“IF YOU DO WELL” ANGER AND THE POWER TO CONTROL SIN

 

HEY BRUH, THIS IS ROBERT DAVIS, THE FOUNDER OF SAVING CAIN! WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOUR LIFE AND GET DOWN TO THE BASICS, YOU WILL COME TO REALIZE THAT IF YOU HAD JUST DONE WHAT YOU KNOW TO BE RIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE, YOU WOULDN’T BE SUFFERING FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ANGER! IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU HAD DONE WELL, YOU WOULDN’T HAVE SINNED AGAINST GOD OR YOUR BROTHER AND THE SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE WOULDN’T BE PURSUING YOU! NOW YOUR LIFE IS ALL MESSED UP BECAUSE YOUR ANGER OPENED THE DOOR TO SIN, AND SIN HAS TAKEN OVER! THAT’S WHY YOU CAN’T GET YOUR ANGER BACK UNDER CONTROL AND THAT’S WHY YOU CAN’T STOP SINNING!

LISTEN, AS A MAN WHO HAS SUFFERED FROM THE CAIN MENTALITY, I KNOW WHAT UNCONROLED ANGER CAN MAKE YOU DO AND I KNOW WHAT IT DOES TO YOU, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, AS A MAN WHO HAS EXPERIENCED GOD’SABUNDANT GRACE, I KNOW THAT GOD BY HIS SPIRIT WILL GIVE YOU BACK CONTROL OVER YOUR ANGER SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO SIN ANYMORE! SO, MY BROTHER, I’M GOING TO SHOW YOU HOW ANGER AND SIN CONTROL YOUR LIFE! AND THEN I’M GOING TO SHOW YOU HOW YOU CAN BE ANGRY BUT SIN NOT! WHY? BECAUSE IF YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR ANGER YOU CAN HAVE CONTROL OVER SIN! THAT’S WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES, AND IT’S JUST THAT SIMPLE, BUT IT’S EASIER SAID THEN DONE!

THIS IS PART ONE OF MY NEW SERIES CALLED “IF YOU DO WELL” ANGER AND THE POWER TO CONTROL SIN!” TODAY WE ARE GOING TO START IN THE GARDEN AND TALK ABOUT HOW SIN CAME INTO THE WORLD, HOW ANGER IS A PART OF OUR LIVES, AND HOW AFTER THE FALL OF MAN THEY CONTROL OUR LIVES! IN PART II, WE WILL CONTINUE IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS AND TAKE A CRITICAL LOOK AT THE STORY OF CAIN AND ABLE TO SHOW HOW ANGER IS THE DOORKEEPER THAT CAN CONTROL SIN! IN PART III I WILL EXPLAIN WHY THE PURSUIT OF VENGEANCE KEEPS YOU RUNNING FROM GOD BECAUSE YOU THINK HE IS MAD AT YOU!

NOW BEFORE WE GET STARTED LET ME SAY ONE MORE THING AND THEN WE’LL PRAY! LISTEN MY BROTHER THESE ARE THE KEYS OR THE PRINCIPLES TO THE KINGDOM THAT HAVE BROUGHT ME AND WILL BRING YOU OUT OF THE DARKNESS YOU ARE LIVING IN AND INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT! BUT THESE KEYS OR PRINCIPLES ONLY WORK IN THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO ARE CALLED BY GOD TO HIS KINGDOM! WELL, I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE READING THIS SERIES YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED TO HIS KINGDOM AND THAT MEANS YOU ARE READING THIS SERIES BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE IN GOD AND ARE DILIGENTLY SEEKING HIM! HEBREWS 11:6 SAYS THAT GOD IS A REWARDER OF THOSE WHO DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM. SO, IF YOU ARE READY MY BROTHER LET’S GO GET REWARDED! ALL RIGHT LET’S PRAY!

