The Consequences Of AngerSýnishorn

Anger & Your Thoughts

Long-lasting anger changes the way a person thinks. It invariably becomes part of one’s thought processes. We’ve all seen it happen or experienced it personally. When we’re angry with someone, we often find it difficult to stay focused. We struggle to come up with creative ideas and at times find ourselves unable to maintain a high level of output. When we’re angry with someone or at something, we often find our thoughts wandering off task to what we could’ve said or done differently.

An ancient Jewish proverb reads: “Anger deprives a sage of his wisdom, a prophet of his vision.” I have no doubt as to the truth of this statement. Anger produces a double mind. A person’s concentration can linger on his or her anger and the incidents that gave rise to it, even as they attempt to focus on the work and responsibilities of any given day. Very little mental energy is left for creativity, innovation, or processing information in the light of God’s Word. In short, anger weakens our ability to have a clear, inspired vision for our lives.

Whether we realize it or not, the mind is the control tower of life. Whatever happens in our day-to-day lives begins in our minds, with our thoughts. All of our decisions are made there. The truth is, wherever we are today is the result of what we’ve been thinking all these years. The Bible says that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Prov. 23:7).  

What we think about is really what controls us. We tend to forget this, but it’s true. In our anger, we must remember that while we can’t control everyone else or all of our circumstances, we can control how we think about and respond to it.

So how do we control our thoughts? Ask yourself the following questions when you find yourself angry at a particular person or situation:

• Where will this thought lead me?
• Will this thought get me where I want to go or need to be?
• Is this thought scripturally acceptable?
• Will this thought build me or the person I’m angry with up or tear us down?
• Could I share this thought with someone else?
• Where did this thought originate?
• Do I feel any guilt thinking this thought?
• Does this thought fit who I am as a follower of Christ?

Because we have the Holy Spirit and His power living within us, we can control what we think and how we respond in any given situation. Commit today to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2).