- Have you ever blown your stack
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and then almost
immediately regret it?
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Maybe you hate the way
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that some things make you angry
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even when you
don't really want to be.
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Today we're gonna
take a look at that.
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[gentle music]
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[gentle music continues]
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We're gonna revisit a subject
we've already touched on,
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and that's anger and
how you should deal with it.
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And I guess the reason
I'm coming back to this
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is because I've
noticed a distinct trend.
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The collective
temperature here in the west
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appears to be rising.
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People are more
frustrated than I've ever seen,
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and I don't think I'm
alone in noticing this.
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And I suspect it
has the potential
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to become a big
problem very quickly.
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Collective anger has
a way of boiling over
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into serious
problems for everybody.
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Not that it's the same
thing, but some years ago,
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I was visiting
a prison in Rwanda
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where they were
holding a lot of the people
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who participated in the
genocide against the Tutsis.
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It was about 10 years after
the atrocity, but of course,
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the whole nation
was still reeling
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from those unspeakable events.
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In fact, I
encountered a number of places
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around that country where the
bodies of unidentified victims
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were still piled up
in makeshift crypts,
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because when you slaughter
almost a million people,
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it's hard to deal
with the aftermath,
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especially if
you're in a country
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that just doesn't have a
lot in the way of resources.
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And again, that's
not really comparable
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to the rage I see sprouting
up here in North America,
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at least not yet.
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But I also know
that basic human nature
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is about the same
all over the planet,
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and it really should
bother us that more and more
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of these so-called
protests in the streets,
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seem to be erupting
into physical violence.
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Historically
speaking, we've discovered
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that it's a big mistake to
say that it can't happen here
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because it can.
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Witness the two different
riots in LA, for example,
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and you might remember
how quickly those got out of
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control. And then of course,
we've got the American Civil War
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and the French Revolution,
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both of which
became literal bloodbaths.
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You and I are
fooling ourselves if we think
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that our generation
is immune to this stuff.
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We are, after all,
still human beings,
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and we've got thousands
of years of written history
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to remind us that no generation
so far has been immune.
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Of course, I'm not
suggesting that we're sitting
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on the verge of an actual
genocide here in North America,
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but when our collective
rage appears to keep growing,
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it probably
warrants our attention.
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And so I've decided to come back
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to the subject of
anger one more time.
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The last time we
talked about this,
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we discovered that anger
itself is not actually wrong.
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It's a perfectly
valid human emotion.
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The problem we face, however,
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is that our human
moral compass is broken
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and our personal
anger tends to emerge
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from a place of selfishness
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to the point where righteous
indignation is incredibly rare.
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We also saw that God
himself is capable of anger.
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The Bible talks
about it clearly,
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and we studied
what kinds of things
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might actually cause that.
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We looked at
Mark, chapter three,
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where Jesus became
quite angry about the way
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that religious authorities
were standing in the way
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of a man who needed God's help.
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And knowing what I
know about human nature
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and what the Bible teaches
about the character of God,
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I would have to say that
Jesus would be the only person,
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the only human being,
who ever experienced anger
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that wasn't tainted
by selfishness or sin.
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It was the kind of anger
you find in the fourth Psalm
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where it says, "Be
angry and do not sin."
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Now I don't know about
you, but when I get angry,
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I fall dramatically
short of that standard
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because even though it
might've been justified
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at the very
beginning when I first got mad,
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when I first
felt the indignation,
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it always ends up being
about me, my wounded pride,
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my inconvenience, my whatever.
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And I'm pretty sure
the same is true for you.
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In fact, I know it is
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because you are also
a fallen human being.
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The only example we
have of holy, blameless anger
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would be Jesus.
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But that also
means that you and I
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have an
important reference point
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for gauging our own emotions
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and we find a way
that we can improve.
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God's anger, if you
look at it carefully,
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is never about self.
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Typically, he's angry
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because somebody stood
between the people he loves
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and the mercy he wishes
to put on display for them.
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In the case of Pharaoh,
which we looked at last time,
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God becomes angry about
the way his people are treated
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and he's angry about the
fact that Pharaoh won't stop.
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And it's not just the Egyptians.
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If you read your way through
the entire Old Testament,
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you'll also find God getting
angry with his own people.
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Why?
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Well, they were supposed
to be a light to the Gentiles,
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but instead of
accomplishing that mission,
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they became focused on
self and ended up emulating
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their pagan neighbors instead
of actually helping them.
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They had actually become a
barrier to God's intended work.
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And you'll notice, the same
was true when Jesus got mad.
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The religious know-it-alls
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didn't care about a
man who needed his help.
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So it seems that that's
what it takes to make God angry.
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In fact, listen to
this amazing passage
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from Exodus, chapter
22, where it says this,
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"You shall not wrong a
sojourner or oppress him,
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for you were
sojourners in the land of Egypt.
