Pause...and Pray.

Anger, not dealt with righteously, can be a toxin. As such, it poisons the soul if we let it fester. It feeds on itself. No one enjoys the side effects. When unbridled, it impacts environments. Atmospheres of heaviness and spiritual darkness follow it.

The Bible contains a lot of advice on how to deal with anger. The Book of Proverbs tells us:

Proverbs 16:32 KJV

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

We can learn to anticipate and tame these outbursts. For they are not only destructive to relationships; but also can impact our health adversely.

When our temper flares, we need to pause; take a deep breath and ponder the cause. Before we speak, we should count silently to 5. This will give us a brief cool down period and we can earnestly pray for discernment. As our anger subsides, we will be able to engage in a more productive, positive dialogue:

Proverbs 15:1 KJV

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Prayer doesn’t come easy when we’re hot under the collar. A “timeout for prayer” will help prevent our reactions from becoming overblown and causing us unnecessary stress.

Psalm 37:8 KJV

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.