Annoyance - Why Small Irritations can Become Big Sins

Annoyance feels like a tiny, justified reaction until it starts steering your words, your tone, and your choices. Luisa and Mike get honest about how quickly irritation shows up in normal life and how easily it turns into frustration, anger, grumbling, and conflict. We define annoyance as low-grade anger and then test that definition against real moments you’ll recognize right away: slow internet, dripping faucets, bad weather, stains on clothes, and the daily friction of living around other imperfect humans. 

The turning point comes when annoyance is aimed at people. We walk through driving and road rage as a picture of escalation, then bring Scripture to the center with Ecclesiastes 7:9 and Ephesians 4:26. We also clarify the difference between righteous anger and petty anger, because “righteous anger” is not a free pass for impatience or revenge. If you’ve ever felt your temper rise over something small, this conversation gives a clear, biblical framework for spotting what’s happening in your heart. 

We also dig into the root causes behind irritation: selfishness, pride, impatience, and even subtle distrust in God’s providence. From Philippians 2:14 to Romans 8:28, we talk about how complaining can become a lifestyle and how walking in the Spirit changes the way we react. You’ll hear practical, Bible-based tools for emotional self-control and Christian relationships: overlooking offenses, being quick to listen, responding gently, practicing humility, and choosing forgiveness. 

If this helped you, subscribe so you don’t miss the next conversation, share it with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review to help more people find the Journey to Eternity Podcast. What’s one situation that consistently annoys you, and what would it look like to respond like Christ next time?

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Transcript

Purpose, Welcome, And Prayer

Mike 0:05

Brothers and sisters, God did not send his son to die on a cross so we could wander aimlessly through life. He had a purpose for us. To do his work, submit to his will, and glorify his name. Join us on this journey, a journey to eternity.

Luisa 0:30

So welcome to the show. I'm Luisa.

Mike 0:32

And I'm Mike, and this is episode 59 of the Journey to Eternity Podcast.

Luisa 0:37

In every episode, we help Christians use God's word to navigate everyday life in a sinful falling world.

Mike 0:43

So hey, babe. It's great to be back behind the microphone for another episode. Absolutely.

Luisa 0:49

I am so grateful that we're back on this mic.

Mike 0:51

Amen. So I'm going to start you off with a question, honey. How many times did you get annoyed this past week?

Luisa 1:01

Me? Get annoyed? Oh, come on, babe.

Mike 1:05

All right, I'll give you a follow-up. How many times did you get annoyed with me this past week?

Luisa 1:09

Oh, I can answer that. You take the cake. You win that one, babe. I win the prize. I'm so scared to be a good one. You win the big prize, yes.

Mike 1:18

So as you can see, today's topic is annoyance. So we're going to define what annoyance is. We're going to give some examples of it. We're going to talk about what causes it, and then we're going to finish with how to handle it. And of course, we're going to show what the Bible has to say on this very common trait that we all possess.

Luisa 1:39

But before we get started, let's pray.

Mike 1:42

Oh, Heavenly Father, we thank you for another opportunity to look into your word, which is a gift that you freely give. Thank you for being there in our times of testing and struggle and giving us clear wisdom on how we can handle it. We pray that all who are listening today would see themselves and be convicted in order that your name would be praised and glorified. And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Luisa 2:08

So what is annoyance? You would think that would be an easy answer, but let's define it.

Mike 2:14

Annoyance in the Bible is a form of low grade or slow burning anger, representing a selfish, prideful reaction that often leads to sinful behavior, such as grumbling or conflict.

Luisa 2:27

And that's such a human emotion, babe.

Mike 2:30

Yes. It seems to come naturally to us, doesn't it? It seems that no matter what type of situations come up, we get annoyed. Some say it's a state of being bothered or frustrated.

Luisa 2:41

I agree.

Mike 2:42

Those are some things that we could say when we get annoyed. We're bothered by something. We get frustrated.

