“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1)
Being slow to wrath and slow to speak go together. We are called to “be angry and sin not.” Anger is unavoidable. Every day we are affected by what we see and hear. Being slow to wrath does not mean being void of anger; it means not being “soon angry” where we express our anger in an unrighteous and ungodly manner.
Speaking “grievous words” only stirs up anger in others. A soft answer turns away wrath. If we are to bridle our tongue we must walk in patience and longsuffering. Instead of having a knee-jerk reaction to the vexing situations around us we must take all that we are feeling and thinking before the Lord. We must let His Holy Spirit temper our heart and settle our mind. If we don’t, we will surely speak words we will later regret.