Okay, here’s what I need you to do. Ready? Clench your teeth. Got it? Now, flare your nostrils. Good. Hold it there…you are making the expression of anger. “Aph” is the Hebrew word we translate with the English word “angry.” Aph means “nostril” or “nose” or, in some cases, refers to the whole “face.” In Hebrew, your anger was visibly demonstrated…flared nostrils, clinched teeth, heavy breathing, inaudible sounds…. Okay, thanks for working with me. You can unclench your teeth.
Anger, of course, doesn’t start at your nose. The flared nostrils are simply the outward indication of your heart (“heart” in Scripture does not refer to the organ that pumps blood but is used as a one-word description of your thinking, feelings, and desires to take action). When you are angry, your whole being is angry…and nothing good happens in that heart state.
That’s why the proverb says that a strong warrior is bested by a person with patience.
Proverbs 16:32
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
The person who has the capacity to take a fortified city comes in second behind the one who has learned to control their temper. So, when you feel it coming on—when the anger starts working in your mind, causing your blood pressure to rise and making you want to do something or say something you will most certainly regret—pray for God to take control of your heart. It takes a person of discipline and the power of God to control their temper.
Father, we submit our tempers to you. Please control them, keep them in check, never let us act out of anger, never let us respond in anger, and keep us from the regret of an angry heart. In Christ’s name, Amen.
Excellent message! I used to tell the kids I taught DARE to in the city that ANGER is one letter away from DANGER. Have a blessed week.