Who, Not What

Southeast Christian Church

Apr 29, 2022

When you think about what you consider to be the source of your anger, do you envision a person? We think that it’s not our fault; it's their fault. They need to do something different. We think that it's a person causing this anger inside of us. But James tells us in chapter 4 that, most of the time, the source of your anger comes down to the fact that you're not getting what you want. The battle is within you. That was true for Cain. He wanted to be able to keep giving God his leftovers, instead of his best. Cain didn't want his brother to get the blessing that he wasn't getting. It came down to Cain not getting what he wanted and this is where most of our anger comes from too. We don't want to admit that though because it takes a lot of humility to say it or to see it.

Here's the equation for you to hang on to and remember when these feelings start building up inside you. You have to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. And so, you slow down, and you identify the anger. What are you wanting that you’re not getting? If you can check your blind spot and see that, then you're in a position to humble yourself and to surrender that over to God. James says in verse 20, he says human anger doesn't produce the righteousness that God desires. Human anger isn't going to bring about the life that God wants you to live.

DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTION: Recall a time when your anger was caused by you not getting what you wanted. How should your response have been different in that situation?

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