Luisa 2:47

Bothered by someone.

Everyday Situations That Irritate Us

Mike 2:48

Someone, yes, because it can be caused by a situation or another person. So let's look at situations first.

Luisa 2:56

So here are some examples of situations we might get annoyed by.

Mike 3:00

So one thing I can think of is a fly buzzing around your head.

Luisa 3:05

I've seen you get annoyed. Listen, I'm telling you, I see you get annoyed when a bug is flying through you and you're like, ooh, ooh.

Mike 3:12

What about when we go to the beach? Remember, we we we go to the beach in Rockaway, and for whatever reason, the flies come around my feet.

Luisa 3:18

Yeah.

Mike 3:19

And I don't know why that is. And you know, I have to kind of put my feet up in order not to get annoyed by that, but it's just one of those things.

Luisa 3:26

How about a water faucet drip?

unknown 3:28

Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip, drip.

Mike 3:31

Any type of repetitive sound, I think, would be annoying. Yeah. I mean, I could see how if you're laying there and there's a leak in the faucet and the water is dripping, it would definitely be something you would have.

Luisa 3:41

But it's so funny though, babe, because I hear birds chirping in the morning and I don't get annoyed with that.

Mike 3:45

That's a different kind of repetitive sound. It's a beautiful sound. When the birds chirp, I could sit there all day and handle that. But water dripping, I don't know about that. Sometimes I come out in the morning and it's like this misty, drizzly rain, and I walk out, oh no, this is how the day's gonna start. It just annoys me.

Luisa 4:02

And then we have inclement weather like we had a couple of months ago with the snow.

Mike 4:06

That was really annoying.

Luisa 4:08

I think that was annoying for everybody. Everybody was just done with it, everybody was over it, and it was really annoying in so many ways.

Mike 4:16

It was icy, we couldn't park, there were just so many things about it that just like And it didn't help that I had surgery and I couldn't walk. There was a lot of things going on there. It was very annoying. Sometimes you have something that's not working when we need it.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

Yeah.

Mike 4:31

Sometimes the car might not start. You know, you get down there, maybe something's wrong with the battery, and you go to try to get start the car and it's too cold or whatever, and it doesn't start. That could be really annoying.

Luisa 4:41

How many times do I call you when the computer is frozen and I can't figure it out and I'm annoyed?

Mike 4:47

Internet. Now, that's really annoying. Uh-huh. But I want you to think about internet. And I had this conversation with somebody the other day. There's billions and billions of phone calls and messages that travel all around the world through the air. Yeah. Think about that. Think of how remarkable that is. Yet when the internet is slow, what happens? We get annoyed. When the computer freezes, we get annoyed. That silly little buffering circle that goes around and around and around. That's really annoying. Yeah. Sometimes you get a stain on your clothes. You're eating and you got nice clothes on. And that's usually you. You go out to dinner, okay, and you're sitting there at the table and some piece of sauce drips on your shirt, and I'm like, ah! These are some silly things. Yeah. What happens when you run out of toilet paper?

Luisa 5:38

It's annoying.

Mike 5:40

What happens when you burn your toast?

Luisa 5:42

I love burnt toast, so I don't get annoyed by that.

Mike 5:45

I hate burnt toast. You have to start all over again. So we look at these things and they may irritate us. And usually it's just a passing emotion. You get annoyed, you put another piece of bread in the toaster and you hit it, you know, so you just kind of move on. They're just things that happen in everyday life that we can't do much about. And in most cases, we just say, Whatever, and then get on with our day.

Luisa 6:13

But what about people? They annoy us too. People annoy us?

Mike 6:17

Yes. And that's where the problems usually start. Yeah. When people annoy us, it gives us something to react to. Now, sometimes we keep our emotions in check. But what about when that emotion lingers? Is annoyance a sin?

