This quote from an anonymous author cleverly points to the likely result of anger.  All of us have experienced the detrimental effects of unrestrained anger and have felt the need for better Self-Control. So, how do we bring this about?

 The Book of James provides us with some wonderful advice on Self-Control of our anger. James1:19-20, reads:

 ‘My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because our anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.’

 So if being ‘quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry’ is the ‘WHAT’ of this self-control – HOW do we ensure that we bring this into our everyday behaviour? In his book ‘The Life You’ve Always Wanted – spiritual disciplines for ordinary people’, John Ortberg provides us with some help here. He quotes William Paulsell as follows:

 ‘It’s unlikely that we will deepen our relationship with God in a casual or haphazard manner. There will be a need for some intentional commitment and some reorganisation in our own lives.’

 Ortberg sums this up by saying we need ‘a plan of action; otherwise it will never happen’.

 In our Bible class last week, we talked about such a plan – a plan for better self-control:

•  PRAYER – an acknowledgement that we can’t make the change ourselves. We need and will call on God for strength.
•  PRACTICE – like all new behaviours, we need to practise being quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. We also need to practice positive uses of the tongue (e.g. praying for others, encouraging others, saying ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you’).
•  PERSEVERANCE – this isn’t easy and requires us to persist.

 Our goal in implementing this plan is to move us to ‘Unconscious Competence’. That is, to naturally exhibit the behaviours which James has outlined and in so doing ‘produce the righteousness that God desires’.