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You shall not mistreat
any widow or fatherless child.
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If you do mistreat
them and they cry out to me,
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I will surely hear their
cry and my wrath will burn."
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One of the key
differences between your anger
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and God's anger is
that God actually gets angry
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on behalf of the people we
hurt, and it's not about self.
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And as a father,
I kind of get this.
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If somebody hurts my kids,
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I get pretty hot
under the collar.
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But at the same
time, can I honestly say
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that my anger is
completely untainted by sin?
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No, and you
can't say that either,
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because at the end of the day,
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your fallen heart is
always gonna make it about you,
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at least a little bit.
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Now again, that doesn't
mean you should never feel angry
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because of course you should,
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but it's how you
do it that matters.
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The wrong kind of anger
not only hurts other people,
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it also takes a
pretty big toll on you.
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In fact, Harvard
researchers concluded
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that people who get angry a lot
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are about five times as
likely to have a heart attack
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and three times as
likely to suffer from a stroke.
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Why?
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Well explosive anger often
puts us in fight or flight mode,
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the same kind of high
intensity experience you get
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when you run into a
hungry mountain lion.
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Your body goes on high
alert, which is a good thing,
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because you've been designed
with an instinct to survive.
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The surge of adrenaline
is what gives you the energy
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to either fight the animal
or move yourself away from it.
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But what's
happening here in the West
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is that we've abused
that natural mechanism.
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Our stress levels keep rising
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because we're
living artificially.
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We have high paced lives
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that generate the
fight or flight mechanism
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far more often than
it's supposed to go off.
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It happens more often
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and it lasts a lot
longer than it was supposed to.
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And when anger becomes
one of your go-to outlets
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for dealing with that stress,
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it taxes your system
in really brutal ways.
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Plus, if you're
getting angry the wrong way,
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it keeps the focus on self,
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your needs, your
wishes, your desires,
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and it does that in a way
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that amplifies your
ego in all the wrong ways.
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Remember, in the Bible,
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righteous wrath
appears to be about others,
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but our anger
tends to be about self.
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Of course, another key problem
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is the seemingly
involuntary nature of anger.
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I don't know about you,
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but I'm not always in
control of when I get mad.
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Sometimes the pot
just starts boiling
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before I've even had
time to think about it.
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The adrenaline starts pumping
and I start to get irrational.
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I mean, there's a reason
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we sometimes refer to
anger as losing your cool.
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And I don't know about you,
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but one of the things I
hate most about getting mad
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is that when it's
over, I know I lost control
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and I don't like losing control
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because it can lead to regret.
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Just think about how
often you have replayed
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what happened in
your brain the next day,
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wondering what you might've
done to get a different outcome.
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It's not unlike seeing a video
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that someone took
when you're drunk.
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You can't believe
that's really you,
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doing and saying all
those idiotic things,
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but there's the
proof, large as life,
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and it happened because you
chose to abandon self-control.
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Something similar
happens when you get angry.
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The adrenaline
pumps, your heart races,
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your peripheral vision narrows,
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and you begin to
react to the situation
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as if your life depended on it.
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But of course,
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it wasn't actually the emergency
that your anger suggested.
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I'll be right back
after this. [gentle music]
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00:09:53.66\00:09:55.06
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- For most of us, angry feelings
are kind of involuntary.
00:10:22.35\00:10:25.59
You didn't really want to
get mad, it just happened.
00:10:25.59\00:10:28.66
You don't enjoy
the way that anger
00:10:28.66\00:10:30.36
compromises your
capacity for rational thought,
00:10:30.36\00:10:33.53
but it's not like you
wanted this to go down.
00:10:33.53\00:10:36.83
Something interesting
happened after the Roman Empire
00:10:36.83\00:10:39.23
officially
legalized Christianity,
00:10:39.23\00:10:41.87
cities where the
faith had been prohibited,
00:10:41.87\00:10:44.01
were suddenly
alive with preachers,
00:10:44.01\00:10:45.94
and so there were
some Christians who figured
00:10:45.94\00:10:48.54
that the cities had already
been conquered for Christ.
00:10:48.54\00:10:52.31
The Devil obviously
had been run out of town.
00:10:52.31\00:10:55.78
So what did these people do?
00:10:55.78\00:10:57.52
Well, some of them chased
the Devil into the wilderness
00:10:57.52\00:11:00.12
to keep fighting against him,
00:11:00.12\00:11:02.36
but when they got into the
desert and moved into their
00:11:02.36\00:11:05.23
caves or climbed up on top of
their poles like Simeon Stylite,
00:11:05.23\00:11:09.36
they found a much
more difficult enemy,
00:11:09.36\00:11:12.20
because there's
something about quiet solitude
00:11:12.20\00:11:15.14
that strips
away the distractions
00:11:15.14\00:11:17.01
that keep you from struggling
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with the truth about
your own fallen nature.
