Untriggered: Resting in God When You’re Triggered by Anxiety, Anger, or TemptationSample

Short Fuse

Think About It

How was anger expressed when you were a child? Did pressure build up until there was an emotional explosion, leaving a blast radius of tears and fears when it was over?

Has your childhood experience with anger continued to shape how you approach and respond to anger now? For each person, anger shows up in different ways, but mounting pressure and uncertainty can trigger even the most patient person. 

Thankfully, God has answers and transforming power for our short-fused humanity. God wrote some of those answers through the book of James, who was the half brother of Jesus.

James not only gives a blueprint for dealing with a short fuse by being slow to speak and slow to become angry, but he also gives a deeper understanding of the issue. Human anger without God produces nothing good. Anger is a powerful God-given emotion that must be kept in check.  

So how do you deal with the daily pressures that add up to angry outbursts? James challenges you to the daily discipline of removing anything that isn't of God and accepting the words God wants to plant in you.

It’s a  worthy challenge to de-pressure your life by saying no to sin and yes to His truth for you. When you walk that out daily, the fuse starts to change and the pressure doesn't just fill up inside until there’s an unavoidable explosion.

When pressure triggers our anger, God invites us into the righteous life He truly desires.

Pray About It

God, You know I have plenty of short-fuse moments. You see the build-up of pressure and the explosion that follows. I need Your help to break the cycle. I want to become quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Transform my heart to look more and more like Yours. Amen.