Anger, what is it and why is it so dangerous? Anger is one of many emotions that we have. When we look at scriptures such as Ephesians 4:26 we can see that anger is a natural emotion, but a very serious one that we must master because if allowed to go unchecked it can lead to sin. Ephesians 4:26 tells us that it is okay to be angry (be angry), but don’t allow the anger to give way to sin (but sin not or don’t sin because of your anger) and not to harbor anger (don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry). This is a very important and crucial principle for us to live by because when we allow anger to fester it will manifest in a sinful act on our part. Anger that is harbored can plant a bitter root in us and give birth to thoughts such as murder, revenge or retaliation, unforgiveness, physical assault and the more we let these angry thoughts fester in our mind the more tempted we will be to give in to them and sin. When you hold on to your anger you nurse it and give birth to grudges. If you don’t get rid of your anger and deal with it right away you open a door for Satan in your life. Verse 27 of Ephesians 4 says, “Neither give place to the devil.” In other words, when you leave anger unchecked you give a mighty foothold to the devil in your life. If you’ve ever been angry and failed to deal with it immediately you can testify how your allowing anger to fester caused all sorts of unhealthy, negative, and poisonous thoughts to run rampant in your mind and almost caused you or did cause you to do something that you would regret. If you are angry with someone you must do all that you can to settle the issue with them immediately. Go to your brother or your sister, your love one, co-worker, or neighbor immediately and communicate your feelings and why you feel the way that you do. Talk it out and put an end to your anger. When you delay putting out the fire of anger that is burning within your bosom you give the enemy a foothold in your life.
There is an anger that is righteous (righteous anger). Righteous anger is anger that the people of God have towards and against the wicked, evil, and ungodly acts perpetrated by the ungodly. Such was the case when David cried out to God in Psalm 139:19-22 and Jesus in John 2:15-16 had righteous anger against the money changers in the temple and as a result made a whip, turned over tables and drove them out of the temple. We should get angry at what makes God angry. In the world we live in today there are many unrighteous and wicked things going on that justifies righteous anger such as human sex and slave trafficking, child abuse, pornography, injustice, greedy investors stealing the money of their clients, and violation of citizen’s civil rights. However, even though righteous anger is justified we must be careful not to allow that anger to linger and fester and cause us to respond to it in a sinful way. There are those out there who become a vigilante because they see an injustice that they hate so, they take it into their own hands to rid the earth of those who perpetuate the injustice. However, this is not right in the sight of God because it is a sinful response. If we see an injustice or the wicked harm innocent people then we can be angry about it, but we should channel that anger into a positive, proactive response by getting involved to be a solution and not add to the problem. Thus the Apostle’s wise counsel in Ephesians 4:26-27. Be angry about the wrong, but don’t add to the problem by sinning; deal with it immediately in a positive, constructive way.
There is a direct correlation between anger and sin when anger goes unchecked and is not mastered. We must master it and not let it master us. God drops this principle at the very beginning of human conflict in Genesis where brother was about to turn on brother. Cain and Abel had both brought an offering unto the Lord and while Able’s offering was pleasing to God, Cain’s offering was not. It was Cain’s reaction to this that caused God great concern and pause. God had to now come in and deal with human conflict. As a result of God’s acceptance of Abel’s offering and rejection of Cain’s, Cain’s countenance changed in such a way that it revealed not only his displeasure, but anger. We’re told in verse 5 that Cain was very wroth and in verse 6 God asked him why he was so wroth. That word wroth as used here means “to be hot, furious, burn, become angry, be kindled to anger; to be angry with, be incensed; or to heat oneself with vexation.” [blueletterbible.org]. So, Cain was furious and kindled to anger over this situation. Cain's anger was unrighteous anger. He had no just cause to be angry with God or Abel because his unacceptance was a result of his inadequate and inapproiate sacrifice. God told Cain to be careful and mindful of how he handled the anger he was feeling because sin was crouching at his door. God used the example or analogy of a preying animal to describe what can result if we allow anger to master us. Why do I say that God was alluding to a preying animal when describing sin? Because animals of prey like wild cats (panthers, jaguars, lions, etc) many times crouch down before they pounce on their prey to devour them. God also told Cain that the anger sought to rule him, but he had to rule over it. Cain, however, did not heed God’s advice and as a result malice and rage took root in Cain’s heart and sin was born manifested in the brutal murder of his brother Abel.
James 1:9 says, be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath (wrath meaning anger). While anger is an emotion it is not good to be quick to get angry. Sometimes a person will do something offensive or rude to us and while it may seem like we are justified in getting angry, the word of God lets us know that getting angry is not a right and is not the best first reaction or response to the an offense. Effective communication begins with being a good listener, we should listen twice as much as we talk. We should lead out with our ears to hear the person out after which we should speak to express ourselves in a calm, clear manner. The righteousness of God does not spring forth from the anger or wrath of man. The righteousness of God is not promoted by our anger. We should be slow to be offended and get angry. Proverbs 12:16 tells us that “fools have short fuses and explode all too quickly; the prudent quietly shrug off insults.” (MSG). Proverbs 14:17 says that “a quick-tempered person does foolish things.” (NIV). Proverbs 29:11 says, “Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.” The key to mastering anger is to not be so quick to get angry and when we do get angry, bear the fruit of the spirit, self control.
- Dr. DeShonda Bailey
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