With Clenched Teeth
by Cynthia Jennings on May 29, 2019With Clenched Teeth
If you’re like me at times you get irritated. One day in one of my irritated states I asked myself does God get irritated with me being irritated? I began to think when irritability happens it’s usually due to something or someone else. Oftentimes we try to convince ourselves that if they or the situation was different, we wouldn’t be irritated. Or we blame the irritation on being tired, sick or stressed.
I went into prayer one day and asked God to show me me in regards to irritability. As a spiritual life coach my primary goal is to get to the root of why someone needs coaching. Well in prayer God showed me through some research the root of irritability lies in the soil of unrighteousness. OUCH!!! Irritability springs out of the soil of selfishness and it springs up fast like the sin-weed it is. I get irritated, not when God’s righteousness or justice is scorned, but when something I want is being denied, delayed, or disrupted (the 3 D’s). You know how we get if we’re tired and want rest, preoccupied and want to focus or enjoying something until we want to be finished. But as soon as it is denied, delayed or disrupted we clench our teeth, then irritation happens. The reason, irritability is unloving unrighteous anger that is a selfish response to an obstacle to our desire. The desire may not be sinful, but a selfish response to its denial, delay or disruption is a failure to trust God at all times (Ps 62:8).
On my clenched teeth quest to find out the root of irritability I read an article that included a tool to help me deal with irritability and to keep it from becoming habitual. The tool was the acronym, S.T.O.P. S- stop: acknowledge (the irritability) repent, (repent of sin) ask (what am I desiring that is being denied, disrupted or delayed). T—Trust a promise: (trust God’s promises) O-Obey: (remember your emotions are gauges not guides, obey God’s word so irritability is reluctant to reign over you) P—Plan (be intentional in acknowledging and avoiding what causes irritability).
If you’re wondering if I got irritated post the aforementioned prayer, YES! But I have learned to be more intentional in deciphering if the irritability is my selfishness caused by the three D’s, denial, delay or disruption.
PEARLStoPONDER: When you feel irritability rearing its ugly head S.T.O.P.
Psalm 62:8 - Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.
James 1:2-4- My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
James 1:19-20 - Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
If you’re like me at times you get irritated. One day in one of my irritated states I asked myself does God get irritated with me being irritated? I began to think when irritability happens it’s usually due to something or someone else. Oftentimes we try to convince ourselves that if they or the situation was different, we wouldn’t be irritated. Or we blame the irritation on being tired, sick or stressed.
I went into prayer one day and asked God to show me me in regards to irritability. As a spiritual life coach my primary goal is to get to the root of why someone needs coaching. Well in prayer God showed me through some research the root of irritability lies in the soil of unrighteousness. OUCH!!! Irritability springs out of the soil of selfishness and it springs up fast like the sin-weed it is. I get irritated, not when God’s righteousness or justice is scorned, but when something I want is being denied, delayed, or disrupted (the 3 D’s). You know how we get if we’re tired and want rest, preoccupied and want to focus or enjoying something until we want to be finished. But as soon as it is denied, delayed or disrupted we clench our teeth, then irritation happens. The reason, irritability is unloving unrighteous anger that is a selfish response to an obstacle to our desire. The desire may not be sinful, but a selfish response to its denial, delay or disruption is a failure to trust God at all times (Ps 62:8).
On my clenched teeth quest to find out the root of irritability I read an article that included a tool to help me deal with irritability and to keep it from becoming habitual. The tool was the acronym, S.T.O.P. S- stop: acknowledge (the irritability) repent, (repent of sin) ask (what am I desiring that is being denied, disrupted or delayed). T—Trust a promise: (trust God’s promises) O-Obey: (remember your emotions are gauges not guides, obey God’s word so irritability is reluctant to reign over you) P—Plan (be intentional in acknowledging and avoiding what causes irritability).
If you’re wondering if I got irritated post the aforementioned prayer, YES! But I have learned to be more intentional in deciphering if the irritability is my selfishness caused by the three D’s, denial, delay or disruption.
PEARLStoPONDER: When you feel irritability rearing its ugly head S.T.O.P.
Psalm 62:8 - Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.
James 1:2-4- My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
James 1:19-20 - Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
