Wounded and Sick: Things That Cripple Your Faith

Anger's Inferno

•Anger’s Inferno•

Angry feelings are natural, but they become a problem when they start to consume you. Anger can burn away every sensible thought, making you lose control, and cause you say or do things that go against God’s wishes. 

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires." (James 1:19‭-‬20)

Anger unjustified in God’s eyes does not come from righteous hearts. Let’s break this down a little:

-God is the Ultimate Supreme Judge. Justice- true justice- stems from Him and Him alone, and He outlines justice for us in His Word. Anything that goes outside of His guidelines- any action that goes outside of that is unjustified. Even if it feels justified to us, if it goes against God’s guidelines, it is unjust. 

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
(Matthew 21:12‭-‬13)

-Jesus got angry. Yes, the only Perfect Man got angry. What made the difference between His anger and our anger?

"An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins." (Proverbs 29:22)

- Anger can- and will- cause conflict and sin in your life. 

"Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools." (Ecclesiastes 7:9)

"Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end." (Proverbs 29:11)

- Anger quickly provoked comes from a foolish heart, but a wise heart stays calm. 

"Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent." (Psalms 4:4)

 - When you are angry, first, STOP. Take a breath, step back from the situation. Reflect on whether your anger is truly justified. Why are you angry? Who are you angry for? Finally, how should you react in your anger versus how you want to react? 

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." (Ephesians 4:26‭-‬27)

So what is the cure for anger? I would sum it up with this verse, using three words: Acknowledgement, self-control, and forgiveness. 

First, acknowledgement.

-The first two words of this well-known verse are, “be angry”. Not “don’t be angry” or “hide your anger”. Be angry. Acknowledge that you are angry- that you have these feelings and don’t hide them from yourself, but especially not from God either. Really, this goes for every emotion under the sun.
  
-One of my close friends reminds me of this whenever I feel like I need to hide the fact that I am angry or upset or even just drained. I want to repeat her words to all of you: your feelings are valid. You cannot change the way you feel, and it is okay to feel that way. No one here on earth really has a right to tell you otherwise, because they are your feelings and those other people are not you. In my experience, bottling up any negative emotion (anger, sadness, exhaustion, doubt, hurt, etc) and hiding it away never lasts. That bottle will eventually overflow and spill, and the more that was stuffed into it, the more of a mess it will make. It is always better to admit that you feel those emotions, first to God, then to yourself, then- if necessary- to the other people in your life. 

Second, self-control.

-“And do not sin.” Remember, our nature as human beings is sinful at its core. Any flesh-driven response to our anger is not how God wants us to react. One of the qualities (or Fruits of the Spirit) Christians are called to exhibit is self-control; and God gives us the ability to do so. When you want to retort or shout or whatever your flesh tells you to do, use self-control instead. Even if it means turning around and walking away, it is better than giving into sin nature. You can go back with a clearer judgement and apologize later. This can be really hard, and take time and practice. And even then, you will still give into those reactions sometimes. That’s when the third step or word comes in. 

Forgiveness.

- “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.” This word is so easy to say, but so hard to do (and receive) sometimes. This doesn't necessarily mean make sure you forgive or seek forgiveness by the end of a day, but I think it means that make sure you do forgive or seek forgiveness as needed. If you do not forgive, it can begin to harden your heart. If you do not seek forgiveness, it can weigh you down.