Introduction: Some kings and rulers have left a good mark on history, but others have caused catastrophes of which humanity today feels ashamed. Many of those sad and painful consequences were born in a fit of rage.
Anger is a bad counselor, anger causes madness, that is why the Scripture says: “He who is slow to anger is better than the strong; and he who rules over his spirit, than he who conquers a city” Proverbs 16:32. It is essential to know anger and how to control it…
What is anger and how to deal with it?
1) Meaning of the word “anger”.
a) In the Greek language the word “anger” is translated from the term “orge” which also means: violent passion; punishment, anger, revenge. The root of the word indicates desire or longing. Words that let us see the intensity of this passion, whose desire is to punish or take revenge for a damage or offense received.
b) Colossians 3:8 “But now you also leave all these things: wrath, wrath, malice, blasphemy, dishonest words out of your mouth.”
This passage encourages us to leave those things that are not in accordance with our new nature as children of God. That is why the previous verses, that is Colossians 3:5-7, remind us of things from the past life and of which we must divest ourselves, and one of them is anger.
When “anger” appears first in this list that Paul makes by the Holy Spirit in Colossians 3:8, it can indicate that it generates or fosters the birth of the others that are mentioned later, that is, anger, blasphemy, dishonest words. , etc.
two) The anger and the words. Acts 19:28-29.
“When they heard these things, they were filled with wrath, and cried out, saying: Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And the city was filled with confusion, and together they rushed into the theater, snatching Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, companions of Paul”.
a) The context teaches us that Paul was preaching in the city of Ephesus, many believed and God performed extraordinary miracles through Paul. Those who made shrines to the goddess Diana of the Ephesians (and profited greatly from this) were deeply disturbed by Paul’s teaching about not worshiping idols.
b) Filled with anger they began to shout in favor of their goddess Diana of the Ephesians. We must highlight two things that arose here because of the anger, that is, they were not only words full of anger but at a very high volume. Even out of anger they thought of harming Paul’s fellow Christians: Gaius and Aristarchus.
c) Frequently, driven by anger, we fall into the error of pronouncing words that we can later regret for the rest of our lives. Not only foolish words, but expressions that give rise to death and sin. Words that hurt and hurt the hearts of the people we love, that is, our family, brothers and friends.
d) When we allow anger to rule our heart, we not only speak incorrectly, but we use a high volume in our voice and start yelling. It is then no longer a conversation, but a battlefield where each one wants to defeat the other with a higher volume of voice.
and) It seems that the winner will be the one who shouts the most, which is of course wrong. For the word of God tells us: “A soft answer turns away wrath; but a harsh word stirs up fury” Proverbs 15:1; In addition, the Scripture tells us: “The fool gives free rein to his anger, but the wise knows how to control it” Proverbs 29:11. It is an evidence of spiritual maturity to submit anger to the rule of the Christ who lives in us.
3) Anger and our actions. Luke 4:28-30.
“When they heard these things, everyone in the synagogue was filled with anger; and getting up, they drove him out of the city, and carried him to the top of the mountain on which their city was built, to throw him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went his way.”
a) The Lord Jesus was preaching in the synagogue of Nazareth, and before the disbelief in his preaching and ministry the Lord confronts them, and everyone in the synagogue was filled with anger. That is why many times we see that when God confronts us we get angry, justify ourselves, and do other things that make our anger evident.
b) Driven by that anger, those who were in the synagogue got up from their place and threw Jesus out of the city and took him to the top of the mountain to throw him off the cliff, a fatal fall of course, but that was not the moment of the Master and that is why “He passed through the midst of them and went his way.”
c) So we see how intense the anger is, they thought and planned to take Jesus’ life. We also see it in Cain who took the life of his brother Abel, and in Absalom who killed his brother Amnon. Esau himself fueled his anger and desire for revenge waiting for the day his father Isaac would die to take the life of his brother Jacob.
d) The letter of James 1:20 tells us “For in the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God.” Another version says: “An angry man does not do what pleases God.” Then anger prevents man from acting according to the just and correct character of the Lord; anger is unjust, selfish, cruel and evil, aspects that are not according to the nature of God.
and) We cannot deny that when anger takes control of the person, they experience a transformation in which the violent force harms and hurts those around them. It is a sad transformation that undoubtedly embarrasses us later, a transformation that blurs the Christ that lives in us and that we must present to the world.
