HOW TO AVOID ANGRY UTTERANCES

“They angered the Lord also at the waters of Meribah, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes. For they provoked [Moses’] spirit, so that he spoke unadvisedly with his lips”(Amplified Bible). It appears that Moses had a problem with his temper. You’ll recall how in Egypt, before he fled from Pharaoh, he had killed an Egyptian (Exo. 2). That was a mistake on his part; that was not how God wanted to deliver the Israelites from the Egyptian slavery. Eighty years after, he still had to deal with this same problem – or rather the problem dealt with him. If you don’t control your temper, you’ll be prone to making mistakes. Prov. 14:29 says, “Those who control their anger have great understanding; those with a hasty temper will make mistakes” . Moses made mistake in Egypt and also at the water of Meribah. Aaron also suffered from the wrong action of his boss. As long as you’re on this earth and relate with people, it is certain that people will make you angry knowingly or unknowingly. But don’t allow people to provoke you to speak foolishly, unadvisedly, without thinking.“But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell,”says the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 5:22, NLT). People may provoke you but that is no sufficient reason not to control yourself.  That won’t be an excuse. What is at stake is much – your destiny, your health, your marriage, your family, your ministry, your life-time labour,  eternity, etc. Don’t explode and lose something that is precious or everything that you’ve labored for; don’t scatter what you’ve built. James 1:19-20 says, “My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Your anger can never make things right in God’s sight” (NLT). Yes, provoking you is wrong but your decision to speak in anger won’t make things right in God’s sight. Your action will be as wrong as the action of the person who provoked you.  No matter how much the provocation, the advice of wisdom is: don’t speak rashly. “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health” (Prov. 12:18 NKJV). Prov 14:17 says, “Those who are short-tempered do foolish things, and schemers are hated” (NLT). The best speech you’ll ever regret In the face of provocation, guard your mouth; say nothing when you’re angry. If you speak in anger, you may regret what you’ll say. Canadian writer, Laurence J. Peter (1919-1990) says, “Speak when you are angry—and you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret.”  Can anyone fault that statement? If it’s possible for you to ask Moses to tell you one speech he regretted making, this incident I’m talking about must be number one because it ended his ministry abruptly. If you don’t want to make the best speech you’ll ever regret making, don’t speak when you’re angry. You’re most likely going to say things you ordinarily would not have said. But once you say it, it’s no longer under your control. Even when you say, “I’m withdrawing that statement” or you ask for forgiveness, people can still remember what you said. Someone who didn’t say anything, you can’t misquote him!“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Col. 4:6, NKJV). I’ll stop here today, and bring you the concluding part of this series next week. Avoid angry utterances. TAKE ACTION! If you want to be born again, kindly say this prayer now: “0 Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I’m a sinner and I can’t save myself. I repent of and forsake my sins. Please forgive me. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent and confess my sins. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and surrender my life to him today. I invite Jesus into my heart today. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you Jesus for saving me and making me a child of God.” I believe you’ve said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You’ll need to join a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, soul-winning church in your area where you’ll be taught how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon.May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be.  I’ll be glad to hear from you.

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