00:11:18.31\00:11:21.24
It's just you and
your thoughts out there,
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and the flaws in your character
suddenly present themselves
00:11:23.55\00:11:26.92
like a fire breathing
dragon at the back of the cave.
00:11:26.92\00:11:30.85
One history I read
talks about a poor Abbott
00:11:30.85\00:11:33.82
who ended up wrestling
with his own anger problem
00:11:33.82\00:11:36.12
for 14 years.
00:11:36.12\00:11:38.69
It just doesn't take
long for most of us to realize
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that we have
religious alternatives,
00:11:42.40\00:11:44.73
these ways we try
to quiet our conscience
00:11:44.73\00:11:47.37
when it reminds us that
we have a fundamental flaw.
00:11:47.37\00:11:50.51
Some people will
choose to believe
00:11:50.51\00:11:52.37
that sin really
isn't all that bad.
00:11:52.37\00:11:54.04
I mean, surely
God is just too nice
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to be upset by the way I behave.
00:11:56.54\00:11:59.11
Other people turn to
the prosperity gospel,
00:11:59.11\00:12:01.68
assuring themselves that what
God really wants in this world
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is to make you
rich and successful.
00:12:04.62\00:12:06.72
And then some
people convince themselves
00:12:06.72\00:12:08.89
that what God wants most
00:12:08.89\00:12:10.79
is for you to support a
particular political candidate,
00:12:10.79\00:12:13.80
or he wants you to latch onto
00:12:13.80\00:12:15.56
the most recent
conspiracy theory.
00:12:15.56\00:12:18.03
There's no shortage of
religious distractions,
00:12:18.03\00:12:20.84
and in the short run, all
of these things are an easy way
00:12:20.84\00:12:23.74
to avoid
confronting the shame you feel
00:12:23.74\00:12:26.61
when you suddenly
begin to see yourself
00:12:26.61\00:12:28.54
the way you really are.
00:12:28.54\00:12:30.05
There are people who
try to avoid that moment
00:12:31.18\00:12:33.25
by picking up a
religious checklist,
00:12:33.25\00:12:35.42
trying to prove
themselves to God,
00:12:35.42\00:12:36.99
making check marks every
time they believe their behavior
00:12:36.99\00:12:40.12
vindicates an
imaginary goodness.
00:12:40.12\00:12:42.62
They remind themselves,
00:12:42.62\00:12:44.13
I really took a moral
stand in that business meeting.
00:12:44.13\00:12:46.80
I gave all my neighbors a
gift basket for the holidays.
00:12:46.80\00:12:49.96
I donated money to this or that.
00:12:49.96\00:12:53.10
It's a list of worthy causes.
00:12:53.10\00:12:54.87
I mean, those are all
things we should all be doing,
00:12:54.87\00:12:57.47
but if that's your focus,
00:12:57.47\00:12:59.11
you never get to
the root of the problem.
00:12:59.11\00:13:00.98
You're still
avoiding the truth about you.
00:13:00.98\00:13:04.01
So maybe let's ask a
really important question.
00:13:04.01\00:13:06.82
Where does anger come from?
00:13:06.82\00:13:08.65
Why do you find
yourself frustrated
00:13:08.65\00:13:10.29
when the words and
deeds of other people
00:13:10.29\00:13:11.95
cut across the
plans you've been making?
00:13:11.95\00:13:14.32
Most of us are able
to convince ourselves
00:13:14.32\00:13:16.73
that if the people who
made us mad would go away,
00:13:16.73\00:13:19.43
our problem would be solved.
00:13:19.43\00:13:21.40
But I can promise
you that doesn't work.
00:13:21.40\00:13:23.53
I mean, sure, getting
away from problem people
00:13:23.53\00:13:26.10
really can make life easier,
00:13:26.10\00:13:27.77
and there are times you need
to do that for your own good.
00:13:27.77\00:13:30.54
There are.
00:13:30.54\00:13:32.24
Sometimes there are people
00:13:32.24\00:13:34.78
you have to
remove from your life.
00:13:34.78\00:13:36.51
That's just true.
00:13:36.51\00:13:38.38
But the core of the problem
00:13:38.38\00:13:39.81
can follow you if
you don't understand it.
00:13:39.81\00:13:42.18
The wrong kind of anger
00:13:42.18\00:13:43.52
is simply one of
those horrible side effects
00:13:43.52\00:13:45.25
that come from being fallen.
00:13:45.25\00:13:47.32
It turns out that sin
00:13:47.32\00:13:48.62
is more than just a
list of naughty deeds,
00:13:48.62\00:13:50.63
it's more like a devastating
rip in the fabric of your soul.
00:13:50.63\00:13:55.20
You and I don't just
commit sin. We are sinful.