Luisa 6:34

So let's start off with some scripture. Ecclesiastes chapter seven and verse nine gets right to the point. Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

Mike 6:48

Amen. So let's look at this. It says, Don't be quick in your spirit. So what happens is annoyance, it comes on us really quick. Yeah. We don't really have time to plan to get annoyed. Usually something happens and then boom, we're annoyed. Right. There are things that we don't expect. We're not ready for them. So when this happens, are we sinning? That's the question. You notice it says become angry. So do not be quick in your spirit to become angry. This is how it escalates to sin. When we're in that moment, this is where I really struggle sometimes. Something happens, something unexpected, boom, I'm annoyed, and then it moves. Right.

Luisa 7:30

That means that you respond to that annoyance. Right.

Mike 7:33

So it always becomes anger. Or frustration. Yeah, but anger really, see, all these things lead. So you can be frustrated, I get that. But frustration turns into what? Anger. Anger. So how does Jesus talk about anger? All right. He associates anger with murder, and that's in the Bible. So think about how fast it could go. When we get angry and allow it to fester, that's an issue in our heart.

Luisa 7:58

Right. And the quick temper and the long-held anger are foolish, suggesting that the wise people control their emotions.

Driving, Road Rage, And Choosing Sin

Mike 8:05

Right. Control your emotions. That's the whole point. Emotions are not sinful in and of themselves. It's how we react to those emotions that put us over the line. So let's look at an example that maybe we've all experienced or at least have been a witness to.

Luisa 8:20

Right. Something as simple as driving. Everybody drives or rides in a passenger seat. It is easy to get irritated either way. Right.

Mike 8:32

Driving is just like, especially driving in New York City. I don't know where a lot of the listeners live. Maybe they might live in a town where it's not that big a deal to drive. But in New York City, it's a big deal just to like even start your car. Okay. So let's look at some of the things that happen when we're out on the road. It's people drive too fast or they drive too slow.

Luisa 8:54

And that gets us annoyed.

Mike 8:56

It does. Remember, so think about this. How many times are we driving home and all of a sudden some car will just come just blow by us, right? And what they're doing is they're racing. People do this for fun in New York City. They they they like to race during half an hour on the highway. So if one goes by you, sure enough, right behind it is somebody else that's trying to catch up with you. I don't want to repeat what you say.

Luisa 9:21

No, I'm like, you know, it's it's annoying.

Mike 9:24

Louisa doesn't curse.

Luisa 9:25

No, I don't curse.

Mike 9:26

Louisa is not a curse.

Luisa 9:27

I get I get really annoyed because it's so frustrating that they're not even considering anybody else on the road. And you know what? When they zoom by you like that, it's like it's it's startling. It's like, ugh.

Mike 9:40

And they're weaving in and out of traffic. Yeah. Okay. So there's a lot of people that do that out there. And it's really it it causes you to be distracted. Okay.

Luisa 9:47

And it cut and then a lot of people cut you off.

Mike 9:49

Right. That's part of that whole process, okay? They they're they're just cutting right in front of you. And if you're not really paying attention, so can you see how this is all moving? Right. All right. So think about it. You're you're trying to get off the highway now. All right. There's an echo a long line at the exit. All right. And you kind of get in the line, and then all of a sudden you see some guy roll right by you, go all the way up to the front, and then try to worm his way in. Okay. That's annoying. It's really annoying, okay? So, but you know, sometimes we do that too. Right.

Luisa 10:19

No, no, no. Sometimes you do that. Okay, speak to yourself. Okay. Some people and some people are on their phone at the red light and forget to go when it turns green. And I know that that annoys you. Right. Because I say to you, oh, sometimes it's you. It's you. And I'm like, babe, let's go. And you're like, uh-uh-oh. Okay, but I'm sure the person behind us is getting annoyed. Because the horn is coming.

