I must stop and think before reacting.

By Pastor Joey Sauco

Pro 13:16 Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.
"Sensible people always think before they act."
When I get angry, I have noticed that my mouth usually runs faster than my mind.
When I get angry I need to put my mind in gear before I engage my mouth.
A sharp tongue is the quickest way to cut a throat. If I blow my stack I am just creating more pollution.
Many of the things I say and do I regret after because they make either some emotional or spiritual
damage I dont really intend and they hurt people the way that I dont really mean.
Sad to say that regrets always come in the end when harm has been done and cannot be undone and so
I must take heed of Gods warning: Think. Think. Think.
I need to stop and think before I speak, before I react.
2. A promise from God
Pro 16:23 The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.
"Intelligent people think before they speak."
Angry words come easily and without consideration. Whosoever hears, and whoever gets hurts.
The key word in anger management is the word "think".
First, I learn to embrace who I am to my God and whats my worth to my Savior that it may guard my
behavior. Then, I examine myself and situation to understand why I get angry but the key is that I must
start thinking before I respond.
When it comes to anger, I dont rush to engage in it. I need time to react.
When I start to get angry, more than anything else, I need to delay my response. Buy some time.
How many times have I said or done something in anger and five minutes later I think, "Why in the world
did I do that?

Many things in this life are far better to be avoided than be sorry about.

3. A Command to keep
Job 18:4 (KJV) 4 He teareth himself in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock
be removed out of his place?
Thomas Jefferson once said, "If you're angry count to ten.
If I am very angry count to one hundred. That still works today.
More than anything else I need to buy myself some time when I start to get angry, so I can stop, fix my
heart before my God, step back and say, "How do I really want to respond in this situation."
How does God want me to respond in this situation?
Theres no better way to respond to even the most provocative or offensive person or any unpleasant or
annoying situation than in the ways of the Lord.
4. A timeless principle
Pro 29:11 A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
"A wise man holds his temper in and cools it." Cool it is Biblical.
Stop and think before reacting. And during that time of cooling my anger down its wise to ask myself
these three questions:
Three questions to ask myself when angry:
a. Why am I angry?
Is it my ego, my pride?
Am I insecure about what that person just said, did it threaten me?
Did it frighten me? Am I hurt? Am I frustrated?
What's the real issue here?
I have to be honest before my God and myself and say, I am angry because
b. What do I want to achieve?
What do I want out of this encounter?

What I really want is not revenge because revenge rarely gets I what I really want. In fact, it usually takes
me further away from what I really want.
Do I want to destroy this person, this relationship, this chance to do something right?
Do I want to lose this person or this blessing?
Revenge is the automatic response when I'm uptight and revenge is not mine to do, its Gods.
What God wants is that I think right, I do right and come out a better person every time I feel people
getting to my nerves, every time I get provoked to anger.
C. How can I best get it?
Seldom that I get something good from a bad attitude.
If not never it's rarely that I make things right by getting angry and by being sarcastic, by cutting people
down, by fighting back in irritation, yelling back, pouting, by being a mute, a martyr, or a manipulator.
It's rarely one of those ways that I get a good result. I need to stop and think before I react.
Sometimes I think that when I get angry I have lost control and I can't help exploding.
Yes, I can!
I Have been in a fight at home with my wife and I am yelling and I am mad and the phone rings?
My voice changes and my tone changes too.
God gives people ability to make a choice and a response in any ways is a choice.
And I dont only get a choice to respond right, I even have the Spirit of God to help and strengthen me so I
could respond better if only I submit to His control.
5. My application
Pro 29:11 A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
Anger is a choice. When I get angry I am choosing to get angry.
I am angry because I want to get angry to vent out whatever it is Im struggling with on the inside.
It feels good to get angry! It feels good to punch someone in the mouth, to verbally let it all out.
I think I feel superior over another when I can throw my fits. But in actuality, I am inferior.

I am letting my anger control me. Anger becomes my master instead of me mastering it. I need to stop
and say, "Do I really want to get angry?"
A lot of times if I will be honest Id say, "Yes, I do. I do want to get angry."
However, do I really want the end result of blowing my top?
I am the one choosing my response. I can choose to either stop and think or I can choose to not care
what happens next.
It is controllable. I can control what I want to control, areas that God gave me the trust and the strength to
control like my own anger.
The point is: There is really nothing in the world that makes anyone mad. I make myself mad.
Beginning today, I make that decision instead to get mad Ill choose to be wise in the eyes of my God.
Whenever I am angry or about to get angry I will stop and think WWJD.
What Would my Jesus Do if He were in my shoes?
I'm going to change today because I want to change, because God wants me to change. I quit blaming
other people or other situations for being angry.
And from now on I should stop reacting when angry. Instead, I should start asking myself these questions:
Why am I angry? Whats the real issue that I am angry? What does God want me to achieve out of it?
How can I best get it?