Anger is Inevitable – How Do You Deal With It? (Part 4)

Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.
Ephesians 4:26

What's behind your wrong anger? When you get angry, aren't you taking God's place and judging others - and perhaps even judging God? Whether you are angry about something trivial or something serious, your wrong reaction reveals that you are living as if you are in charge of the world and believe you have the right to judge the people around you and the way God is running the world.

When James 4 talks about anger, it goes on to discuss why it's wrong to judge and criticize others: "There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" (James 4:12). God alone has the right to pass final judgment. Think about when you get angry. Aren't you insisting, "My will be done; my kingdom come"? And when things don't go your way, don't you judge those (including God) who are not doing what you want, as if you were God? You aren't, but when you are angry, you often act as if you were. Because your wrong anger has to do with your relationship with God, you can't deal with it by learning a few strategies or techniques. Wrong anger creates a big problem between you and God. He doesn't like upstarts who try to take over His universe.

Your anger is not just about you and all the frustrating things that happen to you. It's not just about you and your cranky, oppositional personality. And it's not just about you and all the unreasonable people in your life. It's about you, those frustrating circumstances, all those unreasonable people ... and the living God. It's about you acting like you are in charge of God's world and other people. But God is in charge. Anger is merciless. Anger sees, punishes, and gets rid of all offenders. But God has chosen to be merciful to wrongdoers, including someone like you, who struggles with taking God's place in the world (Ephesians 2:1-5).

God's mercy brings life to you. If you struggle with bitterness, if you grumble, if you yell and argue, then you need God's mercy. You will receive mercy and help when you confess to God your struggle with trying to control everything, with wanting to be God, and with judging those around you. God's just anger toward sinners like you was poured out on his Son on the cross. Because Jesus died, you can be forgiven and have a whole new life.

When you honestly confess your sins to God and ask Him to forgive you for Jesus' sake, you will receive forgiveness and the gift of God's Spirit. The Spirit will give you the power to express your anger, not your way, but God's way. More to come on dealing constructively with your anger in upcoming blogs…

Please comment below or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com