FATHER, I THANK YOU FOR BEING GOD AND GOD ALONE! THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU! THANK YOU FOR YOUR GRACE AND MERCY AND YOUR WILLINGNESS TO FORGIVE US OF ALL OUR SINS AGAINST YOU! WE SEEK YOUR FACE IN THE ISSUE OF UNCONTROLLED ANGER NOT JUST FOR OURSELVES BUT EVERY MAN WHO IS STRUGGLING WITH THIS, SO THAT WE CAN BY YOUR SPIRIT REGAIN CONTROL OVER OUR ANGER AND HAVE CONTROL OVER SIN, WE ASK THIS IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN

LET’S START AT THE BEGINNING

LET’S GO TO THE BOOK OF GENESIS SO WE CAN TAKE LOOK AT ANGER’S EXPRESSION OR HOW WE SHOW ANGER AND LOOK AT WHERE IT COMES FROM. SO, IF YOU HAVE A BIBLE, OR IF YOU HAVE A BIBLE APP. GO TO THE BOOK OF GENESIS 3 AND READ VERSES 17-21. I STARTED THERE  BECAUSE WE ALREADY KNOW THE STORY OF CREATION, AND HOW ADAM AND EVE FELL IN THE GARDEN. BUT FIRST THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT I WANT TO ADDRESS THAT HAPPENED BEFORE AND DURING THIS PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE THAT WILL HELP TO BUILD A FOUNDATION FOR THE TOPIC WE ARE STUDYING WHICH IS ANGER AND THE CONTROL OF SIN. SO BEAR WITH ME FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THEN WE WILL DIG IN!

1. WHY DID MAN DISOBEY GOD? ADAM AND EVE DISOBEYED GOD BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO BE LIKE HIM, AND HAVE THE KNOWLEDEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL! IN OTHER WORDS, THEY WANT TO BE LIKE GOD! PERIOD! IT WAS NOT ABOUT THE FRUIT, IT WAS ABOUT WHAT IT REPRESENTED! IT WAS NOT ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT OR PERVERSION THAT DECEIVED EVE WHILE ADAM WATCHED! THE WORD BEGUIL HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SEX IT MEANS TO DECEIVED! IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE LIE THAT THE ENEMY TOLD THAT IGNITED IN THEM THE DESIRE TO LIKE GOD AND THAT DESIRE WAS AND WILL ALWAYS BE MANS DOWNFALL!

2. GOD CURSED THE GROUND NOT ADAM! IN FACT, GOD DIDN'T CURSE ADAM OR EVE EITHER. HE PUNISHED OR CORRECTED THEM! THE ONLY ONE THAT GOT CURSED WAS THE SERPENT BECAUSE EVEN IF THEY WERE OR THEY DID SOMETHING WRONG, MESSING WITH GOD'S CHILDREN WILL BRING HIS WRATH! I SAID ALL THAT TO SAY THIS, GOD DID NOT RESPOND THE WAY ADAM THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO! AFTER THEY ATE THE FRUIT OF THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD THEY REALIZED THEY WERE NAKED OR IN OTHERS THEY KNEW THAT HAD DONE SOMETHING WRONG! BUT GOD'S PUNISHMENT WAS FULL OF GRACE AND INSTEAD OF CURSING AND DESTROYING THEM. HE ALLOWED THEM TO LIVE UNTIL THEY DIED.

3. GOD'S PUNISHMENT FOR ADAM WAS NOT JUST HARD WORK IT WAS BACKBREAKING, MUSCLE-ACHING, SWEAT-POURING, TEDIOUS, AND TRIFLING WORK THAT CAUSED PROBLEM IN HIS LIFE! THIS KIND OF WORK MAY PAY WELL BUT IT IS TIME-CONSUMING, YOU SPEND MORE TIME WORKING THAN YOU DO AT HOME, AND THAT CAUSES ALL KINDS OF TROUBLE AT HOME!

4. GOD BANISHED MAN FROM THE GARDEN AND THEIR DISOBEDIENCE OR SIN SEPARATED THEM FROM GOD! THIS WAS NOT GOD'S FAULT IT WAS AND HAS BEEN MANS FAULT FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD! BUT GOD HAD THE PLAN TO FIX IT!

