THURSDAY July 2, 2026
Swift to Hear, Slow to Anger
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
James 1:19-20
Christians are to reflect Christ in everything they say and do. Why? As the firstfruits of His creation, we are to be Christ-like (James 1:18). James addressed a problematic area, anger and the lack of self–control; which is a fruit of the Spirit: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Wrath is an action, not of the Spirit, but of the flesh, that does not produce the righteousness of God:
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath... (Galatians 5:19-20).
Anger in itself is not wrong. We all feel anger at times, but it is what we do with that emotion. James’ advice is to be slow to anger and quick to listen. Why? When a person is filled with anger and they react; they can cause a lot of destruction. Another Bible verse tells us: “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Deal with your anger. Go take a walk and talk to the Lord. If you do not let go of your anger, the reality is you are giving Satan a foothold in your life.
In curtailing the reaction of anger, James taught that listening is far more important. Yet most people will speak more than listen. It is much better to be swift to hear than to quickly respond to someone in anger. Christians, why not pray and ask the Spirit of God to help you to be self-controlled?
Why is it important not to speak hastily? You do not want to open your mouth and say something that you will later regret. Take time to think before you speak. Digest your thoughts. Think of the consequences of speaking to someone in anger. When you slow down to hear the other person, you are allowing God to speak to your heart before you say a word. Then when you do speak, you will say things that are edifying; using words that build up and that do not tear down. Again, be Christ-like!
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
~Psalm 103:8~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
