When it comes to anger, here is what you need to know: it isn’t a psychological disorder; everybody gets angry. And it’s not necessarily a sin. Like a fast-flowing river, it can generate constructive or destructive energy, and be unleashed negatively or harnessed positively. Anger is commonly misunderstood as something that’s done to us by others or by circumstances. We say, ‘I couldn’t help it; they pushed my buttons!’ ‘What could I do; he got my hackles up!’ That sounds like Eden: Adam said, ‘The woman you gave me made me do it!’ Since the fall, we have claimed to be victims of people, the devil, and circumstances beyond our control – a belief that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, causing us to feel helpless and at the mercy of external forces. What does God’s Word say about our anger? ‘Sensible people control their temper.’ That means when sensible people get angry, they control their emotions. No matter what the external trigger is, the answer is always an internal response. ‘The fruit of the Spirit is…self-control’ (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV). Staying filled with God’s Spirit is the key to anger management. Instead of feeding your anger by telling yourself, ‘You can’t get away with treating me like that,’ try thinking, ‘No matter what you say or do, God’s Spirit lives in me and I have self-control!’ The Bible says, ‘The grace of God…teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age’ (Titus 2:11-12 NIV). So, learn to control your anger.
