Are you Irritable?

You will be surprised…

Let’s start by defining irritable: “Having or showing a tendency to be easily annoyed or made angry” And here are some of “irritables” ugly synonyms: touchy, grouchy, moody, in a (bad) mood, crabby, etc. Sound familiar?

I think that it goes without saying that being irritable is NOT one of the fruits of the Spirit! So why are so many Christians irritable, moody and crabby…and some on a regular basis? I found five main reasons that Christians can be some of the grouchiest people on the planet. Much of this has come out of personal experience with irritability!

1. People feel “let down” by God. Things have not turned out in their lives like that dreamed they would when they were younger. Rather than running TO God, they run FROM Him in a sense…because they feel cheated in life. Maybe a healing didn’t happen. Or you have yet to be married. Perhaps you blame God for a loved one that died prematurely. Maybe you are still not on the mission field and feel it may be too late. Or, you can’t seem to get your head above water with your finances. Or, you feel caught in a dead-end job. And with all of these and more, you feel in your heart of hearts (though most never admit it) that God has not come through for you like you thought He would. And we hold on to resentment towards God, people and life and it brings with it a heavy heart. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart-sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”
2. A stronghold of sin in your life. A bondage that has not been broken though you have asked (with tears) to be set free a multitude of times. This brings a feeling of shame, condemnation and hopelessness to the heart and that heaviness is with you all day, every day and even there when you first wake up in the morning. And many respond outwardly in an irritable way because their heart is so heavy with continually shame.
3. Sometimes it’s simply the flesh. We are crabby when we drive…someone always seems to be out to get us on the road! We are grouchy at the restaurant…no one can ever seem to get your precious food right. The line is always so long everywhere you go and that makes you crabby because you have people to see and places to go! You’re important! We are touchy when we don’t feel like our opinions matter to anyone. We get annoyed at the price of EVERYTHING at the store. We get crabby at our kids. Why? Because our hearts are not settled. We are stressed out and that makes us grouchy towards our little ones. Many feel like they are not beautiful or handsome enough and that puts them in a perpetual bad mood. People can be grouchy because they have a lot of pressures on them at work and at home…and these pressures are VERY real that can deeply affect our hearts. Not feeling loved and accepted can make us crabby. Insert your own reason here!
4. When we have not dealt with past mistakes, wounds, hurts, regrets, abuse, pain, etc…this can block our hearts from feeling the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit. And a heart that is carrying the past will cause us to be easily annoyed, upset, moody and angry. Why? Because the deepest places in our hearts have not been healed by the Beloved Holy Spirit. And these deep unhealed and uncared for places will manifest themselves in fresh pain in our hearts (sometimes on a daily basis) and it causes us to react in an irritable way…and we can’t help it. The pain is too deep.
5. Another reason that people deal with irritability is because their body is in continual pain…and this is a very, very real reason. Constant headaches, back pain, stomach aches, eye problems, diabetes, and the list goes on. You need a healing in your body. I want to offer to you that I know this is a very real issue and you don’t want to irritable but your body hurts all the time. I don’t have a “pat” answer. But this I know…Jesus is STILL your healer! With our ministry, we are seeing more and more people receive miracles in their bodies. Right now, place your hand on that place in your body that needs healing. Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus and I ask that EVERY spirit of infirmity GOES in Jesus name! All sickness and pain in your body is there illegally and I command it to loose you and let you go and that the healing presence of Jesus will flood your body, right now, in Jesus name. Amen. Let me know what God did for you!

In your own heart right now, ask the Holy Spirit to pinpoint any irritable tendencies in your life. I know I have today.

So what is the remedy to being irritable? First we repent for anything in our lives that is standing between us and God. If you are holding on to resentment towards God, ask Him to forgive you. And ask Him to show you your life from HIS point of view. If you are dealing with habitual sin, repent and start new, this very moment! Ask Him to break EVERY bondage in your life that does not please His heart and proclaim freedom to that area! Ask Him to heal the painful places in your heart. You know those shameful and wounded places. God heals EVERYTHING! By His Spirit, I pray that the deepest places of your heart are being mended right now by the Holy Spirit in Jesus name! Now receive His forgiveness, mercy and unfailing love. He is the lifter of your head! You are a new person now. Your heart is different. Be filled with continual joy, love and peace. And when those old sins or that flesh tries to raise its ugly head again…say, “No way! That was forgiven, healed and forgotten by God. I am not going back to that place again!” The fruit that you have been changed…is a changed heart. You will be a person of joy, peace and love like never before. Not an irritable, crabby, stressed out moody Christian but person that has been changed from the inside out!