VICTORY OVER ANGER

Practical Lessons for Understanding the Word of God

  



 

Victory Over Anger

SUMMARY:

Anger is the most dangerous emotion.

It hurts not only those it’s directed toward,

but just like a boomerang, it returns to harm

the one who lashes out. All of us experience

this negative emotion now and then, but some

people continually live with anger. This world is

filled with hurtful situations and people, so we

may feel our outrage is justified and that letting

go somehow lessens the wrongs done to us. But

hanging onto hostility is destructive both to our

loved ones and ourselves. To become spiritually,

emotionally, and physically healthy, we must

deal with anger.

Scriptural Principles:

What is anger?

It’s a strong feeling of displeasure, hostility, or

indignation that results from a real or imagined

threat, insult, frustration, or injustice toward

ourselves or those who are important to us. The

Bible warns against it. For example:

n Ephesians 4:31-32 advises us to let go of

bitterness, wrath, and malice and instead to

be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving.

n Proverbs 22:24-25 says anger is contagious and

warns us not to associate with an angry person.

That’s how this emotion can be passed on from

one generation to the next.

n Ephesians 4:26 says, “Be angry, and yet do not

sin.” This means that not all anger is wrong.

In fact, Scripture often speaks about God’s

wrath. Anger is legitimate when it’s controlled,

justifiable, and unselfish. For instance, we

should feel outraged by those who mistreat

someone else and by things that anger God.

Remember that a godly man or woman can

express anger at the right time, in the right

way, and for the right reasons.

To determine if your anger is sinful, ask yourself:

n Is it directed toward a person?

n Is it without a justifiable cause?

n Does my anger seek to harm another person?

n Am I holding tightly to it?

n Have I developed an unforgiving spirit?

The Ways to Handle Anger

Whenever we don’t deal with our hostility in

a godly fashion, we’re likely to express it in

harmful ways. For example, we might:

n Repress it. Some people have buried their

anger so deeply they deny its existence.

n Suppress it. Others may acknowledge its

presence, but they internalize their resentment

without realizing it’s poisoning their lives.

n Explode. Rage is an outburst that provides

emotional relief, but it harms others deeply in

the process.

n Simmer. Some people put their anger in an

emotional slow cooker, letting it gradually and

continually build.

n Excuse it. Those who don’t choose to control

their anger blame others or claim it’s just the

way God made them.

All our responses to anger can be summed up

in seven possibilities. We can blame others, blow

up, bury it, bear it, belittle it, grow bitter, or

benefit from it.

Life Principles Notes