I am no longer the things of my past...I am the daughter of the Great I AM.

Exodus 3:14
And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
2 Corithians 6:18
I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Practicing Self Control Around Annoying People

Everyone knows someone who annoys them. Does your reaction reflect that you are a Christian? If you are practicing self-control, it does. You cannot always change someone else, but you can change the way you react to someone.

Galatians 5:22-23 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentileness, and self-control. Against such there is no law.

If you are a Christian, you have the Spirit of God inside you. When someone is annoying you, the Spirit inside you still loves that person. No matter what our flesh is feeling, the Spirit is still kind and patient toward that person. If we allow our spirit to direct us, we can have self-control. Then our reactions will be in line with what God expects from us.

How do you practice self control?
In John 2, noticed what Jesus did before he drove out the money changers.

John 2:13-16 Now the Passover of the Jew was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned tables. And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"

Before he cleaned out the temple, He made a whip. He removed himself from the situation first, and took time to make a whip out of cords. When you find yourself around someone who annoys you, excuse yourself and evaluate the situation.

While you are away, ask yourself and God these questions...

1. Is it really them, or is it me?
Have you done something to them that you need to get right with them? or Are they reminding you of something that you need to get right with God?

2. Is is something that needs to be addressed?
If so, what is the best way, time, and place to address it?

3. Is it something that you need to overlook?
Somethings just aren't worth the hurt it may cause. You need to ignore it and move on.

As you spend time "making your whip," God will help you better understand both yourself and the person who is annoying you.

1 comment:

  1. Great reminders! Thank you for this post.

    I know that I need to be reminded of these things and I think that I will share this post with my children too...

    With Hope,
    Cheryl

    ReplyDelete