There is a ‘righteous anger’. Jesus taught this and was an example of it. Once was even in the Garden of Gethsemane with his three best friends. He asked them to stay awake and pray with him on the night before he was taken away to be tried and crucified, but they kept falling asleep. So he firmly let them know that was not OK.
Situations need to be handled with Holy Spirit wisdom – not anger! Have you ever messed up? I have! The Spirit’s wisdom can help us discern and put into practice God’s word versus reacting out of our own emotions!
To become a better musician, poet, artist, programmer, craftsman, nurse, or any other profession we need to practice. It’s the same with anger management.
We must practice allowing the Holy Spirit to help us calm down – to wait before the Lord for the Holy Spirit’s leading. When emotions flare – PRAY! Ask in prayer for needed answers and responses rather than rudely reacting. The Bible even says surrender our all to God and trust Him. Ask for the Holy Spirit to help you; that’s exactly why Jesus asked God to send the Spirit to us. See John 14:16 (Holy Spirit is also translated as Helper, Advocate, Comforter, and Guide, depending on the Bible you are reading.)
We do not need to hinder God’s blessings in our life or the lives of others with our anger. Instead, we need to turn our lives over to Christ’s and the Holy Spirit’s authority. We do not want to be kept in the chains of anger and the prison of unforgiveness. Remember God, through Christ Jesus, is always faithful and will never leave or forsake us.
Romans 8:28 tells us God uses the good and the bad together for His purpose – if we love Him. Therefore, all our frustrations, anger, and emotional baggage can be used for His glory.
Read Romans 8:26 when you don’t know how to pray and ask the Holy Spirit for help with your sighs and groans and words you may not understand. Cry if you must. Just use your voice to make sounds. He understands. Trust Him.
Is all anger sin? Anger sometimes serves useful purposes. It can provide the fruit that leads to self-control, motivate work toward justice, or spur us to do something to help others.
Sometimes we need to sit and quietly pray until we are calmed down. Through helping other angry people calm down in bad situations and circumstances, we also will develop new ways to respond and mature. We can learn to resist the temptation to “bad mouth” others or be vindictive and lash out just because we are hurt or angry. It is a process, not an instant thing. Start today.
