06/04/2026
Welcome to “I Thirst” Thursdays, a devotional to help get you through the week!Question family; how do we deal with people that just get on our nerves? How do we deal with people that have no control over their mouth and seek to insult? Do we respond in the same way or do we keep our cool? Let’s be honest with ourselves. I’m sure all of us have not handled these situations in the best way possible.
Let’s head to our verse for today Proverbs 12:16 - "The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult." Vexation? What does that mean? Well, this word refers to the state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried. So, the foolish person lets out their annoyance, frustration, or worry immediately. Scripture is pointing out that this person is impulsive in their reactions. This person will quickly lash out, sulk, or seek revenge. As stated before, we’ve all, at some point, let our emotions get the best of us. The question is why should we be wary of this? Because these outbursts often lead to shame, conflict, and potentially damaged relationships. Sometimes we think that we control our anger but so often it is our anger that controls us. So, how do we move from acting foolish due to our emotions to being a prudent person.
Because scripture supplements scripture, let's turn to Galatians 5:22-23, which states, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” And there it is! Self-control is an evidence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Thus, if we are struggling with our impulsiveness, our angry outbursts, or our need to get revenge, we need to run to God! When God is in control of our hearts, then we can exercise wisdom and self-control more easily. By the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, the prudent person can choose when to overlook an insult and maintain peace instead of being baited into an argument, which further displays emotional intelligence and maturity. Ask ourselves; how often have we responded rashly to something that wasn’t worth our time, energy, or stress? How often has responding with anger solved the situation or even made us feel better? The answer is probably few and far between. Now, God isn’t telling us to not respond to anything. Rather, God is pointing out how we respond. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that changes our responses to look more like Jesus Christ, filled with love, truth, peace, and wisdom.
So today, let’s work on letting the Holy Spirit rule our emotions rather than letting our emotions rule us. Remember, we can’t control what comes out of other’s mouths, but we can control what comes out of ours. Finally, remember James 1:19-20, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
At River City Church, we are simply a group of people who have been radically changed by God’s grace, and we desperately want others to hear the Gospel as well. Beloved, how can we pray for you today?
đź“Ť2037 Noble St, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
⏰10:30am Sunday Service
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