Control Your Temper

By: Lisa Boisvert

Thursday, March 5, 2026

He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” Numbers 20:10-12

God chose Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. The Lord set Moses apart, and He directly communicated His will for the people through Moses. Like some of us, Moses learned the hard way how his temper could ruin his life.

Moses was frustrated by the Israelites constant complaints. They witnessed miracles and experienced God's power, but the moment things got difficult, they started complaining. Israel's complaints showed their lack of faith. When their complaints increased, Moses snapped! Instead of speaking to the rock as God instructed, Moses lost his temper and struck the rock in anger.

His temper was his downfall, and misrepresenting God ended up being one of Moses' worst mistakes. It happened because Moses allowed his temper to get the best of him. His temper kept him from receiving all of God's blessings, and he was never allowed to enter the Promised Land. Do you think Moses regretted losing his temper that day?

Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool. Ecclesiastes 7:9 (NLT)

Do you have a temper? I do. When I lose my temper, it usually doesn't end well. But I've learned that I can either control my temper, or my temper will control me. Anytime I feel my temper rising, I've learned the best thing to do is to quickly ask Jesus to help me control it. If I don't send up an immediate SOS to the Lord, I may end up losing my temper... Whenever I do, like Moses, I usually suffer the consequences.

When difficult people "push your buttons" is it hard for you to control your temper? If other people in your family have an anger problem, maybe you're wondering if it's even possible to always control your temper. The truth is, in our own power, none of us can, but with the Holy Spirit's help, we all can!

God's help is always available, but He may be waiting on us to ask for it. If your temper flares, ask for divine help!