00:13:55.20\00:13:59.10
It's a fatal and tragic
flaw, and it makes a mockery
00:13:59.10\00:14:02.20
of what human
beings were supposed to be
00:14:02.20\00:14:04.17
when God first dreamed us up.
00:14:04.17\00:14:06.11
In order to
conquer the dragon of rage,
00:14:07.24\00:14:09.14
you're gonna have to identify it
00:14:09.14\00:14:10.71
and call it out for what it is.
00:14:10.71\00:14:12.91
Of course, that's an
idea that most of us hate,
00:14:12.91\00:14:15.05
the thought that we
have personal problems.
00:14:15.05\00:14:16.95
It's easier to lay the
blame on somebody else.
00:14:16.95\00:14:20.62
But you're just stalling.
00:14:20.62\00:14:22.22
You're avoiding the
confrontation you really need,
00:14:22.22\00:14:24.43
and that's an
honest look at yourself.
00:14:24.43\00:14:27.20
Let's take a look
at the story of Cain
00:14:27.20\00:14:29.23
because at the very moment,
00:14:29.23\00:14:31.23
when that story begins to reveal
00:14:31.23\00:14:32.73
Cain's deep-seated
pride and jealousy,
00:14:32.73\00:14:35.30
God suddenly confronts him
and gives him an opportunity
00:14:35.30\00:14:38.21
to look in the mirror
to see the real problem.
00:14:38.21\00:14:41.24
Here it is now from
Genesis, chapter four,
00:14:41.24\00:14:44.15
"The Lord said to
Cain, 'Why are you angry,
00:14:45.48\00:14:47.32
and why has your face fallen?
00:14:47.32\00:14:49.02
If you do well,
will you not be accepted?
00:14:49.02\00:14:51.82
And if you do not do well,
sin is crouching at the door.
00:14:51.82\00:14:55.09
Its desire is contrary to you,
but you must rule over it.'"
00:14:55.09\00:14:59.49
Now, that's a really good
question, don't you think?
00:14:59.49\00:15:02.13
Why are you angry?
00:15:02.13\00:15:03.90
Try asking yourself
that question the next time
00:15:03.90\00:15:06.20
you feel your
temperature rising.
00:15:06.20\00:15:08.37
Step out of the
fray for a moment.
00:15:08.37\00:15:10.41
Shut off all the
external noise, get by yourself,
00:15:10.41\00:15:13.04
and then study the
nature of your frustration.
00:15:13.04\00:15:16.04
Why does it make you so mad?
00:15:16.04\00:15:18.51
Has somebody really
violated your dignity,
00:15:18.51\00:15:21.35
or is some of
what you're feeling
00:15:21.35\00:15:22.72
based on your imagination
and amplified by pride?
00:15:22.72\00:15:26.79
"If we say we have no
sin," the Bible reminds us,
00:15:26.79\00:15:29.29
"we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us."
00:15:29.29\00:15:33.03
Until you make things
right, until you face the fact
00:15:33.03\00:15:35.46
that you also fall
short of the glory of God,
00:15:35.46\00:15:37.73
until you own what you are,
00:15:37.73\00:15:40.67
life is always gonna
feel like you're living a lie.
00:15:40.67\00:15:44.14
But if you name your anger,
00:15:44.14\00:15:45.64
if you're honest
and specific about it,
00:15:45.64\00:15:47.71
that means you've finally
begun to own the problem,
00:15:47.71\00:15:50.95
and at that point,
when the diagnosis is clear,
00:15:50.95\00:15:54.22
you can give informed
consent to the great physician
00:15:54.22\00:15:57.69
so he can tackle the problem.
00:15:57.69\00:15:59.92
"If we confess our
sins," the Bible continues,
00:15:59.92\00:16:02.16
"he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins
00:16:02.16\00:16:05.23
and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness."
00:16:05.23\00:16:08.86
Confession means that
you can finally step away
00:16:08.86\00:16:11.17
from the situation and look
at it from God's perspective.
00:16:11.17\00:16:15.07
Owning your brokenness,
recognizing it for what it is,
00:16:16.37\00:16:18.61
is going to set you free
00:16:18.61\00:16:20.01
in ways you
couldn't possibly imagine.
00:16:20.01\00:16:22.71
When you finally
admit how helpless you are,
00:16:22.71\00:16:24.88
that you have a
problem you can't repair,
00:16:24.88\00:16:27.65
you're gonna find it liberating.
00:16:27.65\00:16:29.45
You can't fix what's
fundamentally wrong with you,
00:16:29.45\00:16:32.59
but the creator can and he will.
