Murder in the Making (Day 5)
When We Raise Our Voice
"Clamor is expressing yourself in a way that is unbecoming."
Ephesians 4:26-27, 31 (ESV)
"Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil... Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice."
Devotional Thought
We've been walking down a dangerous path: bitterness planted the seed, wrath started the slow burn, anger made us look down on others. Now we hit Step 4: Clamor.
Clamor is when we lose control of our volume and our composure. It's "loud talking"—raising our voice, shouting, or expressing ourselves in ways that are just plain ugly. It's when anger stops being internal and becomes external.
Maybe it's yelling at your kids over something small. Raising your voice at your spouse during an argument. Getting loud with a customer service rep who can't help you. Shouting at the TV during a game. Going off on someone in a text message or social media post.
Here's what's happening: we've been carrying around bitterness, letting wrath simmer, and feeding contemptuous anger. Now all that internal pressure has to go somewhere. So we explode. We get loud. We lose our cool.
The scary part? Once we start clamoring, we're just one step away from the next stage—slander. Because when we're loud and out of control, we start saying things we can't take back.
Paul knew this progression was deadly, which is why he said "do not let the sun go down on your anger." Deal with it quickly, before it grows into something worse. Because once we start clamoring, we're not thinking clearly anymore. We're just reacting.
Think about the last time you got really loud with someone. How did you feel afterward? Probably not great. Because clamor doesn't actually solve anything. It just shows everyone around us that we've lost control.
And here's the thing about losing control—it doesn't just hurt the person we're mad at. It hurts our kids who watch us explode. It hurts our reputation at work. It damages our witness as Christians. It shows the world that when things get tough, we're no different than anyone else.
The good news? We still have a choice. We can recognize when we're about to get loud and ask God for help instead.
Clamor is when we lose control of our volume and our composure. It's "loud talking"—raising our voice, shouting, or expressing ourselves in ways that are just plain ugly. It's when anger stops being internal and becomes external.
Maybe it's yelling at your kids over something small. Raising your voice at your spouse during an argument. Getting loud with a customer service rep who can't help you. Shouting at the TV during a game. Going off on someone in a text message or social media post.
Here's what's happening: we've been carrying around bitterness, letting wrath simmer, and feeding contemptuous anger. Now all that internal pressure has to go somewhere. So we explode. We get loud. We lose our cool.
The scary part? Once we start clamoring, we're just one step away from the next stage—slander. Because when we're loud and out of control, we start saying things we can't take back.
Paul knew this progression was deadly, which is why he said "do not let the sun go down on your anger." Deal with it quickly, before it grows into something worse. Because once we start clamoring, we're not thinking clearly anymore. We're just reacting.
Think about the last time you got really loud with someone. How did you feel afterward? Probably not great. Because clamor doesn't actually solve anything. It just shows everyone around us that we've lost control.
And here's the thing about losing control—it doesn't just hurt the person we're mad at. It hurts our kids who watch us explode. It hurts our reputation at work. It damages our witness as Christians. It shows the world that when things get tough, we're no different than anyone else.
The good news? We still have a choice. We can recognize when we're about to get loud and ask God for help instead.
Application Questions
- Volume Check: When was the last time you raised your voice in anger? What was really behind it—was it just about that moment, or was it built-up anger finally exploding?
- Pattern Recognition: Are there certain situations or people that consistently make you "clamorous"? What does this tell you about unresolved anger in your heart?
- Impact Assessment: How does your clamoring affect the people around you—your family, coworkers, or friends? What are they learning about handling conflict by watching you?
Today's Challenge
Before you raise your voice in anger today, take a breath and ask: "What am I really mad about? Is this about right now, or is this built-up anger from other things?"
Choose to lower your voice instead of raising it, even when you feel justified in getting loud.
Choose to lower your voice instead of raising it, even when you feel justified in getting loud.
Today's Prayer
Lord, I don't want to be someone who loses control and gets loud when things don't go my way. Help me recognize when I'm about to explode and give me the strength to choose a different response. Show me what built-up anger I'm carrying that's making me clamorous over small things. Help me deal with conflict in ways that honor You and protect the people around me. Amen.
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