Psalm 37 8 Refrain from anger and turn

Psalm 37: 8 “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret it leads only to evil. ” Proverbs 12: 16 “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. ” Proverbs 12: 18 “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. ” Proverbs 16: 32 “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city. Proverbs 19: 19 A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.

“In your anger do not sin” Good Anger “It is a sad reality that we have chosen to simply ignore wrong and sin. In fact, the whole category of “sinful behavior” is being attacked. The only “evil” is that which stands in the way of what I want in my life! This should anger us because it is an offense to God and it is destroying us and those around us! A failure to feel angry at such things is a sign of a pagan society. ”

I want you to get mad about the current state of affairs. I want you to get so mad that you kick your elders and move America off dead center. Our nation was born when 56 patriots got mad enough to sign the Declaration of Independence. We put a man on the moon because Sputnik made us mad at being No. 2 in space. Getting mad in a constructive way is good for the soul—and the country. [1]

Bad Anger First, we suppress anger. Others do just the opposite and explode in anger.

Alexander the Great was one of the few men in history who seemed to deserve his descriptive title. He was energetic, versatile, and intelligent. Although hatred was not generally part of his nature, several times in his life he was tragically defeated by anger. The story is told of one of these occasions, when a dear friend of Alexander, a general in his army, became intoxicated and began to ridicule the emperor in front of his men. Blinded by anger and quick as lightning, Alexander snatched a spear from the hand of a soldier and hurled it at his friend. Although he had only intended to scare the drunken general, his aim was true and the spear took the life of his childhood friend.

Deep remorse followed his anger. Overcome with guilt, Alexander attempted to take his own life with the same spear, but he was stopped by his men. For days he lay sick, calling for his friend and chiding himself as a murderer. He had conquered many cities and vanquished many countries, but he had failed miserably to control his own spirit. [2]

The third inappropriate way to handle anger is to be passive-aggressive. The Reasons We Must Control Anger: Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontation still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back; in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you. 6

How do we control our anger rather than letting it control us? Understand Your Position in Christ. No matter what the world says or does God sees us, knows us, and loves us. God requires us to be forgiving and loving. God requires us to have a humility that recognizes that we are sinners saved by grace.

Recognize When Anger Begins to Rise We draw conclusions about: What the words of a person really mean What body language is saying What their intentions and motives are How that person feels about us.

Think for a moment how you respond to these two comments. Somebody comes up to you and says, ‘I am angry!’ How do you respond to that? Another person comes up to you and says, ‘I am really hurting!’ How do you respond to that? Are the responses the same? I doubt it. [Sproul, The Purpose of God]

Deal with Anger immediately. Take Responsibility for your Anger and Choose to Release it

You show a genuine tolerance for others’ flaws or weaknesses You choose to set aside a critical spirit, becoming fair-minded You giving priority to forgiveness (rather than “victory”) You choose kindness, even if others have not earned it You stay out of fruitless debate or discussion You accept the truth that you cannot expect life to give you everything you want You allow another to make a mistake You drop the requirement that others must do what you would like them to do. [4]

Finally, Look for the positive. Controlling anger will: Enrich our relationships, Allow our families to grow in a healthy way, Will enhance our Christian example, And will also help us to enjoy the journey of life.