Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
James 1:19 (KJV).

REFLECT:
Living out our lives daily is often met with a lot of pressure and stress. Pressure at home, work, school, etc, are commonplace experiences. Sometimes such experiences may lead to frustration, anger outbursts, strife, and conflicts with the people around us, and usually, at the end of the day, these actions would cause us a lot of heartache, regrets, loss of honor/dignity, and the most painful aspect is that relationships could be broken beyond repair.

As a recourse to the problems of pressure anger and stress, many of us have sought out different ways to reduce the pressure, stress, and anger that readily beset our lives through management therapies. Such ventures have cost us a lot of money, and time offering complicated methods and impractical procedures to follow which, in the long run, have left us without any lasting relief.

So, what is the way out of this situation? How must we tackle this problem? A more realistic and excellent solution for this problem is relying on God’s Word. The Bible is full of answers to pressure, stress, and anger management problems. One such solution comes from our Bible verse for today. We can deduce a few things from this verse:

1. Be particularly selective about what you hear. A good way to achieve this is to prayerfully consider what we hear on a moment-to-moment basis. Remember when the Bible says for us to try every spirit? This applies to every and anything clamoring to have our ears. We must always allow the Holy Spirit to help us sift through the missives that come our way. By doing this we will be able to determine the real substance from the chaff.

2. Do not be in such a hurry to air your views or speak out your mind, rather tune in to the voice of the Holy Spirit for guidance. With the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and direction, we will know how and when it is most appropriate to speak.

3. Think through your actions before you display them openly. Try to take yourself out of the situation or whatever equation is being presented by surrendering your will and motives to the Holy Spirit.

When we consciously practice yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, God’s divine peace is bound to flood our minds and soul giving us the strength and stability our lives need to function in tranquility devoid of the unnecessary stress, pressure, and strife that is so commonplace in the world. This is exactly what Jesus meant when He said “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14: 27(KJV).

For us to truly put pressure, stress, and anger under check, we must completely rely on the Holy Spirit and as we do so, He will help us through the process of achieving our desired goal with ease.

Ebimobo W. Obasi

PLEASE PRAY ALONG:

Purge Me From A Toxic Lifestyle

FATHER GOD, thank you for being there when I need you. I am so grateful that you have all the answers to the issues I face. There are times that I have struggled with believing that you can help me from the issues that I face, please forgive me for not fully relying on you. I’m so sorry for the moments I have said unkind or misinformed things and bought into the toxic lifestyle of the world. Help me to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. In JESUS MIGHTY NAME AMEN.