00:16:32.59\00:16:36.36
You know,
sometimes I encourage people
00:16:36.36\00:16:38.03
to try a bit of the fourth
century hermit experience,
00:16:38.03\00:16:40.90
not that I
believe in asceticism,
00:16:40.90\00:16:42.73
but it does kind of make sense
00:16:42.73\00:16:44.80
to remove
yourself from the problems
00:16:44.80\00:16:46.37
that come from living with
others for just a little while.
00:16:46.37\00:16:49.70
Now, pulling away from
civilization completely and for
00:16:49.70\00:16:53.58
good, that would be
contrary to the marching orders
00:16:53.58\00:16:55.78
Jesus gave his church.
00:16:55.78\00:16:57.18
He didn't say,
"Disappear into the wilderness,"
00:16:57.18\00:16:59.45
he said, "Go
into all the world."
00:16:59.45\00:17:01.98
But still, at least for me,
00:17:01.98\00:17:03.75
there's
something really compelling
00:17:03.75\00:17:05.29
about those
ancient desert monks.
00:17:05.29\00:17:07.82
They were able to
visit desolate places
00:17:07.82\00:17:09.82
where they had to confront the
darkness in their own hearts,
00:17:09.82\00:17:12.69
and a lot of them were
surprised by what they found
00:17:12.69\00:17:15.26
when it was just them
and the voice of the spirit.
00:17:15.26\00:17:18.27
So maybe we'd all do well
00:17:18.27\00:17:19.83
to find a little bit
of solitude now and then.
00:17:19.83\00:17:22.44
Go silent, no
phone, no social media,
00:17:22.44\00:17:25.21
no TV, no radio, no internet,
00:17:25.21\00:17:27.71
just a copy of
the Bible and you.
00:17:27.71\00:17:30.98
And if that
thought makes you panic,
00:17:30.98\00:17:32.31
that might just say something
00:17:32.31\00:17:33.48
about your
addiction to distractions.
00:17:33.48\00:17:36.75
Get by yourself.
Start to take inventory.
00:17:36.75\00:17:39.59
And when it comes to the
anger that most people carry,
00:17:39.59\00:17:42.36
examine it carefully,
00:17:42.36\00:17:43.89
because in quiet
prayer, it's going to show up.
00:17:43.89\00:17:47.50
And then start taking notes.
00:17:47.50\00:17:49.40
Who are you angry with?
What exactly did they do?
00:17:49.40\00:17:52.37
And why did that make you angry?
00:17:52.37\00:17:54.87
Be really blunt and ruthless.
This needs to be the truth.
00:17:54.87\00:17:58.01
And once you're done, go
back and read those notes.
00:17:58.01\00:18:01.41
Is all of it
really righteous anger?
00:18:01.41\00:18:03.51
Is your anger the kind
that God could agree with?
00:18:03.51\00:18:06.51
Or does it seem like a lot
of it actually starts with you,
00:18:06.51\00:18:09.32
your frustrations, the hurts
you've suffered, the betrayals?
00:18:09.32\00:18:13.19
Is it possible that
some of those things
00:18:13.19\00:18:15.12
have understandably made
you more angry about life
00:18:15.12\00:18:18.83
and things that
really shouldn't matter?
00:18:18.83\00:18:21.70
Is it possible that
you're projecting your pain
00:18:21.70\00:18:23.80
onto other people who
had nothing to do with
00:18:23.80\00:18:26.50
what originally happened to you?
00:18:26.50\00:18:28.87
Are you reacting to triggers?
00:18:28.87\00:18:31.07
Be honest with yourself, and
I'll be right back after this.
00:18:31.07\00:18:34.78
[gentle music]
00:18:35.81\00:18:38.61
- [Announcer] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:18:38.61\00:18:41.02
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers.
00:18:41.02\00:18:44.39
But that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:18:44.39\00:18:46.79
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:18:46.79\00:18:49.89
Here at "The Voice of Prophecy,"
00:18:49.89\00:18:51.46
we've created the
"Discover Bible" guides
00:18:51.46\00:18:53.63
to be your guide to the Bible.
00:18:53.63\00:18:55.16
They're designed to
be simple, easy to use,
00:18:55.16\00:18:57.67
and provide answers to many
of life's toughest questions,
00:18:57.67\00:19:00.70
and they're absolutely free.
00:19:00.70\00:19:02.70
So jump online
now or give us a call
00:19:02.70\00:19:05.04
and start your
journey of discovery.
00:19:05.04\00:19:07.81
- You know,
sometimes you've got to wonder
00:19:07.81\00:19:09.61
how much of the frustration
and anger we experience
00:19:09.61\00:19:12.98
is actually a product of worry,
00:19:12.98\00:19:15.32
the practice of borrowing
trouble from the future,
00:19:15.32\00:19:18.75
The fact that life is difficult
00:19:19.55\00:19:21.62
can generate a lot of anxiety,
00:19:21.62\00:19:23.56
especially when you
consider the big mess
00:19:23.56\00:19:25.53
we're all living in right now.
