Anger Is a Choice

[Anger Is a Choice]( Current Teaching Series [40 Days of Love]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Anger Is a Choice]( By Rick Warren — 10/11/2023 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= “Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.” Proverbs 29:11 (NLT) If you want to tame your temper, you must resolve to manage it. You have to quit saying, “I can’t control it!” and realize that you can. Just like love, anger is a choice. When you get angry, you choose to get angry. Nobody is forcing you to get angry. People often say things like, “You make me so mad!” But the truth is that nobody can make you mad without your permission. Anger is a choice, and you must choose to control it if you want to be a loving person. You have far more control over your anger than you may want to admit. Let me give you an example. Let’s say you’re at home and you’re in an argument with somebody in your family. Your voices are raised, and you’re getting agitated. You’re upset. All of a sudden, the phone rings, and you answer sweetly, “Hello? Oh, yes! It’s for you, honey!” What happened? You didn’t want to be embarrassed or have to explain, so you switched your anger off real quick. Anger is highly controllable! The Bible says in Proverbs 29:11, “Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back” (NLT). Do you want to be a foolish person or a wise person? How you respond to a situation is your responsibility and yours alone. Anger is a choice. The time to decide to manage your anger is not when your blood pressure is rising, your adrenaline is shooting into your system, you can feel the flush in your face, and your muscles start to tense. At that point, you’ve already lost the battle. Instead, resolve to manage your anger before you go into that meeting or walk through that front door when you get home. Decide this: “Today, I’m just not going to get angry. I’m not going to let things get to me.” You manage your anger by first resolving—deciding in advance—that you’re going to hold it back. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - What strategies have you used in the past to keep your anger in check? - Think of a recent situation that has made you angry. What would be a better way to respond to that kind of situation? How can you get your message across without being foolish? - What is a loving way to respond to someone who will not control their anger? The post [Anger Is a Choice]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= [Get the 40 Days of Love Scripture Cards when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( Keep God’s Word close to your heart so his truth can guide you every day with your set of Pastor Rick’s 40 Days of Love Scripture cards. This set of 52 artfully designed Scripture cards from Pastor Rick’s 40 Days of Love teaching series encourages you to live every single day empowered by the love of Jesus! And it’s our thanks for your gift to help share the love of Christ with more people through Daily Hope. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 6 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series 40 Days of Love. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: It's All About Love Message 2: Love Matters Most Message 3: Loving Like Jesus Loves Me Message 4: Love Lets It Go Message 5: Love is Not Easily Angered Message 6: The Secrets of Lasting Love [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( Rick Warren is the founding pastor of [Saddleback Church]( one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller [The Purpose Driven Life](. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created [The PEACE Plan]( to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below. Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, PO Box 80448, Rancho Santa Margarita, California 92688, United States