Patience and Perseverance
Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Anger is a natural emotion of God's creatures, and especially of some people. Some Anger is desirable. bit controlling and directing that anger into productive uses is absolutely necessary. Here are some thoughts about how to accomplish that.
We
need to be seeking the opportunity to learn from every experience we have in
life, rather than being angry and accusing others
for our difficulties.
Romans 8:26
In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;Romans 8:27
and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Self-control is a key issue. Anger is a natural emotion. The actions we choose to take as a result of that anger may well cause more problems than they solve.
James 1:18
In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.James 1:19
This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;James 1:20
for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.James 1:21
Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.James 1:22
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
Are you getting the short end of the deal? If you believe in God, and are living for Him, he will work out the details.
Psalms 37:1
A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.Psalms 37:2
For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.Psalms 37:3
Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.Psalms 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.Psalms 37:5
Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.Psalms 37:6
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.Psalms 37:7
Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.Psalms 37:8
Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.Psalms 37:9
Pro 16:32
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.Pro 19:11
A man's discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.
Television and home media remote controls, high speed internet and instant gratification life styles are not compatible with God's plan for mankind. Patience is a characteristic that we all need to learn and apply to our daily life.
Ecclesiastes 7:8
The end of a matter is better than its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.Ecclesiastes 7:9
Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, For anger resides in the bosom of fools.
Uncontrolled anger can have severe consequences, resulting in physical harm to many people, including ourselves. Our emotional and spiritual condition even affects our physical health. We may even have physical, emotional, spiritual or legal consequences from actions taken in anger. Make amends quickly.
Matthew 5:21
"You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.'Matthew 5:22
"But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.Matthew 5:23
"Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,Matthew 5:24
leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
It
is time to seek God's help, to give up your anger, and become mature and
responsible.
Ephesians 4:17
So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,Ephesians 4:18
being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;Ephesians 4:19
and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.Ephesians 4:20
But you did not learn Christ in this way,Ephesians 4:21
if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,Ephesians 4:22
that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,Ephesians 4:23
and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,Ephesians 4:24
and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.Ephesians 4:25
Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.Ephesians 4:26
BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,Ephesians 4:27
and do not give the devil an opportunity.Ephesians 4:28
He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.Ephesians 4:29
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.Ephesians 4:30
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.Ephesians 4:31
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
If we are busy doing productive things, if we are living in love for God and neighbor, then our reasons for anger diminish.
TAKE THAT ENERGY
AND
REDIRECT IT INTO SOMETHING USEFUL ! ! !
Make room for God to take care of the sins of others. It is a full time job for each of us to do what is right. If we do good to or for others, we will not suffer bad consequences for those actions. We may also be a positive example for those around us, and therefore help to influence change in society.
Romans 12:17
Romans 12:18
If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.Romans 12:19
Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.Romans 12:20
"BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD."Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
SO, WHAT IS GOOD?
Matthew 7:12
"In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.Matthew 7:13
"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it."For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.Matthew 7:14
The old saying that honey attracts better than vinegar may well apply here.
Matthew 5:16
"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.Matthew 5:17
"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
God put people here to take care of each other. If we do not give, we cannot be angry that we are not receiving.
James 2:15
If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,James 2:16
and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.James 2:17
We never know the extent of an action to help others. Jesus says our every action is an action toward Him, and ultimately toward ourselves.
Matthew 25:35
'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'Matthew 25:36
We must reach a point that we recognize that God is real and that He is concerned about the details of our life.
Psalms 34:11
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.Psalms 34:12
Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good?Psalms 34:13
Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit.Psalms 34:14
Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.Psalms 34:15
The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry.Psalms 34:16
The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.Hebrews 13:16
And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Once we have learned right from wrong, it is necessary to implement that knowledge in our life. It is not enough to go to church on Sunday, or any of those rituals of worship.
James 4:17
Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
When
we have allowed God to change our heart, when our heart is filled with Love for
God and others, there is no longer room
for the anger to control our actions.
Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,Galatians 5:23
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.Galatians 5:24
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.Galatians 5:25
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.Galatians 5:26
Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
IF WE APPLY THE WORD OF GOD TO OUR DAILY
EXPERIENCES
AND LEARN FROM THEM,
THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL CHANGE US.
This is the Cross, that we crucify the lusts (desires) of the flesh (our own will), including anger and hatred.
The
process of becoming a whole, mature person, involves learning what God has to
say, being disciplined for things we do wrong, and then being tested to see if
we have learned the right way to respond to a situation.
Passing the tests strengthens us.
James 1:2
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,James 1:3
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.James 1:4
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Romans 5:1
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,Romans 5:2
through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.Romans 5:3
And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;Romans 5:4
and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.Romans 5:5
NASB
Definitions:
Main
Entry: anger
Function:
noun
1
: a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism
synonyms
ANGER, IRE, RAGE, FURY, INDIGNATION, WRATH mean an intense emotional state
induced by displeasure. ANGER,
Main
Entry: frus·tra·tion
Function:
noun
1
: the act of frustrating
2
a : the state or an instance of being frustrated b : a deep chronic sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising
from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs
Main
Entry: dis·ap·point
Function:
verb
transitive
senses : to fail to meet the expectation
or hope of :
Main
Entry: 1pa·tient
Function:
adjective
1
: bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint
2
: manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain
3
: not hasty or impetuous
4
: steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity
5
a : able or willing to bear used with of b : SUSCEPTIBLE, ADMITTING <patient
of one interpretation>
pa·tient·ly
adverb
Entry
Word: persevere
Function:
verb
Text:
to continue in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counter
influences, opposition, or discouragement <persevered in her unpopular
economic policy>
Synonyms
carry on, go on, hang on, persist
Related
Word continue, get on, press (on), proceed
Idioms
hang in there, hang tough, keep at it, keep driving, never say die, stick (or
tough) it out
Contrasted
Words falter, hesitate, vacillate, waver; renounce, surrender, yield
Antonyms:
give up
Perseverance commonly
suggests activity maintained in spite of difficulties; steadfast and long
continued application; endurance and perseverance combined to win in the end.