Tame Your Temper

“Temper is one thing we don’t get rid of when we lose it,” says Jack Nicholson in the film Anger Management.

Refrain from blurting out “Damn!”, “Shit!” or “Hijo de puta!” when put in a volatile situation. Don’t let your temper explode at the slightest provocation. God frowns at volatile tempers. When we allow anger to take hold of us, gentleness flees, peace is gone, respect is put out, love is put out, joy is put out, and hate develops...  

¹¹ A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps his temper under control. PROVERBS 29

²⁰ Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. JAMES 1 nlt

⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. PSALM 37

Tame your temper by learning the origin of anger. It comes from stress. Stress comes from worrying. Worrying comes from lack of trust in God. The lack is rooted in not knowing God. This explains why we are told, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).

The more we get to know God, the more we learn to trust Him. The more we trust God, the more we learn not to worry about anything. The more we learn not to worry, the less room there is for stress, for anger... the more we stop living in an angry, stressful world.

³³ Make a tree good and its fruit will be good. MATTHEW 12

Tame your temper by becoming Spirit-filled and empowered (Ephesians 5:18).

¹⁶ Walk in the Spirit… ²⁵ The Spirit gives life: it is better that we let Him control our lives. GALATIANS 5

⁷ Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 PETER 5

⁶ And now just as you trusted in the Messiah to save you, trust Him, too, for each day’s problems; live in vital union with Him. COLOSSIANS 2 tlb   

¹⁴ Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ROMANS 8

Tame your temper by staying circumspect. Encarta defines circumspect as “showing unwillingness to act without first weighing the risks or consequences.” To be circumspect is to be calculating.

Be calculating (Genesis 4:7) because Lucifer has been monitoring you from the moment you were born. You know so little of him but he knows of your vulnerabilities (sinful desires, weak moments, fears). He will use it to plant doubts and intrigues in your mind, to destabilize your love-relationships. “He uses a lake of truth to disguise a pint of poison,” said Hal Lindsey.  

²³ So be on your guard. MARK 13

Be calculating because he is a master deceptor. He can masquerade as Being of Light or the Blessed Mother, or a saint, or an angel, or some foreign god.  

¹⁴ Lucifer himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. 2 CORINTHIANS 11

He can play with your ears such that you fail to hear what is being said or what you hear is not what is being said. He can mimic any voice and, through ventriloquism, make it sound like your neighbor were insulting you or cursing you, or making a false accusation. Many quarrels have happened because of these.

³¹ [Y’shua] began to teach that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. ³² He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aide and began to rebuke Him. ³³ But when Y’shua turned and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter. “Get behind Me, Lucifer!” MARK 8

He can play with your eyes such that you fail to see what is being done or what you see is not what is being done. He can make it appear like your neighbor were a menacing demon or a threat to your life. Many quarrels have happened because of these.

²⁴ Do not judge according to appearance. JOHN 7 nkjv

⁷ What you have seen with your eyes, ⁸ do not bring hastily to court [judgment]. PROVERBS 25 

Lucifer can mess up with your electronic gadgets. This message was texted, “I am at the bank.” What was received was different: “I am at the bank, you loud-mouth.” This message was texted, “Will you make it home tonight?” What was received was different: “Don’t go home anymore!”

A husband called up his wife; a man answered the call. The wife called him up; a woman answered the call. That night the couple quarreled violently, only to find out later that their neighbors in Subic (who also used their mobile phones that day) had the same experience.