Click to Play
0 plays
“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”
— Proverbs 16:32
“He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
but he who is impulsive exalts folly.”
— Proverbs 14:29 (NKJV)
The central theme of this song is ruling the spirit. Scripture tells us plainly that the man or woman who can govern their inner life is greater in God’s eyes than the warrior who can conquer a city. This is a radical redefinition of strength and victory.
The world admires the person who can subdue others. God admires the person who can, by His grace, subdue himself – his emotions, impulses, temper, and inner reactions.
These two proverbs set before us a clear contrast:
Both proverbs place the battle line inside a person. The greatest battlefield you will ever face is your own spirit. If you win there, every other conflict comes into right perspective.
Let us look at what the Word of God says about this inner government, this ruling of the spirit, and how it relates to spiritual maturity, deliverance, and victorious Christian living.
---
The book of Proverbs is part of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. Much of it is attributed to King Solomon, who was given extraordinary wisdom by God (1 Kings 3:11–12). Solomon ruled a prosperous and powerful kingdom, surrounded by enemies and constant political tension.
Consider the situation:
Solomon knew the realities of war, siege, and military conquest. He knew what it meant to “take a city.” Yet, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he declares:
> “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty;
> and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32)
In other words, Solomon is not speaking as a man ignorant of military power. He is saying, from the vantage point of earthly greatness, that there is a greatness which surpasses all earthly conquest: mastery over the inner life.
In the ancient world, to take a city required:
Yet Scripture says: greater than that is the man who can rule his own spirit.
Proverbs 14:29 is set within a series of sayings contrasting the wise and the foolish. A major mark of a fool in Proverbs is lack of self-control, especially in speech and anger. In the ancient East, honor and shame were powerful social forces. A man’s temper could start feuds, family divisions, and even wars. A wise man, therefore, was not primarily the one with clever ideas, but the one who could control his reactions.
Solomon, as king, had enormous authority. He spoke a word, and people lived or died. Yet the Spirit of God led him to declare that authority over oneself is higher than authority over others.
So these proverbs are not random maxims. They form part of a biblical theology of the inner life:
Into that context, these verses call us to the government of the spirit.
---
To understand more deeply, we must look at key Hebrew words: “slow to anger” and “rules his spirit.”
### 1) “Slow to anger” – *’erek ’appayim* (אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם)
So “slow to anger” (*’erek ’appayim*) literally means:
“long in nostrils” – that is, it takes a long time before anger “heats up” and shows itself.
It is the very phrase used of God Himself:
> “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious,
> longsuffering (*’erek ’appayim*), and abounding in goodness and truth…”
> — Exodus 34:6
To be “slow to anger,” therefore, is to reflect the character of God. It is not mere temperament or introversion. It is an expression of divine likeness.
### 2) “Rules his spirit” – *moshēl beruḥo* (מֹשֵׁל בְּרוּחוֹ)
So the phrase literally means:
“one who exercises dominion over his own spirit.”
The picture is of a king on a throne within his own inner world. His emotions, impulses, temper, and reactions are not the rulers; he is. And for a believer in Christ, that rulership is exercised under the authority of the Holy Spirit, not the old nature.
This is not repression. It is government.
Not denial of emotion, but dominion over it.
### How This Deepens Our Understanding of the Lyrics
When the song repeats:
> “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty;
> he who rules his spirit, than he who takes a city…”
It is declaring:
And when it says:
> “A patient man has great understanding,
> but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.”
It links patience with understanding, and quick temper with folly. In scripture, foolishness is not intellectual deficiency; it is moral disorder. The quick-tempered person exposes what is inside: lack of wisdom, lack of government, lack of the fear of the Lord.
---
Let us take the stanzas and unfold their spiritual meaning, using Scripture to interpret Scripture.
### “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty”
Here is a divine comparison. “Better than the mighty.”
God is redefining what greatness means.
The “mighty” in biblical language often refers to warriors, strong men, people of renown. Yet the Lord says: there is a higher kind of might – the might of character.
Scripture confirms this:
To be slow to anger is to live under the control of the Holy Spirit, not the flesh.
Anger itself is not always sinful. God can be angry. Jesus showed holy anger in the temple (Mark 11:15–17). But what is condemned is quick, fleshly, uncontrolled anger:
> “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
> for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
> — James 1:19–20
The wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God. That is a very clear statement. Human, fleshly anger can claim to be righteous, but God says: it does not produce His righteousness.
The one who is slow to anger therefore:
This is evidence of spiritual maturity.
### “He who rules his spirit, than he who takes a city”
In spiritual warfare terms, many are eager to “take territory” – pray over cities, confront principalities, wage spiritual battles. All of that has its place. But Scripture insists that the first territory you must govern is yourself.
An unruled spirit is like a city with its defenses destroyed – open to every invasion.
Even the apostle Paul knew that failure to govern himself would annul his ministry.
Being led by the Spirit includes putting to death the impulses of the flesh.
To “rule the spirit” is:
Many want authority over demons, but they have no authority over their own temper. Yet Jesus’ pattern is clear:
Authority flows from submission. If your own spirit is not submitted, your authority will be weak or counterfeit.
