5 things that could keep you from getting so angry

⁷ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
⁸ Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
⁹ Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
¹⁰ But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
¹¹ Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
¹³ Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus

2Timothy 1:7-13 KJV

I have dealt with a fear of failure, success, and public opinion most of my life.  If I succeed, am I setting myself up for a bigger fall from grace?  If I fail, will I be able to recover? What will my family, friends, church, and/or community think of me?  These are the questions that made decision making into  personal crisis for me, and still does at times.  I used to think that not making decisions would free me from this, but it simply took choice out of my hands and put in the hands of others.  Finally, it came to me that 2 Timothy 1:7 was not only a statement to resist fear, but a formula to alleviate it.  God has given us the spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  Because of God's spirit living in me, I have power, I have love, and I have a sound mind.  These three things can sustain me in my best and my worst moments.  With God I can handle success and I can rebound from failure.  Yes, I should consider the consequences of my choices before making decisions, but no I should not be afraid of them. With God I can handle it.  With God all things are possible.  When God sent Joshua into his promised land he told him this:


² Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
³ Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
⁴ From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
⁵ There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
⁶ Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
⁷ Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
⁸ This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
⁹ Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1 :2-9 KJV


Let's be brave people of God.  Yes, there are "giants" in the promised land (see Numbers 13:32-33), but let us be like Joshua and Caleb (see Numbers 14:7-9) . Let us remember that God knows our situations and he has set us in place to experience miracles and wonders.  As we do our best to follow the path that God has set before us, we need to realize that our fears don't stand a chance against our identity in Christ.  Who we are, in Jesus, is overwhelmingly greater that anything that opposes us.  Stand firm in who God has called you to be, and take hold of what God has said belongs to you.