Mike 10:45

I can't believe you think I do that. Uh some of the other things that happen out there on the road is people tailgate you. They're right up on your butt as you're driving. Okay, you're going fast, going the speed limit, but they're right right behind you. And it's it's very, very annoying. And then here's one that you know This one, this one, this one. This one really grates on me. Okay. Sometimes they steal your parking spot. Parking is a premium here in New York City. Especially where we live. Where we live, it's tough to park. And sometimes you go to the store and you go in the parking lot, and it's really tough there too. And you'll be waiting for a spot and somebody will swoop in and take it. Another time, people, what they do is they take up multiple spots. All right. We go in the parking lot and by the store, and there there's some guy parked on the line. I shouldn't say it's a guy, it could be a guy or a girl, but it it they're parked right on the line, so they take up two spots. Sometimes here right by the front of the house.

Luisa 11:39

Yeah, let me talk to you about the front of the house. We're coming home, it's late, we don't have a parking spot, you and I, and I see a parking, and I say, babe, they go to parking, and Mike just like lolly lali la. And all of a sudden somebody comes and pulls in in that parking spot, and I'm annoyed. How many times does that happen, baby?

Mike 11:59

It does happen. I mean, I I I can't front about that. So or they take up multiple spots. Yeah. All right. So there's enough room to fit two cars, but there's one car right in the middle. Right. So it's it's I mean, we get annoyed at all of these things. Yes.

Luisa 12:16

Whether we're a driver or a passenger. Ephesians 4 and verse 26 warns us in your anger, do not sin. Right.

Mike 12:25

So when someone does something stupid on the road, including us, yes, how fast does it move to sin? So this is kind of where I hate to say the rubber meets the road, but at this point, this is where we have a choice. Sin is always a choice, babe.

Luisa 12:40

I know, but you know what it is? When I think about us getting annoyed, we're so annoyed that we don't even think about the next thing we're gonna do is sin.

Mike 12:49

We can either just breathe and keep on driving, and we do that sometimes. We do that a lot. I think really we've really trained ourselves not to do that.

Luisa 12:58

Or before we were saved, how how bad were we? Right.

Mike 13:01

That's where we cross the line into sin. So we might do things like curse the other driver. We might shake our fist or make another hand gesture, and we know what those kind of gestures are, so we don't want to I don't know. I think everybody knows what we're talking about. So we might open our window and scream out the window.

Luisa 13:19

Yikes. Mm-hmm. I don't know, babe. You can call me out on that if you want, babe. It's okay.

Mike 13:27

I know sometimes you tell me you do that.

Luisa 13:30

When I'm driving, I do that, and what do you tell me, babe? Please don't do that.

Mike 13:35

Or the worst thing you could do is chase after them in an effort to confront them. Yeah. And that's really where you can get in trouble because this is a crazy world. People do crazy things. Right. You gotta really be careful.

Luisa 13:45

And you know, in something like this, you can cause that other person to sin to hurt you because you're chasing them and you're doing what you're doing. So it's not only us sinning, it's you know, somebody else is gonna sin against us because of our actions.

Mike 13:57

So you can see how fast we slip into sin and how fast that can escalate.

Righteous Anger Versus Petty Anger

Luisa 14:02

Right. The Bible talks about righteous anger, and people tend to run with this to justify the annoyance that escalates.

Mike 14:09

Right. So this is something I hear all the time. What is righteous anger? I mean, we hear it in the Bible. Jesus had righteous anger. Right. But Jesus was Jesus. Okay. Jesus was perfect. You're not Jesus, baby. No, no, no. So let's define what righteous anger is. Righteous anger is a morally justified, controlled emotional response to injustice, sin, or harm done to others, acting as a force for justice rather than personal revenge. Rooted in love and empathy, righteous anger is typically directed against violations of moral or divine laws, such as abuse, racism, or exploitation, rather than selfish, petty issues.

Luisa 14:51

And road rage is a selfish petty issue.

