Proverbs 19: King James Bible

Discretion or Regret – Daily Devotion of Proverbs chapter nineteen, Verse 11

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11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

Daily Inspiration from These Verses – Discretion or Regret

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Defer

verb (used with object), deferred, deferring.
1. to put off (action, consideration, etc.) to a future time: The decision has been deferred by the board until next week.
2. to exempt temporarily from induction into military service.
verb (used without object), deferred, deferring.
3. to put off action; delay.

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Using discretion when all your flesh wants to do is respond, is typically a mutually beneficial behavior, both for you and whatever the object of your anger might be. Including people, as well as inanimate objects.

At any point in your life, have you ever flown off the handle and chucked something across the room, just to regret it later on? Have you ever bashed something out of frustration, then wished that you hadn’t done that when you wind up needing whatever it is that you’ve bashed? Have you ever said a bunch of things toward someone out of anger, just to later find out that you were in the wrong?

All of the above is evidence, that during those moments of anger (or extreme frustration), discretion is found wanting. A lack of discretion has been at play through many regrets, verbal slashing, fights, murders; all the way up to wars in some circumstances.

Discretion is available on both sides of a fight or flight situation. For us who are more prone to fight, it may a bit tougher, as anger that comes quickly takes more practice to manage, than one who may respond differently.

I’d say without the intervention and lead of the Holy Ghost, it’s an endless effort, winding up with a building who’s bricks are made from regret. He’ll change you from the inside out, making a lasting change that will give space for you to make the decision whether or not to use discretion.

Otherwise, the world has several different solutions, none of which last very long, most of which aren’t free. All of which avoid the real problem, which would be a hardened heart condition.

However, I wouldn’t want to exclude people who have anger issues that are driven by demonic intervention. Someone demonized (possessed or oppressed) people can exhibit such behavior. Jesus is the only answer to be rid of these types of issues.

But for those who just have a faster temper than other people without any type of spiritual intervention, Jesus is still the answer, and we need to seek him out, and ask him to change you in this area of life. He wants to do this for us, so that we become better representatives of him, and also for our own good.

Using discretion prior to behaving angrily, can give us an advantage that we wouldn’t have otherwise, allowing us to think and perhaps take a different course than demolishing something that we’d regret (no matter what it may be).

The less regret we place on our own shoulders due to our own foolish behavior, the better life can be for us all. And to overlook an offense, can stave off all kinds of issues with others. Knowing this, the Lord has placed this in his Word, so that we can have this much more ammunition against the flesh, and to walk closer and more steadily with him.

Related New Testament Scripture

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Ephesians 4: King James Bible

30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Galatians 5: King James Bible

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Colossians 3:King James Bible

8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

2 Peter 1: King James Bible

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer

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Father,

Thank you for this lesson, and for your everlasting Word, that you’ve given for us to enjoy, and feed from. You are our source for all things, and we ask that if we are quick to anger, or quick to respond to anything, in a manner that isn’t becoming of a child of God, please help us through your Spirit, and teach us to be wise, and to use discretion before doing anything, or saying anything. This we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen

Question

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Which of the two do you think would lead to a happier life; discretion or regret?

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