December 8

One of the surest marks of spiritual maturity is the God-given ability to control our anger. A verse from our reading from today in the Book of Proverbs, chapter 29, verse 11 declares this character trait is a mark of wisdom:

A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

The real problem with anger is not what we feel, but what we do. As the Apostle Paul put it in Ephesians 4:26, “In your anger do not sin…” or in other words, “When you are angry, be careful that you do not sin.”

As we go through our daily lives, things sometimes happen that arouse strong emotions within us, but with God’s help we do not have to say or do everything we want to say or do! As we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us in those situations, He will give us the self-control that we need to avoid responding in unrighteous ways. This precious reality prompted Paul to tell the Galatian Christians that self-control is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23) and that walking in the Spirit is the key to overcoming the impulses of our “flesh,”

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Gal. 5:16)”

Anger management classes or techniques can help us, but at the end of the day our greatest recourse when dealing with anger is the power of the power of the Holy Spirit.

While we may sometimes be tempted to think that we do not have any control over our what we feel, in the Ephesians passage the Apostle commands us, “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (vs. 26-27)” From his perspective, we have a choice to make as to whether or not we will continue to be angry from one day to the next. He wants us to realize that nursing, harboring, or deliberately feeding our own anger opens our heart to demonic influence. As another verse in Proverbs puts it, “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control. (Prov. 25:28)” When we choose to stay angry at anyone for any reason for any length of time, we become incapable of exercising spiritual authority over our enemy, Satan!

This very real danger is perhaps part of the reason behind the following biblical injunctions to work very hard at maintaining peaceful relationships with other people,

“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”” (1 Peter 3:8–12)

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Hebrews 12:14–15)

Here is the “bottom-line”: We cannot be wrong with our neighbor and be right with God.

Ongoing anger is a symptom of other, deeper issues and has far-reaching consequences. 1 Timothy 2:8 links our liberty in prayer to an absence of anger and arguing. Galatians 5:20 lists “fits of rage” among some of the most serious sins in the Bible, flatly stating that no one who lives like this will inherit the Kingdom of God. Proverbs 22:24 instructs us, “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.”

One of the most valuable practical lessons I have learned about anger from my years of dealing with people is that a person who is continually angry with others is usually even more angry with themselves about something or another. Perhaps they find it difficult to forgive themselves for some past deed. Perhaps they are losing their ongoing battle with a specific sin that they themselves find so egregious that it fills them with shame and guilt expressed through rage. Or perhaps they have been deeply hurt by something that was done to them and have become so bitter about what happened that they are mad at the world and everyone in it.

Whenever you encounter this kind of anger in others or if you experience it yourself, remember this: Jesus Christ is the answer! He came to bring forgiveness for what we have done and freedom from what we have become! At the foot of His cross, there is peace and victory through the power of His Holy Spirit!

Pastor Mark