Mike 14:55

Amen. So a lot of the things we get annoyed at are petty. If you really look at it, whenever we get annoyed, it's usually something really small. It's usually something that doesn't really require anger, it doesn't really require getting upset about it.

Luisa 15:10

And think about it, people get annoyed with their spouses, people get annoyed with their bosses, people get annoyed with their children, people get annoyed with brothers and sisters in Christ. It's that constant annoyance that we have to learn to recognize so we don't get annoyed and walk into sin.

The Little Things People Do

SPEAKER_01 15:29

Right.

Luisa 15:30

So let's look at some of the petty things people do that annoy us.

Mike 15:33

And let's remember, we do some of these petty things too, and therefore annoy others.

Luisa 15:39

Right.

Mike 15:40

Nobody is exempt.

Luisa 15:42

Some people have no sense of personal space and they invade jaws. How do we act with that?

Mike 15:47

Yeah, so you ever have somebody just get real close to you?

Luisa 15:50

Yeah, you know, I you know, I get annoyed with that. I I like my space. I don't like people to come really close to me. Right. I feel that's like a violation for me, and it just makes me uneasy when people just are too close.

Mike 16:02

Yeah, especially like when there's a lot of room.

Luisa 16:05

Yeah.

Mike 16:06

Some people do it when there's a lot of room, like, okay, can you like uh back up a little bit?

Luisa 16:10

Or like if you go on a bus and there's 3,000 seats and you sit right next to me. That's annoying.

Mike 16:16

Yeah. So another one is um some people talk too much or too loud on their phone, or worse, they do it on speaker. So you have to hear both sides of the conversation.

Luisa 16:27

And I know that annoys you. It does. I know that.

Mike 16:31

That's really rough. That's really rough.

Luisa 16:33

And some people litter or toss things out the car window. That annoys me.

Mike 16:38

Every place Louisa and I go, when we go out of town, it's always so clean. It's always just beautiful. The sidewalks are are nice. It's it's it's just so clean. And New York City, for whatever reason, people just disrespect the space that they live in. They they there's litter everywhere.

Luisa 16:55

There's nothing like driving on the highway and you see somebody throw a whole bag of McDonald's out there. They do that. And it's like you know, you know that gets me annoyed.

Mike 17:04

It's really rough. Some people spit on the sidewalk or they throw cigarettes on the ground. How does that annoy you?

Luisa 17:10

The cigarettes really annoy me a lot.

Mike 17:12

Yeah, I I mean, it's just it's so bad. So some people don't pick up after their dogs.

Luisa 17:18

Oh, oh, oh, that's another thing that around here, there's so many people that walk around with their dogs, and you know I do my walks in the morning, and people are walking their dogs in the morning, and they think because it's six o'clock in the morning or five thirty in the morning, nobody's watching, right? And they're walking, and their dog just goes on the grass, and then I see them walking. Oh, how annoyed do I get? Yeah, it's horrible.

Mike 17:41

And then what happens is this year we had a lot of snow, so people like took that to like say, okay, we're just gonna let go on this. And then when the snow melted, there was a lot of stuff on the ground that really It was really uncalled for. So I know you talked about the bus before, how somebody gets up close on you.

Luisa 17:57

Oh, the train.

Mike 17:58

What happens when people take up too many seats? They come on the bus or the train and they put their bags on the seat next to them, and then something on the other side of them, or some of them put their feet up on the seats, and then they get mad at you if you come and say something to them.

Luisa 18:12

Right.

Mike 18:12

So these are things that annoy us.

Luisa 18:14

Right, and we can go on, but we might run out of time, babe.

Mike 18:17

Yeah. I'm sure you have some of your own, but you get the idea. We spend our life getting annoyed and doing things that annoy other people. It's a vicious cycle.

Luisa 18:28

And this is where emotions linger, this is where lines get crossed and sin comes into the picture.

