Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Anger”
Our Bible verse for today: “Train yourself in godliness, for while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7-9 (NRSV)
Our thought for today; “Train yourself to respond to anger correctly.”
During my career as a Naval Officer we trained ourselves constantly for situations we hoped would never arise. We trained for battle. Over and over and over again, we practiced how we would respond in a combat situation. The object of the training was for our responses to become second nature. The reason this is so important is because in a combat situation things happen very quickly; your heart is racing; the fear factor is high; and it’s hard to think clearly. That’s when reflexes and training kick in. If you’ve been well-trained then you’ll respond correctly without even thinking about it. Your response has become second nature and it happens automatically.
Emergency first responders do this too. They’re so well-trained that when faced with an emergency situation, their training kicks in and their responses are automatic.
In yesterday’s devotional message we talked about how it is that anger sometimes flares up quickly and is on the surface before we know it, hardly giving us time to think about what to do or how to respond. But I also mentioned that since we are Biblically commanded to handle our anger in a God honoring way, it must mean that there will always be at least a brief moment of time when we do have the opportunity to make a choice about how we will handle it. But since the opportunity is often so brief, the correct response has to be something we have trained ourselves in so that it’s our default response without even giving it much thought.
That’s what Paul was talking about in 1 Timothy 4:7-9. We have to train ourselves in godliness. We have to practice and drill and prepare until the correct response becomes second nature.
One strategy I’ve used for years involves the use of index cards. If there’s a Bible verse I want to memorize, or an encouraging thought I want to remind myself of, or something else I’m trying to drive deeply into my subconscious mind, I write it on an index card and put it in my shirt pocket. Then numerous times throughout the day I pull that index card out and spend some time with that verse or thought. Do that often enough, and that verse or thought embeds itself in your subconscious mind and quickly becomes a regular part of your thought process.
When it comes to the subject of anger, you can record one of our Bible verses on your index card and review it hundreds or even thousands of times. Or you could write this phrase on your card:
“Did the person really mean this the way it sounded, and even if they did, so what? Does it really matter?”
If you review that question over and over again during those times when anger is not a problem, this same question will pop into your mind during that brief moment when anger is a problem and you have to make a choice about how to deal with it.
When it comes to handling anger in a God honoring way, you can train yourself in godly responses.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 