 ANGER'S EXPRESSION

ANGER IS EXPRESSED IN DIFFERENT WAYS BUT MY BROTHER ANGER IS NOT A SIN! SIN IS THE ACTION OR ACTIONS THAT UNCONTROLLED ANGER INSPIRES, ALLOWS, AND FORCES US TO TAKE! ANGER IS AN EMOTION THAT WAS GIVEN TO US BY GOD TO STAND UP FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS! IN OTHER WORDS, ANGER LETS THE ENEMY KNOW YOU’RE NOT PLAYING HIS GAME AND THAT YOU MEAN BUSINESS WHEN EVIL TRIES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU OR THOSE WHO CAN’T STAND UP FOR THEMSELVES. BUT THE DYNAMICS CHANGE WHEN YOU DISOBEY, WHEN YOU FAIL, OR WHEN YOU BREAK THE LAW BECAUSE SELF-CONDEMNATION STEPS IN AND MAKES YOU TURN YOUR ANGER ON YOURSELF. THEN START REACTING TO OR EXPRESSING ANGER BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU THINK OTHER PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT YOU! THAT MEANS YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE FRUSTRATED, AGGRAVATED, AND DISAPPOINTED WITH YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE FRUSTRATED, AGGRAVATED, AND DISAPPOINTED AT YOURSELF! 

HEY BRUH IF YOU DON’T THINK THAT ADAM WAS FRUSTRATED WITH HIMSELF WHEN HE FAILED GOD IN THE GARDEN YOU ARE WRONG! IF YOU DON’T THINK ADAM WAS AGGRAVATED WITH HIMSELF BECAUSE HE HAD TO DO ALL THAT HARD WORK TO TILL THE GROUND AFTER HE MESSED UP IN THE GARDEN YOU ARE WRONG. IF YOU DON'T THINK HE WAS DISAPPOINTED WITH HIMSELF WHEN GOD RAN HIM OUT OF THE GARDEN AND IT WAS MADE WORSE WHEN EVERY TIME ADAM LOOKED IN THAT DIRECTION, THE ANGEL POINTED THAT FLAMING SWORD AT HIM BECAUSE OF HIS DISOBEDIANCE YOU ARE WRONG! AND IF YOU DON’T THINK THAT GOD’S GRACIOUS RESPONSE DID NOT PROVOKE AN ANGRY REACTION FROM ADAM, YOU ARE WRONG, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, JUST ASK YOUR CHILDREN! OR LOOK BACK AT HOW YOU RESPONDED TO THE PUNISHMENT OR DISCIPLINE YOUR PARENTS GAVE YOU! YES, MY BROTHER, YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT THE REACTIONS AND RESPONSES OF OTHERS WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING WRONG BUT IT IS OUR REACTION TO THEIR REACTIONS AND RESPONSES THAT LEADS US TO COMMIT SIN! 

              A QUICK REVIEW

ANGER COMES FROM GOD AND IS OR CAN BE EXPRESSED THROUGH FRUSTRATION, AGGRAVATION, AND DISAPPOINTMENT! THESE DIFFERENT FORMS OR STAGES OF ANGER ARE ON DISPLAY EVERY DAY IN OUR LIVES AND MOST IF NOT ALL THE TIME THEY DON'T MAKE US SIN! IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU ARE NOT AN EVIL PERSON YOU CAN STOP YOURSELF FROM DOING SOMETHING BAD LIKE DISOBEYING, FAILING, AND BREAKING THE LAW! THE PROBLEMS COME WHEN WE ARE  FRUSTRATED, AGGRAVATED, AND DISAPPOINTED FOR A LONG TIME WITHOUT RELIEF! THAT'S WHAT WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT IN PART II NEXT WEEK!

SO STAY TUNED FOR THE POSTING DATE AND WE CAN CONTINUE ON THIS JOURNEY TO CONTROL OUR ANGER TOGETHER. ALRIGHT MY BROTHER! DON'T FORGET TO STAY ON THE SAVING CAIN WEBSITE AND CHECK OUT THE RESOURCE PAGE TO GET THE HELP THAT YOU NEED WITH ANY OF THE ISSUES THAT WE AS MEN FACE! ALSO, CONSIDER DOWNLOADING A COPY OF MY NEW BOOKLET "AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH" WHICH TAKES A CRITICAL LOOK AT THE DAYS WE ARE LIVING IN OR THE END TIMES! THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT ON ANY RESOURCE YOU DOWNLOAD! JOIN THE COMMUNITY AT SAVING CAIN AND LEAVE US A COMMENT, OR ASK A QUESTION AND WE WILL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS WE CAN! UNTIL THEN, BE GOOD, BE BLESSED, AND REMEMBER, JESUS IS LORD!

