Controlling Your Anger
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Anger is the attitude of a Fool
Anger is the attitude of a Fool
29 Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
When anger controlls you life gets incredibly hard, so many people suffer because of their anger or the anger of others.
Wisdom is the ability to control your anger.
Handling anger is an important life skill.
Anger can shatter communication and tear apart relationships, and it ruins both the joy and health of many.
Sadly, people tend to justify their anger instead of accepting responsibility for it.
Everyone struggles, to varying degrees, with anger.
Thankfully, God’s Word contains principles regarding how to handle anger in a godly manner, and how to overcome sinful anger.
Not All Anger is Sinful
Not All Anger is Sinful
There is a type of anger of which the Bible approves, often called “righteous indignation.”
God is angry:
11 God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.
and it is acceptable for believers to be angry.
26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
Two Greek words in the New Testament are translated as “anger.”
One means “passion, energy” and the other means “agitated, boiling.”
Biblically, anger is God-given energy intended to help us solve problems.
Sinful anger does nothing but boil over and cause pain and destruction.
So When Does Anger become Sin?
So When Does Anger become Sin?
1: Anger can become sinful when it is motivated by pride and no good comes come out of it.
20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Like i said, anger is fine if it produces good fruit. But it it produces sadness then its just anger.
2: One obvious sign that anger has turned to sin is when, instead of attacking the problem at hand, we attack the wrongdoer or an innocent bystander (which usually turns out to be our family)
This is an all to common situation: you are angry from work and you take it out on your family at home.
And all the poison in your heart spills out to your spouse or children.
13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
You need to ask your spouse: “babe are my words towards you full of poison, bitterness and anger?” and then be prepared to listen to the answer without getting angry - and if you do get angry, the point has been proven.
3: Anger becomes sin when it is allowed to boil over without restraint, resulting in a scenario in which hurt is multiplied, leaving devastation in its wake.
11 A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.
These are the people who are like trigger fingers. they go from 0-100 for almost no reason at all. There is no moderation, no thought, just out of control anger
Often, the consequences of out-of-control anger are irreparable.
4: Anger also becomes sin when the angry one refuses to be pacified, holds a grudge, or keeps it all inside.
26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
27 and give no opportunity to the devil.
As i said, people get angry, we all get angry, but we must seek to ruthlessly root out that anger as fast as possible.
Every day that anger is allowed to linger, open the door wider and wider for the Devil to enter out lives, and destroy so much that we hold dear.
How to Handle Anger
How to Handle Anger
Strategy 1
We can handle anger biblically by recognizing and admitting our prideful anger and/or our wrong handling of anger as sin.
13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
This confession should be both to God and to those who have been hurt by our anger.
We should not minimize the sin by excusing it or blame-shifting.
Strategy 2
We can handle anger biblically by seeing God in the trial.
This is especially important when people have done something to offend us.
Though God does allow bad things to happen, He is always faithful to redeem them for the good of His people.
God is a good God
8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.
Reflecting on this truth until it moves from our heads to our hearts will alter how we react to those who hurt us.
Strategy 3
We can handle anger biblically by making room for God’s wrath.
This is especially important in cases of injustice, when “evil” men abuse “innocent” people.
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Tells us to not play God.
God is righteous and just, and we can trust Him who knows all and sees all to act justly.
Strategy 4
We can handle anger biblically by returning good for evil.
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
This is key to converting our anger into love.
As our actions flow from our hearts, so also our hearts can be altered by our actions.
That is, we can change our feelings toward another by changing how we choose to act toward that person.
Strategy 5
We can handle anger biblically by communicating to solve the problem.
Keep the volume low
1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
We cannot control how others act or respond, but we can make the changes that need to be made on our part.
Overcoming a temper is not accomplished overnight.
But through prayer, Bible study, and reliance upon God’s Holy Spirit, ungodly anger can be overcome.
We may have allowed anger to become entrenched in our lives by habitual practice, but we can also practice responding correctly until that, too, becomes a habit and God is glorified in our response.