00:19:25.53\00:19:27.96
Maybe you're starting to realize
00:19:27.96\00:19:29.53
that old age is coming
faster than you thought,
00:19:29.53\00:19:31.77
and you're worried about how
you're gonna support yourself
00:19:31.77\00:19:34.60
when you can no longer work.
00:19:34.60\00:19:36.50
So what do you do?
00:19:36.50\00:19:38.07
You make better plans,
you save a little more money,
00:19:38.07\00:19:40.71
and of course,
that's a good thing,
00:19:40.71\00:19:42.04
but then somebody
comes along with a new tax
00:19:42.04\00:19:44.75
or with policies
that cause inflation,
00:19:44.75\00:19:46.78
and that stirs
up a lot of anger.
00:19:46.78\00:19:50.02
Or maybe you're at
the young end of your life
00:19:50.02\00:19:52.35
and you're planning a
wedding two years out.
00:19:52.35\00:19:55.09
Anybody who's ever
[chuckles] planned a wedding
00:19:55.09\00:19:56.89
knows there's lots to worry
about, finances, the weather,
00:19:56.89\00:20:00.66
the way some people
respond when they find out
00:20:00.66\00:20:02.63
they're not in the
wedding party, and so on.
00:20:02.63\00:20:05.73
Then on the week
of the big event,
00:20:05.73\00:20:07.54
the forecast suddenly
predicts thunderstorms.
00:20:07.54\00:20:09.60
"I knew it," you say, because
this is one of those things
00:20:09.60\00:20:12.91
you really worried about.
00:20:12.91\00:20:14.81
Anxiety blossoms
into frustration,
00:20:14.81\00:20:17.48
and when easy answers
refuse to manifest themselves,
00:20:17.48\00:20:20.92
frustration can
suddenly explode into anger.
00:20:20.92\00:20:24.59
Now again,
planning for the future
00:20:24.59\00:20:27.29
is something
you should be doing.
00:20:27.29\00:20:28.89
The Bible's
pretty clear about that.
00:20:28.89\00:20:31.13
But to repeatedly borrow
trouble from an imaginary future
00:20:31.13\00:20:34.83
is to kill your heart
with anxiety, and it's living
00:20:34.83\00:20:39.17
contrary to the advice
that Jesus actually gave us.
00:20:39.17\00:20:42.27
Listen to what he said.
00:20:42.27\00:20:44.17
"Therefore I tell you, do
not be anxious about your life,
00:20:44.17\00:20:47.84
what you will eat
or what you will drink,
00:20:47.84\00:20:50.18
nor about your body,
what you will put on.
00:20:50.18\00:20:52.81
Is not life more than food
00:20:52.81\00:20:54.42
and the body
more than clothing?"
00:20:54.42\00:20:56.89
Now, I want you to notice,
that is not a suggestion.
00:20:56.89\00:20:59.82
That's God telling
you to stop being anxious.
00:20:59.82\00:21:02.79
He's saying you've got a choice.
00:21:02.79\00:21:05.79
You can choose to stop,
00:21:05.79\00:21:07.66
and there's a way to
start reprogramming your mind
00:21:07.66\00:21:10.43
so that it doesn't
happen nearly as often.
00:21:10.43\00:21:13.17
Jesus goes on to
say this in verse 26,
00:21:13.17\00:21:16.34
"Look at the birds of the air.
00:21:16.34\00:21:18.34
They neither sow nor
reap nor gather into barns,
00:21:18.34\00:21:20.91
and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them.
00:21:20.91\00:21:23.24
Are you not of
more value than they?
00:21:23.24\00:21:25.41
And which of
you by being anxious
00:21:25.41\00:21:27.18
can add a single
hour to his span of life?
00:21:27.18\00:21:30.35
And why are you
anxious about clothing?
00:21:30.35\00:21:32.65
Consider the lilies of
the field, how they grow.
00:21:32.65\00:21:35.56
They neither toil
nor spin, yet I tell you,
00:21:35.56\00:21:38.16
even Solomon in all his glory
00:21:38.16\00:21:40.13
was not arrayed
like one of these.
00:21:40.13\00:21:42.36
But if God so clothed
the grass of the field,
00:21:42.36\00:21:44.67
which today is alive and
tomorrow is thrown into the
00:21:44.67\00:21:47.97
oven, will he not much more
clothe you, oh, you of little
00:21:47.97\00:21:51.64
faith?" Now take
a look around you.
00:21:52.81\00:21:55.01
I know the birds behind your
house don't have bills to pay,
00:21:55.01\00:21:57.98
and they don't have to
worry about job security
00:21:57.98\00:22:00.52
or medical insurance, but still,
00:22:00.52\00:22:03.59
God tells us to look at them
00:22:03.59\00:22:05.32
and contemplate their existence.
