This world is an angry place. We have road rage for example. It seems that everybody has something to be angry about. Anger happens suddenly, powerfully and irrationally. There is only a one letter difference between anger and danger.

1 – Controlling that sudden anger

Some people are proud that they have a short fuse. See Proverbs 14:17; 15:18; 19:19; 25:8 & 29:20-22. God says it is foolish to jump into anger. We need to be careful that we do not say what we think in anger. The person who jumps into anger is less than a fool. There is also punishment for those who cannot control their anger. How do you control this sudden anger?

• Confess it. Admit it is getting the best of you. It is the same as confessing sin. We are to humble ourselves. We don’t want to do that when we are mad!
• Consider it. See Proverbs 14:29. You need to ponder over why you are getting so angry. Is it worth the damage it is causing?
• Control it. You need to be in control of your anger. See Proverbs 29:11 – “A fool always loses his temper, but a wise man holds it back”. You are not to speak your mind about everything that comes to you in anger. If you do then, the Bible says you are a fool.

2 – Condemning the sinful anger

Not all anger is sinful. Some anger is justified. Christ, for example, became angry. See Mark 3:5 & John 2:14-15. Some things should make you made. If you can’t get angry about injustice then something is wrong with you! Do you have apathy? How can we tell between righteous and sinful anger?

• When it is illegitimate. You don’t have a cause. There is no reason for it.
• When it is vengeful.
• When it is cherished. Are you glad that you are mad?
• When it is unrelenting. You become an unforgiving person.

3 – Conquering the stubborn anger

What do we do about a stubborn anger that is hard to get over?

• Don’t nurse it. Don’t feed it and look after it. Don’t give vitamins to your anger. You can’t hide it from God.
• Don’t rehearse it. Don’t go over and over it again and again in your mind what you are angry about. The more you rehearse it the better you get at being angry.
• Don’t converse about it. Stop telling everyone about it.
• Don’t disperse it. Don’t do something that you shouldn’t. The world doesn’t need to know you are angry. See Proverbs 19:11. You shouldn’t make friendship with angry people. See Proverbs 22:24.
• Reverse it. This is the key. Change gear and go in the opposite direction. Instead of retaliation go for redemption. It is a soft answer that turns away wrath. See Proverbs 15:1.

Don’t let the Devil dictate the way you deal with anger. You need to turn the anger over to the Holy Spirit. Like Jesus you can forgive and say “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing”. See Luke 23:34. Can you say “God I don’t know what you are doing, but I am listening” This is how we attack our anger.

Categories: Proverbs