Mike 18:34

Now, we could spend a few days trying to figure out why we get annoyed, but that would give us a free pass, and we don't want to do that. The truth is, allowing others to annoy us is a choice, and we make that choice every time. We always say, That person annoyed me. Now, did that person really annoy you? Or did we allow that person to annoy you? What happens is we tend to blame other people for what is going on. So when somebody does something, we always put the responsibility on them. But we didn't have to get annoyed at them. Right. They're just doing life, they're just walking around. Now, are some of those things grounds for? Yeah, yeah, it's happening. But we still have a choice. We still have the choice to get annoyed, we still have the choice to take it to sin.

Luisa 19:19

Right.

Root Causes: Selfishness, Pride, Distrust

Mike 19:20

So that's always something that we have to keep in mind is that we have the responsibility for it.

Luisa 19:25

So we have seen some examples of what annoys us, and now we'll look at some of the root causes of annoyance. While everyone experiences irritation, it is frequently categorized under the following primary sins.

Mike 19:38

Right. And here's what you were talking about annoyance is a form of selfishness. It occurs when our personal desires, plans, or comfort are disrupted.

Luisa 19:47

Philippians chapter 2 and verse 21. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

Mike 19:54

Amen. For sure, it is not in the interest of Jesus Christ for us to get annoyed. No. So when we're selfish, we want what we want when we want it. That's selfishness.

Luisa 20:04

And I think we think that the world revolves around us.

Mike 20:07

We do. We shouldn't be getting annoyed at the world because we want everything our way.

Luisa 20:11

Right.

Mike 20:11

Another thing is annoyance can happen when we are prideful or believe that we deserve better treatment or circumstances than we're currently getting. It's a me first attitude that views other people or situations as an obstacle to getting what we want.

Luisa 20:27

Romans 3 23 says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Mike 20:33

So who do we think we are? That we deserve anything but God's wrath. We don't deserve anything. When we're in this situation where we think that we should be treated better than the next person, that me first attitude, it goes back to again wanting what we want when we want it. What's that saying? It's level at the foot of the cross. So none of us is better than the other, none of us deserves better than the other. We just have to remember that we're part of that equation.

Luisa 20:59

Right. So annoyance is often described as a mild form of anger. But if not checked, it can lead to a full-blown wrath.

Mike 21:07

Amen. Proverbs 29:11. A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds back.

Luisa 21:15

And how fast you open up your mouth can be the difference between wisdom and foolishness. Amen.

Mike 21:22

We need to heed to that. Yes, we do, okay? So anger. Anger leads to murder in the Bible. That's how Jesus described it in Matthew. I'm really thinking that that's why we get in so much trouble. Something happens, we get annoyed, we open our mouth.

Luisa 21:37

Right.

Mike 21:37

And then what happens? We get angry because maybe the other person opens their mouth and then it starts to go back and forth.

Luisa 21:42

And escalates and it becomes really ugly for something so small.

Mike 21:46

Exactly. So another sin, it's constant irritation and it's a form of rebellion against God's providence. It suggests a lack of trust that God is in control of the situation, that we're Annoyed with.

Luisa 22:00

Romans 8 28. And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good. For those who are called according to his purpose.

Mike 22:09

Amen. God ordains everything. Right. Even the things that annoy you. So we have to find the good in that. Do we really trust God? If we really trusted him, would we just look at a situation and say, well, I know that I lost my parking spot, but maybe God didn't want me to park there. Right. Or I know that we were late and we didn't get to go somewhere, but maybe God didn't want us to go there. And he's just blocking things. So these are all kinds of stuff that you have to kind of look at. And when we rebel and when we don't put our trust in God, then we're trying to take matters into our own hands.

Luisa 22:44

And that's just us walking in our flesh.

Mike 22:46

Exactly.

Luisa 22:47

You know, because if you are walking in your spirit, you don't react that way. Annoyance often manifests as an internal or external complaining, which the Bible frequently says to avoid.