F) The rage, the anger, the desire for revenge lead the man to commit serious mistakes, madness that can end his life. These seeds of death and evil germinate in a heart that he does not decide to forgive, that heart that does not get rid of his anger to put everything in the hands of God. It is essential to take care of our heart so that it is not the enemy’s field.
4) Anger, love and forgiveness. Ephesians 4:31.
“Let all bitterness, anger, wrath, clamor and slander, and all malice be removed from you.”
a) Ephesians 4:31 allows us to see that anger affects Christians, and it is something that we must get rid of. That is why the text says “Get away from you” speaking to the brothers of the church of Ephesus in the first instance, and today to us. The Christian can be attacked or governed by bitterness, anger, rage, shouting, slander or malice; government that we must avoid so that it is Christ who governs our hearts.
b) What is the difference here between anger and anger? Let us remember that anger is translated from the Greek term “orge” and anger is translated from the Greek “thumos”, the latter indicates a sudden explosion of internal indignation, while “orge” is more permanent because it has the objective of taking revenge.
c) The verses before and after 31, that is Ephesians 4:30 and 32
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption…Be kind to one another, merciful, forgiving one another, as God forgave you in Christ.”
They are verses that let us see that through the work of the Holy Spirit and the love of God in our hearts it is possible to walk in forgiveness and mercy. As verse 30 teaches us, these behaviors grieve the Holy Spirit. So these things affect our relationship with God and end up affecting the flow of God’s Spirit in us.
d) That is why Paul’s advice “Get rid of” these things. By stripping ourselves of this, and putting situations in God’s hands, he will be the one to take care of each matter, and we will walk in forgiveness and blessing others, because that is God’s will “Bless and do not curse”. Let us remember that love covers a multitude of faults.
and) The measure of forgiveness that the Lord expects from us towards those who offend us or have offended us is “forgiving one another, as God also forgave you in Christ” Ephesians 4:32. Therefore our forgiveness towards the offender is not conditioned, neither with fines, nor with a history of the past, etc., we must forgive as in Christ God forgave us and threw our sins to the bottom of the sea and remembers them no more.
F) True forgiveness heals the heart of the hurt person, it does not remember the past with pain, it does not harbor hidden desires for revenge. Forgiveness does not allow the heart to be a fertile ground where the root of bitterness can grow. Anger is just the opposite, because it makes the heart the appropriate ground where bitterness, resentment, emotional and physical illness, etc. germinate.
g) That is why it is vital to follow God’s advice, that is, to get rid of anger, anger and resentment. Let us try to surrender our hearts to God, and let it be his peace that governs our hearts. Not in vain does the Bible tell us that the great commandment is love, even towards enemies. Jesus said, “This is what the law and the prophets are all about: You shall love the Lord your God with all your mind, with all your heart, with all your soul… and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
5) How to defeat anger?
a) It is very important to take into account here the words of Paul to the Ephesians in which through the Holy Spirit he warns us about the importance of having self-control and not allowing the rule of anger over our lives:
“Be angry, but do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger. Do not give place to the devil…”. Verse that lets us see how anger breeds sin, and can take root in the heart when we don’t get rid of it quickly. Anger gives rise to the devil, that is, it opens the doors of our lives and our homes to wounds, offenses, resentment, mistreatment, without a doubt an atmosphere that generates destruction.
b) It is therefore essential for each of us to mature in Christ and submit to the anger and the logical consequences of this passion. Trying to know a little more about anger we can see other definitions such as:
Anger is that internal feeling of anger that makes us lose control against others.
Anger is an excessive annoyance that irritates and wants to get even.
Anger is an impulse of our interior result of a nuisance.
c) Anger easily leads us to do great follies, and it leads to foolishness “Do not hasten your spirit to be angry, because anger rests in the bosom of fools” Ecclesiastes 7:9. Anger generates offenses towards those around us, it can even generate death. For all these things we must overcome it, let’s see some things that we must take into account to defeat anger:
1) It is necessary to recognize that sometimes we give free rein to anger.
two) Recognize that it leads us to sin before God.
3) Pray and confess it before God.
4) Take some quiet time to reflect in the light of God’s word.
5) Ask forgiveness from God and those we have offended or hurt.
6) Surrender our hearts to God so that his character may flow more in…