Anger

Do you have any issues with other people? Does anyone rub you the wrong way? Say things behind your back? Hurt you? Living our daily lives means inevitable conflicts with others. When those matters arise, and they will, Jesus gives us specific instructions.

Hurt. Disappointment. Anger. Confusion. Fear. Mary was probably feeling all those emotions following the death of her brother Lazarus. She made her way to Jesus, fell at his feet, and let him know exactly what was on her mind. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:32). Those words were spoken with tears running down her cheeks and between the loud sobs of grief.

Have you ever caught a fox? Neither have I. But I am assuming that chasing and catching a fox would be quite a feat. Solomon uses this picture of catching foxes to remind us of little things that can do considerable damage.

A “man of wrath” is controlled by anger. You know the type. They are constantly railing about something. The government. The educational system. Their business partners. The neighbors. How someone treated them at a particular restaurant.

I do not and cannot live in a bubble. This is the real world. Things will occur that make me angry. But here is the question: Will I control my anger, or will my anger control me?

Scripture is profound. It describes the eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God who sent his Son as a substitutionary atonement for our sin, imputes our sin on him, and imputes his righteousness on us. And Scripture is profoundly practical. When you see a hot-tempered person, for goodness sakes, keep your distance from them whatever you do.

Anger produces strife, but it doesn’t have to. Instead of pressing anger, surrender it to God. Place your emotions under the control of the Holy Spirit that lives within every believer. He is more than capable of turning your swirling emotions into Spirit-controlled peace.

So, when you feel it coming on…when the anger starts working in your mind, causing your blood pressure to rise and making you want to do something or say something, you will most certainly regret…pray for God to take control of your heart. It takes a person of discipline and the power of God to control the temper.

Jesus really does change everything.