Anger

ANGER

7 Verses on Anger
1. “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment” (Matthew 5:22)
2. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” (Ephesians 4:31)
3. “For man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (James 1:20)
4. “In your anger do not sin" : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” (Ephesians 4:26)
5. “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control” (Proverbs 25:28)
6. “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control” (Proverbs 29:11)
7. “Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered” (Proverbs 22:24)

7 Quotes on Anger
1. “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” (Buddha)
2. “Speak when you are angry - and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret.” (Laurence Peter)
3. “If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.” (Chinese Proverb)
4. “A man is about as big as the things that make him angry” (Winston Churchill)
5. “Anyone can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person at the right time, and for the right purpose and in the right way - that is not within everyone's power and that is not easy.” (Aristotle)
6. “Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight” (Phyllis Diller)
7. “If there is one thing worse than Anger enacted, it is Anger nursed, turned inward, fed and nurtured” (Will Willimon)

Anger, of the Seven, is the most obviously deadly of the deadly sins. Every day on the news we see anger lead to death. But that's not really the kind of anger that is meant on the list of the Seven. A murderer's anger has long since turned into extreme bitterness and then rage. The kind of anger listed in the Seven Deadly Sins is the initial source that has the potential to turn into something far worse.

Anger, by itself, is simply a natural emotion. It would be inappropriate to never get angry (injustice, for instance, should make us angry). Our problem is not that we get angry, but what makes us angry. Far too often seemingly small and somewhat insignificant matters upset us. Winston Churchill once said that "A man is about as big as the things that make him angry." The trick is to get angry over the right things and to dispense of our anger in the right ways.

There are basically two mistakes we can make in regard to anger. We can vent all our anger emotions all the time OR we can't bottle them up until they explode. The Bible says a fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. The Bible also commands us not to let the sun go down while you are still angry. Thus, anger is natural, but we have to learn to deal with it in supernatural ways (meaning, in Spirit led ways).

I'm an anger survivor. As a teenager I had a horrendously short temper, but I bet nobody in college would have really guessed such a thing. When I surrendered my life to Christ at age 17, He knocked my bad temper out in one blow (much like Jericho). And so anger is less of a problem for me than, say, apathy.

At the risk of suggesting some very simplistic advice, I'd recommend that each time we experience the emotion of anger we pause and ponder what it is we're angry about. I agree with the ancient Chinese proverb which states that if we are patient in one moment of anger, we will escape a hundred days of sorrow.