00:22:05.32\00:22:07.76
They spend their entire lives
just being what God intended.
00:22:07.76\00:22:11.99
They're not trying
to become something.
00:22:11.99\00:22:13.86
They're not trying to
justify their existence.
00:22:13.86\00:22:15.86
They're just playing out
the role assigned by God.
00:22:15.86\00:22:18.63
And of course, we
find these creatures
00:22:18.63\00:22:20.20
irresistibly
beautiful to the point
00:22:20.20\00:22:21.94
where we can't
resist looking at 'em.
00:22:21.94\00:22:24.04
"All of that magnificent
natural beauty," Jesus said,
00:22:25.31\00:22:27.64
"is less important than you."
00:22:27.64\00:22:29.74
Those things are dispensable,
but God doesn't think you are.
00:22:29.74\00:22:33.85
And if only we would
choose to believe that,
00:22:33.85\00:22:35.98
if only we understood
that he really does plan
00:22:35.98\00:22:38.32
to wipe away our tears,
like it says in Revelation 21,
00:22:38.32\00:22:42.79
well, whatever happens
to us between now and then
00:22:42.79\00:22:45.93
really isn't gonna
seem all that overwhelming.
00:22:45.93\00:22:48.60
Just listen to how
Jesus wraps this up.
00:22:48.60\00:22:50.40
He says, "But seek
first the kingdom of God
00:22:50.40\00:22:52.83
and his righteousness,
00:22:52.83\00:22:54.17
and all these things
will be added to you.
00:22:54.17\00:22:56.71
Therefore, do not be
anxious about tomorrow
00:22:56.71\00:22:59.47
for tomorrow will
be anxious for itself.
00:22:59.47\00:23:01.94
Sufficient for the
day is its own trouble."
00:23:01.94\00:23:05.55
Now, that was a
really big concept.
00:23:05.55\00:23:08.85
It's God's solution for anxiety,
00:23:08.85\00:23:10.79
which often lies
at the root of anger.
00:23:10.79\00:23:13.66
God says, "Live in the present
00:23:13.66\00:23:15.96
as if today is enough for now."
00:23:15.96\00:23:18.19
Stop living in the future.
00:23:18.19\00:23:19.73
Stop borrowing trouble
that doesn't even exist yet.
00:23:19.73\00:23:23.26
Mark Twain said,
00:23:23.26\00:23:24.57
"Worrying is like
paying a debt you don't owe."
00:23:24.57\00:23:28.74
And now I'm gonna
suggest something else
00:23:28.74\00:23:30.54
that ties into this,
00:23:30.54\00:23:31.97
and that's to stop
living in the past as well.
00:23:31.97\00:23:35.01
I mean, yeah, the past is
important because it shaped you.
00:23:35.01\00:23:38.78
You wanna remember it.
00:23:38.78\00:23:40.08
You wanna remember
the lessons you learned
00:23:40.08\00:23:41.85
and how it made you the
person that you are today.
00:23:41.85\00:23:45.72
But at the same
time, it can be tempting
00:23:45.72\00:23:47.66
to live back
there almost full time,
00:23:47.66\00:23:50.03
bathing in the
pain you experienced.
00:23:50.03\00:23:53.09
It might be
helpful to remind yourself
00:23:53.09\00:23:54.96
that apart from the books of
Heaven and the memory of God,
00:23:54.96\00:23:58.57
your past
doesn't actually exist.
00:23:58.57\00:24:01.07
I know, science
fiction says your past
00:24:01.07\00:24:03.27
is still being played out,
00:24:03.27\00:24:04.41
out there in the
universe somewhere.
00:24:04.41\00:24:06.21
It's a
destination you could visit
00:24:06.21\00:24:07.71
if you had a time machine,
but that's science fiction.
00:24:07.71\00:24:11.15
In reality,
it's over, it's gone,
00:24:11.15\00:24:13.38
and it doesn't have to determine
how you live right now.
00:24:13.38\00:24:16.65
I'll be right back
after this. [gentle music]
00:24:16.65\00:24:20.96
- [Announcer] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues,
00:24:22.36\00:24:26.63
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:24:26.63\00:24:31.17
If you've ever read,
"Daniel a Revelation,"
00:24:31.17\00:24:33.40
and come away scratching
your head, you're not alone.
00:24:33.40\00:24:36.44
Our free "Focus
on Prophecy" guides
00:24:36.44\00:24:38.81
are designed to help you unlock
the mysteries of the Bible
00:24:38.81\00:24:41.61
and deepen your
understanding of God's plan
00:24:41.61\00:24:44.05
for you and our world.
00:24:44.05\00:24:45.68
Study online or
request them by mail
00:24:45.68\00:24:48.12
and start bringing
prophecy into focus today.