### “A patient man has great understanding”
Patience in Scripture is not passivity. It is steadfastness under pressure. The patient man has “great understanding” for at least two reasons:
1. He gives time for full information to emerge before speaking or acting.
2. He sees beyond the immediate, into God’s long-term purposes.
Patience is linked with discretion and the ability to overlook minor offenses.
Anger “rests” in the bosom of fools. It finds a home there. But the patient man does not provide a resting place for anger. He is governed by truth, not by impulse.
Understanding here is not merely intellectual analysis. It is spiritual discernment – seeing things from God’s perspective:
### “But one who is quick-tempered displays folly”
Anger is a revealer. It uncovers what is in the heart.
The fool thinks that because he feels it, he must express it. The wise man knows that feelings must be governed.
Notice the close link: quick temper → foolish action.
When a man or woman is quick-tempered, they “display folly”:
In spiritual terms, uncontrolled anger provides a doorway to the enemy:
Unresolved, fleshly anger gives place (literally in Greek, *topos* – territory, legal ground) to the devil.
Where there is quick temper, repeated outbursts, and refusal to repent, there is often demonic involvement. Anger becomes a stronghold.
Ruling your spirit, therefore, is not just a matter of character. It is spiritual warfare. It is denying Satan legal ground in your life.
---
This message must move from theory to practice. How do we actually rule our spirit and become slow to anger?
### First, we must accept God’s standard of strength
We must renounce the world’s definition of strength – loudness, dominance, ability to crush others – and embrace God’s definition: self-government under the Holy Spirit.
Proclamation (you can say this aloud):
> “Lord, I accept that in Your eyes, ruling my spirit is greater than taking a city.
> I renounce every false idea of strength and success.
> I choose to value inner government above outward achievement.”
When you agree with God’s assessment, you open the door for His grace.
### Second, we must bring our spirit under the authority of the cross
The old nature cannot be improved; it must be crucified.
Identify areas where your spirit is not ruled:
Then apply the cross:
Pray earnestly:
> “Lord Jesus, I bring my anger, my temper, my impatience to Your cross.
> I agree that my flesh has been crucified with Christ.
> I repent of every outburst and every time I allowed anger to rule me.
> I ask You to cleanse me with Your blood and to break the power of every habit of anger in my life.”
If there has been chronic, uncontrollable anger, it may involve a demonic stronghold. In that case, after sincere repentance, you may need to say:
> “In the name of Jesus, I renounce the spirit of anger.
> I renounce every foothold I have given to the enemy through my temper.
> I command every spirit of anger, rage, and wrath to leave me now, in the name of Jesus.”
Then thank the Lord and stay in faith.
### Third, we must cultivate the fear of the Lord and the fruit of the Spirit
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). When you fear God, you will fear your own anger, because you know what it can lead to.
Ask the Holy Spirit to develop in you His fruit:
(Galatians 5:22–23)
This is not human effort alone. It is the life of Christ in you, manifested by the Spirit.
Practical steps:
### Fourth, we must discipline our tongue and thoughts
Anger is fueled by thoughts and expressed by words. Ruling your spirit therefore includes:
1. Guarding your thoughts
2. Controlling your tongue
A practical proclamation:
> “I choose to put a guard over my mouth.
> I will not allow my tongue to be the instrument of anger.
> I submit my thoughts and my words to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.”
---
### Proclamation
Declare this aloud, with faith, standing on Proverbs 16:32 and 14:29:
> In the name of Jesus, I declare:
>
> I choose to be slow to anger.
> By the grace of God, I am learning to rule my spirit.
> I accept that ruling my spirit is greater than taking a city.
> I renounce every form of uncontrolled anger, rage, and wrath.
> I refuse to be quick-tempered or impulsive.
> I will not exalt folly in my life.
> The Holy Spirit governs my inner life – my thoughts, my emotions, and my reactions.
> I am learning patience, and with patience, God gives me understanding.
> My spirit is not a city without walls;
> by the Word of God and the fear of the Lord, my walls are being rebuilt.
> I give no place to the devil through anger.
> Jesus Christ is Lord over my spirit, my soul, and my body.
> Amen.
### Prayer
“Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I thank You for Your Word that tells me:
‘He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.’
‘He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
but he who is impulsive exalts folly.’
I confess that many times I have failed to rule my spirit.
I have allowed anger, impatience, and impulse to control my reactions.
I repent before You.
I ask You to forgive me and to cleanse me with the blood of Jesus.
Holy Spirit, I invite You to take full government within me.
Teach me to be slow to anger.
Produce in me Your fruit of patience and self-control.
Set a guard over my mouth.
Renew my mind with Your truth.
Break every stronghold of anger in my life and family line.
I yield my inner life – my thoughts, my emotions, my reactions – to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Make me a man / woman who truly rules his spirit under Your authority.
Let my life be a testimony that inner government in the fear of the Lord
is greater than any outward conquest.
I ask this in the name of Jesus.
Amen.”
No more songs available