected me growing-up as I was very quiet and shy in school. I would pretend "publicly" that everything was going well at home as I was ashamed "privately" of what went on. As I was holding everything in, I would sometimes blow up at people. I would take my anger at my love ones. When I had a rough day at work (Taco Bell), I would come home mad! My siblings would know at times how work was once I get in the door.
You know being angry can cause others to be angry or sin?
"In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent"-Psalm 4:4
Anger Management
I would start learning how to release my anger in various ways as I grew up. When I was tired of getting picked on at school, I would workout at my home-lifting dumbells, doing push-ups, etc... Another way was listening to music-heavy metal! I would play my cassate tapes to different types of bands depending how I felt. One particular band I loved to listen to growing-up was "Metallica". I wold sing to the lyrics in a raging voice upstairs in my room with my door closed!
As I write this, I remember one time my dad came into my room. He didn't say anything, but he ripped my "Metallica" (red devil picture) poster off the wall and left quietly. My dad and I would never say anything about this to this day!
Personal Testimony
I have to be honest, but I've been able to manage my anger as I've grown in my personal relationship with Jesus. It all started back in my freshmen year at UMM-college. I was given a Gideon's small bible, which had a list of how to deal with various issues. I read many verses on "anger", which was "soul food"! I highly enouraged you all to pick-up the Bible and do the same!
Anger is metioned 270 times in the Bible=>biblesearch.com!
Reflection
I look back at the "silly-stupid" things I did growing-up. I say to myself-how immature I was. Well, I feel as a grown-up adult, I had to go through those in order to share this with younger people. I want others to learn from my mistake and not repeat what I did.
No Fighting!
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Babies, Children, Kids, etc.. Outreach
"12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 15 So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.
16 Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.”
17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he settled. 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.
19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek,[c] because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.[d] 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,[e] saying, "Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land." ..
26 Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?”
28 They answered, "We saw clearly that the LORD was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the LORD."
30 Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.
..
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Life: Peace, Quietness, Reconciliation, Rest, etc...
Isaac and Abimelech Genesis 26
"Uploaded by aboutbiblevideos on Aug 17, 2009
Isaac and Abimilech from the King James Version Holy Bible Genesis chapter 26 Subscribe to the DVD series at
http://aboutbiblevideos.com "
Genesis 39-41
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Issues: Adultery, Cheating, Divorce, etc..=>Seduced
"..19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger. 20 Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. ..
"... 9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. 10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. 11 Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. 13 And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled."
14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." ..-41
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com African-Middle Eastern: Egyptian of Egypt Outreach
ABS - 010 -- Joseph, From Prison To A Palace
"Uploaded by angelicfaith101 on Jun 14, 2008
Awesome Bible Stories -- Joseph: From Prison To A Palace
Joseph: God Put a Dream in my Heart
Genesis 41:41
"
"6 When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. 7 As they danced, they sang:
"Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands."
8 Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" 9 And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.
10 The next day an evil[a] spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand 11 and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice.
12 Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul. 13 So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. 14 In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. 15 When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns. "
*see GoodnewsEverybody Issues: Jealous, Jealousy, Envy, Envious, Covet, etc...
1 Samuel 18 (with text - press on more info. of video on the side)
Chapter 19 Saul Tries to Kill David
"...9 But an evil[a] spirit from the LORD came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the lyre, 10 Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape. ...
1 Samuel 26 David Again Spares Saul’s Life
NEW TESTAMENT
Acts 6:8-14, 7:59-60,
Matthew 27:11-26 Jesus Before Pilate & Luke 23:34-"34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
" 1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity. "
"8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. "
1 Peter 3:8-14 Suffering for Doing Good
"8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For,
"Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
Communication *see 5 Languages of Love
I'm no expert, but I hear that one of the major causes of any fights is "miscommunication" (misunderstanding one another), which the Devil loves. He likes to deceive all of us in thinking "negative" (e.g. accuse) of the other person. Thus, don't let the Devil get a foot on your situation and doing something out of God's love for another as soon as possible before the situation get "bigger" over something that was "small" (like a snowball rolling down a hill and getting bigger as it build momentum down a steep hill)...
The following is a list of some of the "one another" commands found in the New Testament related to Christian communication:
Love one another - John 13:34 & John 15:12,17.
Forgive one another - Ephesians 4:32 & Colossians 3:13.
Be servants to one another - Galatians 5:13.
Show hospitality to one another - 1 Peter 4:7-10.
Pray for one another - James 5:16.
Build up (edify) one another - Romans 14:19, 1 Thessalonians 5:11....
Life
Movies
Sermon
The Benefits of Anger - Part 4
"Ken shares a personal illustration to demonstrate how most Christian men ignore their problem with anger, even though their attitude is quite obvious to the rest of the family members."
Sports
-Baseball