Mike 22:59

Right. Philippians chapter 2, verse 14 is a straight-up command. Do all things without grumbling or disputing.

Luisa 23:07

God doesn't want you to complain, not about a stain on your shirt or about a brother or sister in Christ.

Mike 23:13

Amen. There's a lot of people that just make a living complaining and grumbling and not happy with things and always annoyed and always wanting something else. Right. It's like they're malcontents. And I know that's a harsh word, but that's what they are. They're never satisfied with anything.

Luisa 23:28

And they look for everything to complain about. There's never no joy. There's never any gratitude. It's always just complain, complain, complain, complain.

Mike 23:36

You asked them how you're doing. You know, they're annoyed. Okay.

Luisa 23:40

Maybe they're annoyed because you asked them how you're doing. Sorry.

Mike 23:45

Okay. And annoyance often comes from a lack of patience. We want what we want when we want it. Instant gratification does not often fit into God's timeline.

Luisa 24:00

It sure doesn't. In James 5.7, it says, Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.

Mike 24:08

Amen. In this verse, the Greek word for patience refers to patience for people and circumstances. Whenever we are patient, we will not fall into sin.

SPEAKER_01 24:20

Right.

Mike 24:20

So it's really, we're really talking about people here. Because you could find patience for rainy weather. All right. But when somebody annoys you, can you find patience for them? And that's really the test.

Luisa 24:33

Because you never know why somebody does what they do. You don't know what people are going through.

SPEAKER_01 24:38

Right.

Luisa 24:38

You don't know if somebody's having a hard day. You don't know if somebody's having a hard week. You don't know how a person feels. And I know sometimes with me, with my pain and the way I feel, how many times do I get annoyed with you just because I'm not feeling good?

Mike 24:53

Yeah, I get it.

Luisa 24:54

Okay, so we have to be mindful of that.

Biblical Ways To Handle Annoyance

Mike 24:56

Yes. So in summary, while the feeling of annoyance is a common human emotion, we have to check our motives to see if we're in sin, to see if it is rooted in pride or selfishness or a lack of patience and love for other people. So now that we know what annoyance is, have shown some examples of it, and talked about the root causes of it, let's talk about how we are to handle people that we allow to annoy us. And all of these things, if practiced, will keep you from sinning. Amen. So the first thing we can do is to overlook offenses. Proverbs 1911 states, a person's wisdom yields patience. It is to one's glory to overlook an offense.

Luisa 25:41

Instead of focusing on what bothers you, choose to let it go. Reacting often causes more trouble, making it a glory to show a restraint.

Mike 25:50

Right. It's always a good thing to let something go. How many times have we really gotten annoyed or even mad or even angry? And you hold on to that and it just keeps going and you keep building and it keeps growing.

Luisa 26:02

Manifesting into bigger and uglier things. Some things you just gotta let it go. Right. You just gotta let it go. You know, my old saying is don't stress the small stuff.

Mike 26:11

Right. Another thing we can do is be slow to anger and quick to listen.

Luisa 26:15

James 119 says, My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

Mike 26:26

Now, the best thing we could do is pause before reacting, and this will help us avoid sinning. Take a breath and focus on listening rather than preparing a harsh response.

Luisa 26:37

And I think that if we would just take heed in our behavior, we could start doing this.

Mike 26:42

Yeah.

Luisa 26:42

I think it's important for us to really take some time to really understand who we are and what triggers us and how we react. And I think that we could start moving in this.

Mike 26:52

Yeah, because it it talks about being quick to listen. Right. So how many times when somebody is starting to say something that you don't like and you start feeling that feeling, what's the first thing you do? You start preparing what you're gonna say. And it's always worse than what the other person is saying to you. And that's how these arguments and fights they start, they escalate, because we have to be slow to anger and quick to listen. So the next thing we can do is respond with gentleness.

