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The following comes from the devotional book “What Now?” by Ashley Akers. To learn more, go to www.whatnowdevo.com.
Anger
“My name is Ashley Akers. I am a grateful believer in Jesus Christ and I struggle with anger.” This is the acknowledgement I shared each week at a recovery meeting at my church. I have struggled with anger all my life. I was even given the nickname Spitfire years ago after I exploded in anger on a poor hotel desk clerk for giving our room away. Did my anger do any good? No. Did I win that fight? No. Was I acting like a fool? Yes. How I wish I could go back to that day and do it all over again. I wish I knew then what I know now. My anger can build very quickly with the ones I love, and this has made me question why I get angry. My reasons usually sounded something like these: I am mad because they said something about me, she hurt me, he didn’t listen to me and she didn’t do it my way. Do you notice a common denominator? They are all about me! When I am in a selfish frame of mind, I tend to speak more and listen less because I want to be heard. Then when things don’t go my way, I become angry. When I’m focused on myself there is no possibility my focus is also on God, where it should be.
James 1:19-20 (NLT) says, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
And Ephesians 4:26-27 (NLT) says, “And don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”
Not all anger is bad. But the kind of anger that is sometimes called “the wrath of men” is bad. I would describe this as self-centered anger because it tends to, well, center on you. God does not desire for you to be weighed down with a life marked by your temper! Anger will produce conflict, pride, loneliness and bitterness that can destroy relationships. When we act out of selfish anger in any circumstance, the devil gains breeding ground to work in our lives and in our relationships, just like Ephesians said. Resentment settles into the cracks where cooperation used to preside, gossip starts, which leads to more hurt and even greater anger.
Do you see the repetitive pattern uncontrolled anger can cause? Eventually the cracks become great divides and the relationship is severely damaged. You must break that cycle. Don’t allow waves of negative emotion to weigh you down or hurt the people around you. Settle arguments quickly with loving words instead. Anger is an emotion that God created us to experience, but what you get mad mad about and how you deal with anger when it arises determines if it is sinful or not. Your reactions and responses are your choice.
So the question is, how do you get rid of sinful anger? First, you must PRAY! Express to your Lord, Jesus Christ, how desperately you need Him to help. Then, own up to your sinful anger with God and with a spiritually mature person you trust. I challenge you to walk closely with Christ and to continually seek Him through prayer and through His Word, the Bible. The more we see and strive to live by His ways the more we can break away from anger’s evil grip and destruction in our lives.
Reflection Questions
- What do you find yourself angry about most of the time?
- What do you find is the root of your anger?
- What steps do you need to take to help with your sinful anger?
Copyright © 2024 by Ashley Akers @ whatnowdevo.com. No part of this article may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from Lifeword.org