Learning To Deal With Anger

622 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 3:3 not given to wine, not violent, Next on the list of pastoral qualifications is the pastor must not be a violent person. The King James says, “must not be a striker.” A striker is someone who flies off the handle easily, and has a chip on his shoulder, and is quick to use his fists in expressing his anger. Again, this qualifications speaks mounds about the cultures in which these early churches were planted. A shepherd would need to stand head and shoulders above the flock in the area of anger management. Church discipline is never to be carried out with your fist. I struggled with anger for years and to this day with the help of the Holy Spirit, remain on guard against it. I never struck people, but I have hit a few inanimate objects in my time, (ouch that was so dumb!) but even expressing that kind of rage can be a very frightening experience for those who witness it, and a spiritual leader should never lead from the base of fear, always from the base of love. I have come to realize that my struggle with anger and rage always erupted when some sort of inadequacy surfaced in my life. The outburst always served a useful purpose for me, it drew attention away from my inadequacies and caused people to rather focus on my rage. The truth is all of us struggle with very real inadequacies. And we all need to learn what to do with them. Paul struggled with an infirmity, and the Greek word comes from a root that means impotent, which is another way of saying inadequate. Here's what he had to say about dealing with it: 2Co 12:9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, (inadequacies) that the power of Christ may rest upon me. What a blessing to have a pastor who understands this truth and is able to lead by example, helping those in the flock to be released from one of the major causes of anger.