Luisa 27:18

Proverbs 15:1 states A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Mike 27:26

Just lower your voice and choose to be calm. They're all about choices. We can choose kindness, we can choose calmness. These are the things that we can choose instead of being annoyed and angry. Right. Practice humility and forgiveness. Right. Ephesians chapter 4, verses 31 and 32 says, get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.

Luisa 28:01

Pride often drives annoyance. So taking a humble, Christ-like perspective helps.

Mike 28:06

Right. Now, forgiveness is a big deal. The Bible has a lot to say about forgiveness. God tells us that if we fail to forgive people, he's not gonna forgive us. And that's a sin. Yeah. Unforgiveness is a huge sin.

Luisa 28:18

Right.

Mike 28:18

So when we can say, all right, this is a problem, this person annoyed me. I'm really worked up.

Luisa 28:23

But I'm not gonna react.

Mike 28:24

I'm not gonna react, and I'm gonna forgive this person who did this. Like that's just like such a sense of humility and maturity. Yeah. That's a real big deal for us to look at doing things that way.

Luisa 28:35

Right, and we walk in the spirit.

Mike 28:37

Amen. Galatians chapter 5, verses 22 and 23. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Luisa 28:54

So we should rely on the Holy Spirit to produce these traits within you, allowing you to be like Christ.

Mike 29:00

Amen. Fruit of the Spirit, just like all those things in there, these are ways that if we're living that out, that's how you really don't get annoyed. That's how you really are able to forgive. That's how look at look at all these things. It's so great.

Luisa 29:14

And we just have to think, babe, when we say walking in the spirit is choosing to walk in the spirit. It's a choice. Every morning I wake up and I try to really say, I'm gonna walk in the spirit. I'm gonna choose to walk in the spirit. And I think about all these things, and then I get on with my day, and it's a hit and miss. Right. But I'd rather walk in the spirit than walk in my flesh to get annoyed and then end up sinning.

Bearing With Others In Love

Mike 29:36

Exactly. So as we finish up, I just want to relate a quick story. A few years ago in our church, we did a Sunday night series on the one another's in the Bible. Now, my assignment was bearing with one another in love. Now, God had providentially given me that scripture because he knew where I was weak, and that's an area where I really needed work. So if we look at Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 2, this is a blueprint on how to be not only with your brothers and sisters in Christ, but with everyone who crosses your path. And I have to say it has really made a huge difference for me in my life. So, babe, can you read that, please?

Luisa 30:17

Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Mike 30:22

Amen. So to be humble is to approach others without arrogance, recognizing their need for grace. Do this and you won't get annoyed.

Luisa 30:32

Amen. And to be gentle or meek is to be mild mannered and considerate. Do this and you will reduce the friction in any relationship.

Mike 30:42

Amen. To be patient or forbearing is to be tolerant of a person's faults, especially when someone is pushing your buttons.

Luisa 30:51

To bear with one another in love requires actively putting up with and supporting other believers, being rooted in love and in all circumstances.

Final Prayer And How To Connect

Mike 31:00

Amen. So in conclusion, try to see people as God sees them, as people made in his image who may be struggling, which can foster compassion rather than annoyance. Let's pray.

Luisa 31:14

Heavenly Father, please use this episode to give our listeners understanding about what your word says about annoyance. We thank you for the gentle conviction that will sanctify us and lead us to be more like your son Jesus. We thank you for the work you have done in Mike and I, and we pray that we will honor you in this area with our thoughts, words, and deeds. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Mike 31:38

Amen. So that wraps up episode 59.

Luisa 31:42

We thank you for listening. We invite you to leave us a comment or a question by going to our website at jtepodcast.org.

Mike 31:51

That's jtepodcast.org.

Luisa 31:54

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Mike 32:05

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Luisa 32:27

And as always, please support us by sharing this podcast with a friend or on your social media page.

Mike 32:33

So till next time, we wish you God's blessing as you navigate everyday life in a sinful fallen world. May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.