How do I become slow to anger?

[onthepathtogod]

I know being slow to anger is a necessary trait to have as a Christian, but I have a lot of trouble with it. I want to work on this so that I can live a life for God. Are there any scriptures that can help? What steps can I take to work on my anger? Should I add patience to my prayers each day?

 

[Brian Mcnamee]

being slow to anger can be learned as you meditate on God's word it says the LORD himself is slow to anger and we are to forgive others as we are forgiven and when we think about the things we have said, done or thought we are lucky the LORD is slow to anger with us. We need to see anger is not an isolated thing that patients and love endure all things so when you have a rise or outburst of anger you are breaking with another gift of the Spirit which is self control. I would make walking in the sprit and having love for one another and even your enemies as the place to pray and meditate and if these things abound in your life the anger will dissipate as it will have nothing to feed on. So focus not on that issue and in reality you will see yourself growing in many areas.

 

[eleos1954]

I know being slow to anger is a necessary trait to have as a Christian, but I have a lot of trouble with it. I want to work on this so that I can live a life for God. Are there any scriptures that can help? What steps can I take to work on my anger? Should I add patience to my prayers each day?

• Restrain It. Proverbs 29:11 tells us that “Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.” This scripture does not mean that the wise bury their anger or do not deal with it, but it means that they control their anger and how they express it.
• Re-evaluate It (give it some time and think about it - think before you speak or act)
• 
  
• Release It. (give it to the Lord in prayer)

 

[dqhall]

I know being slow to anger is a necessary trait to have as a Christian, but I have a lot of trouble with it. I want to work on this so that I can live a life for God. Are there any scriptures that can help? What steps can I take to work on my anger? Should I add patience to my prayers each day?

Don’t want to hurt people, nor destroy their property.
Blessed are the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9).

 

[Maria Billingsley]

I know being slow to anger is a necessary trait to have as a Christian, but I have a lot of trouble with it. I want to work on this so that I can live a life for God. Are there any scriptures that can help? What steps can I take to work on my anger? Should I add patience to my prayers each day?

Welcome to CF! Draw on His Holy Spirit! The flesh is weak so we need His help to conquer the things of the flesh. Also, it helps to write down what triggers anger in you. Share it with loved ones .
Blessings.

 

[Rescued One]

I've dealt with and am still dealing with angry people. So I want to help. I want to avoid making people angry. We can never please everyone. Instead of wanting to please, try having an escape. Spend less time around people who make you angry. They might have a critical nature that triggers your anger. Maybe (this is true in my family) you or they don't know what the other person's intent was. People get angry because they don't like something you said. Next time apologize or don't say anything. Remove yourself and go to the store or go outside and shoot baskets. Or take the dog for a walk. Don't try to defend your actions. That really makes the other person angry --- so don't do it. Pray!

I've come to the conclusion that I can't tell anyone (except God) my concerns. I can't ask for favors either. My sister was making my life miserable. Someone suggested I get a restraining order. I knew that wouldn't stop her, so I moved away. I prayed for God's help and said I didn't want anything bad to happen ("Pray for your enemies"). After learning that she had cancer, I called her often and she ended up saying "I love you." She died of cancer a couple of years later.

Try memorizing, writing, or using a printer to print Bible verses.

Let us know if you make any progress. Update: edited by me.

 

[Unqualified]

The fool also says everything on his mind and expresses all his emotions. When we are flying off the handle it’s just an impulse and we really don’t mean what we say. I agree hold it back think about it. I have defused more anger that way, that if I expressed it my wife or others would be so confused and have anger in return. But now we have peace because we are not flippant.

yes add patience to your prayers. But you will be tried to make it better.

 

[Sketcher]

On Proverbs 29:11 - what does losing your temper actually gain you? When I get angry, it's usually because I'm not getting what I want. If I can't control it, I end up with more of what I don't want, and less of what I do want. If I start breaking things, the original problem still exists, and I have those broken things around me that I need to clean up and either repair, or replace. If I get nasty with people, I get less of what I need people for, if I get it, it's not as fast as I needed it, I end up looking worse, and I potentially get in a nasty situation that puts my safety at risk, and I potentially am looking at being charged with a crime. And if I have any sort of relationship with the person, I've damaged that relationship.

Either way, I would be adding problems to my existing problems. Most of that is avoidable and needless.

 

[subtlecollision]

I think one way is to see the person who hurt you in a compassionate manor. As they say, hurt people hurt people. Likely, the person who hurt you has his or her own struggles. Plus, the person who hurt you is an image bearer of God.

Also, I think meditating on God's grace can help with anger. Anger can come from feeling like we deserve something or someone owes us something. But grace teaches us how amazing it is to get a gift undeservedly.

 

[Rescued One]

My favorite Bible verse:

Ephesians 4:32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Matthew 6:14
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

 

[JIMINZ]

I know being slow to anger is a necessary trait to have as a Christian, but I have a lot of trouble with it. I want to work on this so that I can live a life for God. Are there any scriptures that can help? What steps can I take to work on my anger? Should I add patience to my prayers each day?

You already know, you cannot Fix yourself, of you could you would not have the need for a Savior.
Soooo
Don't go about trying to fix the things you feel need fixing,

God is working on you just as you are, many people Pray for Patience, not knowing that the only way to gain patience is through ADVERSITY, when you Pray for patience, you will receive more adversity than you can shake a stick at.