 

GET MAD BUT DON'T GET IGNORANT PART VII

Hey Bruh! In part 6, we left off discussing the steps you need to help conquer your fear, overcome your trust issues, and turn down the intensity of your anger! This concept is what I call the Pursuit of Perfection. Now don't get stuck on the word perfection, place your focus on the word pursuit! In other words, trust the process!  Put in the work and you will get the results that prove you're becoming the man you're supposed to be! So let me remind you again, that the ultimate goal is to get mad, but we don't want to get ignorant! Below are the rest of the steps you need to take on your Pursuit of Perfection. 

STEP #3 IF IT'S NOT YOURS, GIVE IT BACK! IF IT'S YOURS, YOU HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH, SO SHARE! 

It’s always better to give than to receive! But the rivalry between Cain and Abel was ignited by the pain of not just wanting what your brother has but also wanting back what your brother took from you! That pain can be intensified by the assumption that you could never have what he has or the presumption that you could never get back what he took! Simply put, in an adaptation of the immortal words of Eddie Murphy on his Delirious Comedy Tour: 

“I got some ice cream, I took your ice cream, and you don’t have none. Now you don’t have none! Want a lick...SIKE!”

Everyone has the right to get what they desire, however not by any means necessary! Now as painful and unquenchable as that desire can be, it is made worse by jealousy and the ignorance it unleashes! That is why Abel is dead and his posterity is still trying to get revenge!

We understand that when this happened, vengeance was based upon the perpetration of the crime of murder! Murder is defined as the voluntary or involuntary unlawful termination of life! Since then, we have come to understand that Abel’s murder was based upon his unauthorized takeover of a position of favor! So, the crime that was committed had to do with Cain’s right to a livelihood over Abel’s right to live or to have his being! That means Cain committed this homicide because he believed that Abel took something that rightfully belonged to him which would keep him from the benefits that come from a position of favor! That provoked him to jealousy, and jealousy drove him to get it back by any means necessary!

Abel’s perspective was different! He knew the position of favor he had was something that Cain desired immensely! But Abel believed it was his because his brother did things his way and was not accepted by the Father! This made Abel’s presence a provocateur! He may or may not have gloated about his position of favor, but that position is what Cain wanted more than anything else and Abel being in that position is what got him killed! Now, his posterity wants revenge because Cain killed Abel or took away his presence in a failed attempt to get back the position of favor he lost by abdication and what his posterity has lost by default!

This means that Abel is coming after Cain for something that they both had a right to! The problem is that one of them took it, his posterity wants it back, and they are willing to get it back by any means necessary! The other one lost it and tried to take it back! His posterity wants what it never had and is willing to get it by any means necessary! Wow! That’s a lot. But how different would the outcome have been if Abel was willing to give back what he took, and Cain was willing to share what he lost? Think about what you have that may be provoking you brother or what you don’t have that provokes you to be jealous! Is there a compromise that can end the rivalry, stop the war, and save lives? In other words, if it’s not yours give it back! If it is yours, you have more than enough, so share!

 

STEP#4 STOP ACTING LIKE AN ANIMAL! 

The word “dawg” is a moniker that has been bestowed upon manhood which is both a term of endearment and a derogatory expression! It is a nickname that has been used to equate the temperament of a man with the instinct of an animal! It has been given the power to validate or invalidate masculinity in this culture depending upon the perspective of the people who have had the pleasure or the misfortune to participate in or be victimized by this disposition! In other words, based on the opinion of those affected by what men think, say, and do!

The word "dawg" is not just a descriptor of male tendencies, it is a formal accusation that men act like animals. While that is unacceptable, it has been celebrated and normalized in society for thousands of years! This alternate reality is pervasive all over this country. From coast to coast, here are some examples of how men's behaviors have been consistently reduced to animalistic tendencies:

-In the words of George Clinton, we chase the cat like an Atomic Dog! 

-We "wolf down" our food!

-We “piss like a racehorse!” 

-We compete in “beast mode!”

-We "run like a cheetah!”

-We’re told to fight “like a lion!” 

The problem with men acting like animals is that throughout our history, this beast-like behavior has just about brought this country to its knees. We are MEN, not ANIMALS! Isn’t it well past time to tame the beast? Here’s how:

WAYS TO TAME THE BEAST

1. Stop being ignorant and get your anger under control!

2. Stop running around with "dawgs!" Change the company you keep!

3. Stop calling yourself a "dawg!" Call yourself a man and you'll start acting like one!

4. Stop chasing cars! Start following wise counsel! 

5. Stop all that barking! Your words create your reality!

6. Stop letting people yank your chain! Stop letting everything get under your skin!

7. Stop sniffing in places where you don’t belong!

8. Stop hand biting! Stop dissing those who care about you!

9. Stop wolfing down your food! Learn to curb your appetite!

10. Stop howling at the moon! Stop wasting time on things you can't change and start changing things you have control of!

