32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. (Proverbs 16:32 NKJV)

Yesterday we saw that waiting on the Lord is a form of control of which we must constantly attend to. Today our scripture talks about another form of control, and that is keeping check on our spirit and not allowing ourselves to be quick to anger.

Here we are talking about the inner man. That part of us that flows naturally from our nature. If that nature is a quiet one then we may not be someone quick to anger or rash actions. However, if that nature is type A or extroverted, then we may be more apt to lash out or respond too quickly. For the latter this requires a constant attention much like needing constant attention to our response to waiting.

Being measured in our response is one of the greatest aspects of control. A measured response means that we take the time to consider the situation and not allow our rash nature to win out over common sense. This is not something to take for granted. Those who struggle with rashness or anger but exert control over their nature with a measured response have learned a valuable lesson.

Reflect on: Your ability to control your spirit. Do you need to exert more control internally?