Anger
Cain’s anger turned into hate and murder.
People often excuse their bad temper by
saying “That’s just the way I am. I have a short fuse.” But according to the
Bible what they are actually saying is “That’s just the way I am. I am a fool.”
How many times have you wished you could
take something you said back? Every time you give a quick retort, every time
you speak before thinking, you increase the stress in your life simply due to
the regret. And if your temper caused you to lose a relationship, or to have to
go through fights in order to keep the relationship, the stress only mounts.
Having an uncontrolled temper is tantamount to having cancer.
It’s bad enough to simply be short-tempered.
You’ll only be known as a fool. But if you are one of those who actually take
time to develop and nurse your anger rest assured you will be hated.
If you enjoy making many mistakes and
looking foolish, then go ahead and let your temper have free reign. If you want
to be known as a wise person with great understanding, then get it under
control.
Anger is like fire and harsh words are its
fuel. Responding to anger with harsh words is like trying to stop a fire by
throwing gasoline on it.
A hothead is invariably surrounded by strife
and conflict. If a person is such a lightning rod, then you can identify them
surely. But if a person is constantly trying to stop the conflicts, giving soft
answers, dealing justly, making righteous judgments, then you can identify that
person just as surely. Determine which one you want to be. Determine which one
you want to be around.
A short-tempered man
is a fool.
A person who will deceive you, will betray
your confidences, or will try to get you to do something that is harmful is no
friend. That is a violent person and he will surely meet his just end. You
don’t want to go down with such a person. Stay away.
Patience has its own rewards. Witness the
power of water has it slowly winds its way, cutting through rock. Few natural
phenomena can duplicate the greatness of the
It’s easier to quench a single spark than it
is to stop a raging forest fire. Stop before it goes too far and you say or do
things you’ll never be able to take back.
There are those who simply love conflict.
They enjoy juicy gossip. They delight in dissension. But they are inviting
disaster. Stand away from such people for you do not want to be near them when
God comes knocking.
Have trouble with your temper? Then be
quiet! The less you say, the more wise you appear and the less people can pick
apart.
If you truly want people’s respect, then you
must begin acting like a man and not a spoiled little boy who was told no.
Once you recognize this particular brand of
foolishness in someone, then you might want to reconsider working with them. If
you decide to continue investing in them, you had better count on investing and
investing and investing. Short-tempered people rarely have the wisdom to learn
from others. You’ll have to tell them again and again.
If you can honorably and honestly avoid a
fight, then do so. Don’t keep insisting on your point simply because you MUST
BE RIGHT. Be able to pleasantly disagree with someone.
If you truly want to pacify a person’s
anger, look for a way to serve them. But don’t do it in front of everyone so
that they can see how righteous you are. That will only make the person
angrier.
Choose your friends carefully because you will tend to become like them! Do not associate with a hot-tempered person.
Don’t succumb to petty vengeance. Don’t be
so small minded. And especially be careful of twisting things to make them look
bad, of lying about the context of the statements or not revealing the whole
truth. Not only would that make you petty, but it would also make you a liar
and God deals with such in a particularly unpleasant manner.
Get rid of the gossip and there goes to
anger too! Get everyone in the same room so that stories can’t get twisted and
deal with it. If you think someone is guilty of something, then go them and
thrash it out. Don’t talk to anyone else until you have talked to that person
first!
It’s just as disgusting to see a person
continually falling for the same foolishness as it is to see a dog eat its own
vomit.
It comes easily to them. It is a natural
state of affairs. It is necessary that righteous people at times be filled with
righteous indignation and anger, but a fool fights like he breathes.
You will learn soon enough that there are
those who will claim to be your friends, who will compliment you and gush all
over you but who are filled with jealousy and hatred. Those who gush the most
will be the ones most likely to stab you in the back. Earned praise is one
thing. Flattery is another. But a person cannot keep such wickedness to
themselves. Sooner or later all will see just what kind of person they are.
If you have a fool on your team, you will
not only have to constantly deal with him, but also the resentment of the
others on your team. Get rid of the fool and you get rid of much more than just
his dead weight.
The worst type of anger is one motivated by
jealousy. That kind will go on and on. The more you try to answer the
challenges, the more the jealous person will believe that you are defending
yourself because you have a guilty conscience. The more you try to serve them,
the more they will read improper motives into your actions. It’s best to be quit
of such a person.
Rest assured that no matter what their lips
say, no matter their protestations of injured innocence or of lack of
conviction, the Holy Spirit never lets anyone escape their conscience. Even the
most calloused killer goes to his grave with his conscience bothering him. When
you speak the Word to such a person, it is affecting them deep inside. Also,
don’t try to excuse people’s bad behavior saying “He can’t help it, he was born
that way. He can’t help it, circumstances formed him.” Don’t protect such a
person, because he always had the sting of his conscience telling him to stop
and he simply chose to ignore it because he thought he could get away with it.
If you struggle with your temper and you are
receiving constructive criticism about it, then the sooner you listen the
better. You might cross the line when simple criticism will not be sufficient
and God’s discipline may be the next needful step!
Some people mistake the ability to stir
anger in others for influence. They think that they have power because they can
agitate people. They think that the mob loves them. But that mob will just as
easily turn on its instigator as it will on any other victim. Those who are
wise will recognize that any idiot can stir up anger. It takes real strength of
character to build lasting peace through the habitual practice of justice.
It doesn’t matter if it would feel good to
let loose – if you do you are identifying yourself for all as a fool.
A temper will not only get you into fights,
but into all kinds of other sin. If you lack the self-control to curb your
tongue in anger, then from where will the control come to keep from gossiping?
If you cannot discipline your wrathful passions, then whose to say you will be
able to discipline your sexual passions? Character is not limited to one field
alone. Character affects everything in your life. Character inevitably leaks
into your speech, into your teaching, into your child rearing, into your
worship, into your job, into your marriage. A man will never rise above the
limitations of his character.
Anger was given to us as a motivator. Anger
drives us to action. If we allow ourselves to be angry over the wrong things,
then we will do wrong things. But if we discipline ourselves to be angry at the
things that anger God, then we will do the things that please God. But one way
or the other, anger will produce action.
Anger is not in itself sinful.
Note: God
is angry with the wicked.
Note: God
was angry with Solomon.
Note:
God was angry with
Note:
Jesus was angry with the Pharisees.
Fits of rage belong to your sinful nature, the way of sin.
Good news! Through the Spirit you can overcome the sin of a hot temper.
Be slow to become angry.
Handle anger in a godly way. Handle the anger-causing issue right away – that very day. Don’t let stuff build up.
Get over anger
quickly.
Control yourself.
Don't get into a tit
for tat competition when wronged.
Love covers a multitude of sins and overlooks many offenses.
Seek the way of love.