What Does the Scripture Say?

This is the latest book I’m reading. 

It will be my second time through. The author is Lou Priolo who also wrote a book called “The Complete Husband“. The first time I read the book with my children in mind. This second time I will definitely have myself in view. The author actually suggests that you read it twice, but with the reverse order of the perspectives I just gave. It’s a great book that starts with the focus being on parents. What are we parents doing that might instill anger or provoke our children to anger, even accidentally? Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a worldly book that blames parents for all problems in a child (i.e. the victim mentality). He understands the biblical doctrine of sin, that children are born with it and have a propensity to stay in it. But there is much truth in the idea that many times our children are like ‘mirrors’ (mirrors of their parents). 

What is difficult to discern for me is where I may have a sinful habit pattern and it gets passed on to my children but in a different form. So now they are exhibiting the same type of sin that I have, but in a different form or outward act. So we have to look beyond the external acts or words and get to the attitude and heart of the problem.

Out of the mountains of issues that I have (let’s just call them what they are ’sins’) anger and self-control are two. I catch myself trying to teach my children to have self control (i.e. control their anger) when right in the midst of it I also am struggling. I find myself trying to teach my children how to deal biblically with anger and I am the one who needs to listen most. Please pray for me in this area. Pray that I would have self-control and patience.

Dr. Jobe Martin told me something a long time ago that has stuck in my head. He said that just about every sin can be boiled down to either pride or selfishness. That’s seems pretty true when I think of my own sins. Take my sin of anger: basically it’s pride in the sense that I think I deserve better than this situation is giving me. It’s also selfishness because I’m thinking of my own comfort and time rather than what is best for others, specifically my children. Of course I (we) don’t think about those things consciously while we are in the midst of our sin. But that’s where Scripture and our daily abiding in Christ (walking in the Spirit) comes in. The Holy Spirit will bring those truths to my mind/heart which causes me to repent in the middle of my anger and gain self-control (have patience). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not some ogre that rages out of control against my family, I’m just calling a spade a spade. Even a little bit of anger (if not ‘righteous anger’, which is few and far between) is still sin.

Prayerfully the Lord will use the biblical principles expounded in this book to bring to my remembrance His Word in the daily milieu of life. If you are interested you can click HERE to read the first 7 pages of “The Heart of Anger” on Amazon.com. I am grateful for any prayers you can offer up to our Lord on behalf of myself and my family. May the Lord bless you all as we seek to honor Him by exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit in self-control.

P.S. This is Christy speaking now.  For those of you thinking Tony is a raging angry lunatic, forget it.  He is patient, kind and tender.  Anger isn’t merely called anger when it explodes out of somebody.  What about a little bit of unrighteous anger or impatience?  I think we all need to deal with that “little” bit of anger that pops up probably daily for most of us.  What about when we’re driving and someone isn’t going quite fast enough for us?  Or what if your little one interrupts a project you’re working on and you get frustrated (angry).  Let’s not find different words to call what is really anger.  I think this book zeros in on bringing out what Scripture says about anger.  It also encourages the reader to pray and ask the Lord to help us demonstrate self-control and deny ourselves.  Don’t we all needs this throughout the day?