Dealing with Anger God’s Way
“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath. Ephesians 4:26
Lately I have run into so many angry people. Anger is an emotion that is in the heart but tends to bubble up so that it is very much evident even in a person’s face. Their body language is even impacted by this emotion.
Christian’s aren’t exempt from dealing with anger. Sometimes we try to justify our anger calling it “righteous indignation.”
God has given us a biblical way to deal with the emotion of anger. Drs. Henry and Richard Blackaby provide excellent insight into dealing with our anger:
Few things are more destructive to Christians than anger. Anger causes us to lose our self-control and to say and do things we would otherwise never consider. Anger, if allowed to remain, turns into bitterness that eats away at our hearts. Scripture consistently commands believers to put away anger and lists it as one of the sins of the flesh (Eph. 4:31).
At times, we try to defend our anger by citing Ephesians 4:26. As additional proof we argue that Jesus cleansed the temple in “righteous indignation.” Ephesians refers to anger that does not lead to sin. Jesus was capable of being angry without sinning. When Jesus cleared the temple, Scripture does not indicate that He was angry (Matt. 21:12–14; Mark 11:15–18; Luke 19:45–46).
We must be careful not to justify our anger with Scripture. Ephesians 4:31 commands us to put away all anger. That does not mean that we cease to have strong convictions or lose our desire for justice. It does mean we refuse to allow others’ sins to cause us to sin. Anger does not bring about God’s redemptive work; far more often it hinders what God is working to accomplish.
If you feel that you have a righteous anger because of something that has happened, see if you are holding anger in your heart without sin. Is your anger turning into bitterness? Is it causing you to speak in an unchristian manner to someone or to gossip about them? Is it causing you to make excuses for your own ungodly behavior? You must examine any anger within you and allow God to remove any sinful attitudes that your anger may have produced.
Blackaby, Richard (2006-12-01). Experiencing God Day By Day (Kindle Locations 5578-5587). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
How are you doing with your anger? Take some time today to evaluate where you are and talk to God about your anger. He’ll listen, and He will even show you from His Word how to deal with it in a biblical way. – Dr. Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick. You can write to him at bwelte@americaskeswick.org
Think About This: Let us humbly sit at our Lord’s feet to receive rebuke or instruction as he sees fit. —C.H. Spurgeon
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I Corinthians 15:57
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