 

STEP #5 TO EARN TRUST YOU MUST LEARN TO TRUST! 

Trust issues are not uncommon in rivalries! Suspicion unleashes a “get them before they get you” mentality and paranoia can cause you to sleep in a chair with one eye open and your back against the wall or with your weapon in your hand and your finger on the trigger after you have the closed all the curtains and turned off all the lights! But just like with Cain and Abel, the consequence of committing a homicide and destroying a livelihood is that vengeance will track you down and the thought of that will make you believe that everyone you encounter is coming to get you, whether they are or not! Now since vengeance has no regard for human life, it just won’t stop with you! Someone with nothing to do with the beef you’re in can be going about their business and get killed or lose their livelihood by an act of payback that had your name on it! This is what we call the collateral consequence of ignorance!

The friction created by the coagulated blood that clogs the gears of this war has sparked an inferno that reached an intensity or a heat level so high that it can cremate or vaporizes on contact the component that holds our relationships together! That component is the element of trust! If you don’t trust, you don’t have relationships! If you won’t trust, you won’t have relationships! If you can’t trust you can’t have relationships! Plain a simple! But I don’t know if men understand that trust is like the grease that lubricates the gears of an engine! It keeps it running smoothly, reduces friction, and keeps the internal temperature or the intensity of the heat at normal levels!

Men we need to learn to trust others so that we can earn the trust of others! However, this is not easy when you have been let down! This is easier said than done when you have been lied to, and it is “damn near” impossible when you have been stabbed in the back and got vengeance on your mind! But fortunately, we can learn to trust and earn trust even when we are in the most intense battle of our lives!

HOW TO LEARN TO TRUST AND EARN TRUST

Social distance yourselves! Time and space will always allow the intensity to cool down, the ignorance to subside, and your anger to be controlled! Then when clearer heads prevail, you can work on yourself in preparation to work on relationships!

Shut up and let it die! The biggest reason why disagreement gets turned into beef, misunderstanding gets turned into an argument, and hearsay gets turned into an assault is the fact that we just can’t stop running our mouths about it! We have to tell people how we got disrespected and that turns up the intensity because of the instigation you get from the people you told! Words create our reality! If we ever get that revelation, we will know that our words can add fuel or water to the fire! That means respect for yourself, and others starts by watching what you say, how you say it, when to say it, or not say anything at all! Now go look in the mirror and tell yourself to shut up and let it die!

Accept that people have a right to say what they want! That’s a very difficult thing to do in today’s society, especially when you are being challenged! However, you need to understand that one of the biggest signs that people respect you, your position, or both is the fact that they are challenging you for it, or in the words of one of the most influential rappers of all time Ludacris, "They're coming for that #1spot!" What’s disrespectful is all the trash talk, bloviating, banter, and foolishness that comes out of their mouth!

Now, Cain, you can go in their mouth and rearrange their dental work, and Abel, you can video it and show it live on the internet, either way, your challenger will win because in today’s society being an idiot will get you paid! Take a breath, show some respect for others’ point of view because there could be some truth to it, offer to show them how to get where you are, or hook them up with someone who can, but set some boundaries with that offer and keep your end of the bargain! The trash talk might slow down but probably won’t stop; however, you have now earned their trust! 

This will be the final post on this subject for now. I appreciate all of you for joining me on the "Get Mad But Don't Get Ignorant" series. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Now I know this series wasn't exhaustive, but we have plenty of time to touch on all the issues men face in future posts on MANHOODREDISCOVERED, so please be patient and keep following us! 

My next series is called, "The younger they are the harder they fall!" Part I of this III part series will be launched and posted in the week of 6/4/23. I will be dealing with the heartbreaking issue of children and the loss of innocence! This is a generation that has experienced more than any other generation before them including active shooter drills! 

In the meantime, make sure you are following me on social media @SavingCain where I'll be launching "Special Alerts" soon. I hope to see you there!✌🏾