"Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26 ESV).
We all get angry from time to time. We may handle it differently, but none of us can escape the emotion entirely. But just because we get angry doesn’t mean we’re sinning. The Bible says, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26 ESV). Paul tells us in this passage not to let our anger lead us into sin. That means that anger isn’t necessarily sin. The truth is, we can deal with our anger in both appropriate and inappropriate ways. Unfortunately, most of us express our anger in ways that get us further from our goals instead of moving us closer to them. For example, here are three things to avoid when you’re angry: Don’t suppress your anger. Don’t store it up inside. When you suppress anger without expressing it in proper ways, it’s like taking a soft drink bottle and shaking it up. One day it’s going to pop! It’ll impact your body eventually. Doctors tell us a number of physical ailments are often brought on by suppressed anger. Don’t repress it. When you repress your anger, you simply deny it’s there. Deny your anger often enough and you’ll be depressed. For many people that feel depressed, they're really just angry. They just don't think that Christians should get angry, so they simply bottle it up inside. Denying anger is a sin. It’s called lying. Don’t express it in inappropriate ways. We can express anger in a variety of inappropriate ways. We pout, spit sarcasm, manipulate, or do something stupid (get drunk, have affairs, etc.). None of those approaches get us anywhere near the result we’re looking for. So what should we do with our anger? Confess it. You don’t just admit the anger, but you also admit the cause. You tell God — and whoever you’re angry with — that you’re frustrated or you feel threatened. The more honest you can be in your relationships, the easier it will be to get to the root causes of your anger. Here’s the good news about your anger: You may have grown up in a home where anger was consistently expressed in appropriate ways. Inappropriate anger is learned, but it can be unlearned, too. You can change. You don’t have to stay the same
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“Stupid people express their anger openly, but sensible people are patient and hold it back” (Proverbs 29:11 GNT).
Anger confounds many people in our world today. We simply don’t know how to handle our anger like we have in the past. One of the Bible’s simplest yet most profound answers for our anger comes in Proverbs 29:11: “Stupid people express their anger openly, but sensible people are patient and hold it back” (GNT). Think before you speak. Delay is a tremendous remedy for anger. You don’t need to delay indefinitely. If you’ve got an issue you need to deal with, you need to do so. Anger delayed indefinitely becomes bitterness. That’s worse than anger. Anger isn’t always a sin. Bitterness is. If you respond impulsively, you tend to respond in anger. If you wait to talk about whatever conflict you’re dealing with, you’ll be more rational and reasonable when you do. The longer you hold your temper, the better your response will be. Give yourself time to think. When conflict arises and you give yourself time to think, what should you think about? Consider these five questions: T: Is it truthful? Is what I’m about to say the truth? H: Is it helpful? Or will it simply harm the other person? I: Is it inspirational? Does it build up or does it tear down? N: Is it necessary? If it’s not necessary, why do I need to say it? K: Is it kind? THINK before you speak. Reflect before you react. It’ll slow down your anger every time. “A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash” (Proverbs 15:14 NLT).
Our minds control everything else about us. Our thoughts influence our feelings. Our feelings impact our actions. What you think matters, because everything starts in the mind. To be a responsible person, you have to control your thoughts. You might relieve yourself of a little false guilt: You’re not responsible for every stray thought that passes through your mind. Stray thoughts enter our minds for a variety of reasons — conversations you hear by accident, things you see, stuff the devil puts in your mind, etc. You’re responsible for how you deal with those stray thoughts. Martin Luther said it like this: “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” God will hold you accountable for what you allow to enter your mind. I’m amazed by what some people watch — not to mention what they let their children watch. Many true followers of Jesus spend their time watching trashy TV and listening to trashy radio. They pay good money to see deviant behavior as entertainment. People watching such shows might say, “When I go see those kinds of things, it just doesn’t phase me. It doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t affect me.” But that’s just not true! Scientists have done study after study that says you never really forget any scene you see. Even if you don’t consciously recall the scene, that idea will come right back to your mind — in living color — when something else stimulates the thought. In other words, “Garbage in, garbage out.” What you put into your mind will inevitably bear fruit in your behavior and beliefs. In fact, when trashy entertainment doesn’t bother you anymore, it’s a warning light that you’ve already passed the threshold. One of Satan’s greatest tricks for attracting you to sinful lifestyles is comedy. That’s why on television or in movies, deviant behavior always starts in a comedic situation. If Satan can get you laughing at something that is sinful, you’ve already lost the battle. Sin isn’t funny. Sin put Jesus on the cross. What are you filling your brain with? |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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