I easily get irritated when people try to irritate me. Even knowing th - Bible Questions and Answers - Prayer Tents
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44. I easily get irritated when people try to irritate me. Even knowing that they are just trying to irrotate me i find it difficult to just ignore it. Sometimes I ignores it, but even then there is this irritated attitude in me and I really feel guilty about this attitude in me. How can I reply without getting irritated. How can I learn to ignore it. How can I overcome this attitude? Asked by: Male, 19-25, Asia on December 15, 2021 8:24:35 pm
Answer
Hi! Great question.
You are not alone in being easily irritable. It is human nature, not God-like, to be easily angered. It is something that no one can fully overcome on their own.
Let me explain this from a Biblical perspective. It has to do with Christmas and the reason why Jesus had to come to earth and die for our sins.
The story of Eden is an example that people cannot attain the perfection required by God. This point is further illustrated by the people receiving the Ten Commandments and seeking to follow them. By the end of the Old Testament, we see that the people who claim to love God failed to follow God's perfect ways, and their nation is in ruins.
Christmas is a celebration of Jesus's birth. Today, we know what Jesus accomplished, but back then, people were excited because they recognized their fallen state and looked forward to a Messiah, someone who would save them from their struggles. Following the failure that concluded the Old Testament, the New Testament begins where the people of Israel have very little political power and are under the reign of Rome.
Why did the people of Israel look forward to a coming Messiah to save them? They recognized that they could not keep the perfect law of God. They needed God to show mercy and forgive as they came to realize that they could not keep to God's level of perfection on their own.
God required people to be perfect, as He is perfect. What would the Messiah have to do to fulfill the needs of the people and the perfection required by God? Two things are needed: 1) a provision for God to forgive the mistakes made (i.e., the forgiveness of sins), and 2) enablement to live perfect lives (i.e., the ability to keep the perfect laws of God).
Jesus came to provide both! When Jesus died, he took the sins of all humanity that anyone who believes in Jesus can stand without a blemish in God's sight (John 3.16). Then He sent us the Holy Spirit to guide us and direct our hearts to be aligned with Him (John 16:13). The Gospel is that God will transform our hearts so that we can keep His perfect commands (Deuteronomy 30:6, Ezekiel 36:26-27). When He changes our hearts, we will be able to love even the people who hurt us (See Matthew 5:43-48).
Let us go back to your original question. People irritate you, and you find that you are not slow to anger. You recognize that some people intend to get you angry, whether for fun or not, but you struggle with them whether you blow up in anger or hold it inside to let it bubble up in your heart.
It is for the same reason the people of Israel needed a Savior, a Messiah. They recognized that they could not be perfect and needed God's help and mercy so that we could meet the perfection required of God.
And so, I'm grateful you asked this question. From our recognition of the problems, we can consider the solutions. The solution is to turn to God and ask Him for His help. Remain in Him, and He will make you fruitful (See John 15:7-8)
For completion, here are a few verses that show that our inability to be slow to anger is not a character of God, and therefore is a sin that puts you in the same level field as all people in the world (also take a look at Romans 3:23):
Psalms 86:15 (NLT)
But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
Proverbs 14:29 (NLT)
People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.
James 1:20 (NLT)
Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
Ephesians 4:26-27 (NLT)
And "don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
1Corinthians 13:4-5 (NLT)
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. (In these verses, love refers to God).
As born-again Christians, we will always struggle with sin (Those who are not reborn with the Spirit of God would not be bothered by the sins in their lives). Let us thank God for showing us our sins so that we may repent of them and leave them at the feet of Jesus.
Merry Christmas—for Jesus came to earth so that we can be forgiven and be given mercy and enablement to be perfect.
Many blessings to you. Write back whenever you have questions.
Prayer Tents is a Christian mission organization that serves Christians around the world and their local bodies to make disciples ("evangelize") more effectively in their communities. Prayer Tents provides resources to enable Christians to form discipleship-focused small groups and make their gatherings known so that other "interested" people may participate and experience Christ in their midst. Our Vision is to make disciples in all nations through the local churches so that anyone seeking God can come to know Him through relationships with other Christians near them.
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