"Anger"

“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.” -Ephesians 4:26-27 

 We have all experienced anger at some point in our lives. For some people it can be a real problem. Though it starts as a simple feeling, it can quickly grow into something dangerous and even hard to control.

 I’ll be the first to admit that, years ago, I had a bad temper and struggled to control my anger. I have always had a strong personality, so if you said something to upset me, there was a good chance I would let you know about it.

 Over time, however, after spending time studying my Bible and praying that God would help me with my temper, He began to change my temperament and soften my strong personality through the power of the Holy Spirit. During this time, God showed me some things about anger through His word. 

Is It a Sin to Be Angry?

Anger is not a sin—what you do with it can become a sin.

“Be ye angry, and sin not:” -Ephesians 4:26a 

These verses don’t say, “Don’t get angry,” or, “If you ever get angry.” Instead, they indicate that we will definitely deal with anger.

We’re all going to be angry at times, but it’s not feeling anger that’s a problem. The problem comes when we act on those feelings. I have, at times, wished some of my feelings would go away, but they usually don’t. I’ve learned that God is not necessarily going to change the way I feel, but He will help me to be stronger than my feelings so that I can control my actions. We must understand that we all have feelings, and we must take responsibility for them, but we can’t allow them to control us.

Dealing with Anger at its Onset

“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” -Proverbs 16:32 

 A person who rules their spirit demonstrates self-control. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit that’s given to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. As we grow in our relationship with Christ, we should have more control over our behavior. 

This means when we feel a certain way, we can choose not to act on it if we know it’s against the Word of God. “Neither give place to the devil.” -Ephesians 4:27 

 Through His word, I believe God is telling us there is a way to be angry without sinning. There’s a way to stop and make a decision about what we’re going to do with our anger before it gets out of control.

How to Stay Cool, Calm & Collected

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” -2 Corinthians 10:5

We can continue to fuel our angry emotions by continuing to dwell on negative thoughts, or we can take a stand and, with God’s help, refuse to allow the situation to get out of control.

So, when you feel yourself getting upset, the sooner you say “No!” to those thoughts and feelings, the better. At the end of the day, God has given us a “free will” to make the choices we want to make. When we allow our anger to overpower us then we are at fault for the consequences which follow.