Stop attempting to fix all the things you believe are wrong with you.

1) Draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto you.
2) Seek ye first the Kingdom of God
3) Pray without ceasing
4) Understand, that God will change you in the order He feels is best, the harder you attempt to change who you are the further you will get from that goal.
5) It's by Gods' Grace you came to Jesus, let that Grace work in you to become the vessel God wants you to become, through the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Be Blessed in your walk

 

[danielteberian]

I used to have a pretty bad temper, but I have seen God work in my heart to help me control my anger. Here is what I would recommend, based on my experience:
- Read the Bible, reread it, and study it.
- Pray regularly, ask God to help you control your anger, and pray that He works in your heart.
- Memorize what the Bible says about anger. My favorite is from James: "the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God".
- Make a conscious effort to resist becoming angry. This one sounds silly, but I really mean it when I say "make a conscious effort". You have to really want it if you want to overcome it.
- When you lose your temper, ask God for forgiveness, ask Him for His strength, and seek forgiveness from anybody you were angry with.

Best of luck!

 

[Sophrosyne]

Two reasons we get angry
1)we see injustice
2)we feel injured by another

Righteous anger is no problem but a spurring on towards hopefully a solution
As for feeling injured most often it is not a physical injury but a perceived insult.
To feel insulted and angry as someone that didn't physically hurt you, you have to first give them power over you by exalting their opinion (in your mind) to a level it is respected to you. If you don't give unearned respect to people's opinions then they cannot hurt you and shouldn't anger you.
Quick anger can be caused by a spirit that seeks to want to be offended, perhaps one could call it a spirit if victimhood and people that feel victimized want to be angry and lash out at those that they perceive hurt them.
We see this victimhood type of spirit running amuck the public more and more these days people seeking restitution for perceived injuries.
The one way to reduce anger is to only take the opinions of people that love you and care about you to heart the rest you ignore their insults as invalid and not respected especially when you start to feel angry remind yourself that they cannot control you and you want fall prey to that victimhood spirit.

 

[disciple Clint]

I know being slow to anger is a necessary trait to have as a Christian, but I have a lot of trouble with it. I want to work on this so that I can live a life for God. Are there any scriptures that can help? What steps can I take to work on my anger? Should I add patience to my prayers each day?

the only thing that seems to work consistently for me is to remind myself that I have made mistakes as bad if not worse than the person I am about to become angry with. Try immediately praying for the person when you feel your anger begin to develop.

 

[lastofall]

for me anyway, we must needs learn from our Lord Jesus Christ what is acceptable anger with a cause, and how He Himself responded: we see in (Mark 3:5) that the only anger that is acceptable with God is the grief of another's hardness of heart, and nothing wavering: after this we then behold the Lord's response to His anger, in that He did good for it, by healing a man, instead of partaking in strife.
This is the "slow to anger" point of the matter, that we overcome evil with good.

 

[JohnC101]

Proverbs 14:29 "He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly."

Doing what you can to avoid both individuals and situations that get you angry can help. With situations you can't avoid, keep calm and do what you can.

Always remember, holding a grudge hurts you more than it hurts them.

May God bless you!

 

[timf]

Often anger is a result of a conflict between reality and expectations. One can reassess expectations so that they are not so easily or quickly triggered.

Secondly, inserting an evaluative process in an anger reaction can slow things down.

 

[Sophrosyne]

I often think of the scripture
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Where does anger fit in this?

 

[Willing-heart]

I know being slow to anger is a necessary trait to have as a Christian, but I have a lot of trouble with it. I want to work on this so that I can live a life for God. Are there any scriptures that can help? What steps can I take to work on my anger? Should I add patience to my prayers each day?

As for me, I’ve come to realise that it is only by the grace of God I’m able to temper any surge of emotions I feel with moderation and react appropriate in any given situation. Without God’s restraining Hand upon my life, I have no self-control. Many a time, I’m reminded of the saying, “there but for the grace of God go I.” Consciously learning to be utterly dependent upon God’s grace helps me to exercise self-control in all things. When I find myself angry, I’m learning to make it a habit to take it to the Lord in prayer. I find myself pleading with the Lord to help me with the pain underneath my anger and help me to forgive anyone I’m angry towards especially before the end of that day (so as not to let the sun go down on my anger).

ANGER!

 

[Rescued One]

I grew up with verbal abuse by my older sister, but knew she would harrass me more if I objected. So I was never able while growing up to do anything about it.

I found advice online for those of you who are dealing with it:

Set Boundaries
Firmly tell the verbally abusive person that they may no longer criticize, judge or shame you, name-call, threaten you, and so on. Then, tell them what will happen if they continue this abusive behavior.*

For instance, tell them that if they scream or swear at you, the conversation will be over and you will leave the room. The key is to follow through; don't set boundaries you have no intention of keeping.
Limit Exposure
If possible, take time away from the verbally abusive person and spend time with people who love and support you... Surrounding yourself with a network of friends and family will help you feel less lonely and isolated...

What Are the Signs of Verbal Abuse?

This person seems to agree with my coping methods. Get away from the person who is making you angry.

* Unfortunately children are in a pickle as they usually can't get away if it's a family member.