00:24:48.12\00:24:51.52
- Some Christians get
understandably worried
00:24:51.52\00:24:53.76
when we venture too
close to that final statement
00:24:53.76\00:24:56.22
in Matthew six, the
one where Jesus tells us
00:24:56.22\00:24:59.13
to stop living in the future
00:24:59.13\00:25:00.53
and anchor our
minds in the present.
00:25:00.53\00:25:03.23
Why does that make
some Christians nervous?
00:25:03.23\00:25:05.30
It's because it resembles a
practice from Eastern religions
00:25:05.30\00:25:08.80
that some people
call, "Mindfulness."
00:25:08.80\00:25:11.51
Mindfulness is a
form of meditation
00:25:11.51\00:25:13.71
where you anchor
yourself in the present
00:25:13.71\00:25:15.34
by focusing on something
that occupies the present,
00:25:15.34\00:25:18.55
and most of the time,
00:25:18.55\00:25:19.98
they'll tell you to
focus on your breath.
00:25:19.98\00:25:22.68
It's an attempt
to quiet your mind
00:25:22.68\00:25:24.39
by riveting your conscious
attention on something.
00:25:24.39\00:25:27.92
And of course,
one of the reasons
00:25:27.92\00:25:29.12
that Western
Christians get nervous
00:25:29.12\00:25:31.43
is because these
practices are often coupled
00:25:31.43\00:25:33.70
with religious ideas or deities
00:25:33.70\00:25:36.23
that are completely antithetical
00:25:36.23\00:25:38.00
to the teachings of the Bible.
00:25:38.00\00:25:39.40
So let me be clear.
00:25:39.40\00:25:41.84
There is a form of mindfulness
00:25:41.84\00:25:43.97
that is not
appropriate for Christians,
00:25:43.97\00:25:46.94
but that doesn't mean we
don't have a similar tool.
00:25:46.94\00:25:49.61
Remember Jesus said, "Do
not be anxious about tomorrow,
00:25:49.61\00:25:53.45
for tomorrow will
be anxious for itself.
00:25:53.45\00:25:55.92
Sufficient for the
day is its own trouble."
00:25:55.92\00:25:58.79
Now, couple that
statement with his instruction
00:25:58.79\00:26:00.99
to observe the world around you,
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and what you have is an
authentic version of mindfulness
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that actually harmonizes
with the teachings of Christ.
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I mean, after all, he didn't
suggest this, he commanded it.
00:26:09.43\00:26:13.20
The Bible counsels you to
ground yourself in the present,
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to choose to live in
it, because let's be honest,
00:26:16.71\00:26:19.57
the present is all you have,
nobody gets tomorrow for sure.
00:26:19.57\00:26:24.65
So maybe give it a try.
00:26:25.65\00:26:27.45
Set aside time to go for a
walk, but without your earbuds.
00:26:27.45\00:26:30.99
When you go out the door,
00:26:30.99\00:26:32.52
give yourself permission to
slow down and live for once.
00:26:32.52\00:26:35.82
Listen to the sounds of
the world, the birds chirping,
00:26:35.82\00:26:38.59
the dogs barking
half a block away,
00:26:38.59\00:26:41.00
the feeling of
the sun on your face,
00:26:41.00\00:26:43.03
the sensation
of a gentle breeze.
00:26:43.03\00:26:45.80
Pay attention to all of it.
00:26:45.80\00:26:47.70
But instead of
trying to empty your mind,
00:26:47.70\00:26:49.44
like they teach
in Eastern religions,
00:26:49.44\00:26:51.74
or instead of chanting
some meaningless mantra,
00:26:51.74\00:26:54.24
have a discussion
about you, with God.
00:26:54.24\00:26:57.88
Fill your heart
and mind with him.
00:26:57.88\00:26:59.95
Maybe memorize just
one line of scripture
00:26:59.95\00:27:02.35
before you go out the door
and then discuss that with God.
00:27:02.35\00:27:05.92
Think about how you might apply
that to this day, right now.
00:27:05.92\00:27:10.56
Live that moment fully
in the presence of God.
00:27:10.56\00:27:14.76
Look, tomorrow is
going to come soon enough,
00:27:14.76\00:27:18.47
and so will next week.
00:27:18.47\00:27:20.14
But right now,
all you've got, today,
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and at some point, if
you're filling your mind
00:27:24.51\00:27:27.24
with what it
teaches in this book,
00:27:27.24\00:27:29.34
you're going to trust God more.
00:27:29.34\00:27:31.45
You're gonna start
to trust him enough
00:27:31.45\00:27:32.88
to give him access to
your once angry heart.
00:27:32.88\00:27:37.42
I'm Shawn Boonstra.
Thanks for joining me this week.
00:27:37.42\00:27:40.36
This has been another
episode of "Authentic."
00:27:40.36\00:27:43.43
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