10 Steps For Dealing With AngerSample

Step 8 — Reset Your Personal, Emotional Dial

The apostle Paul challenged the Ephesians to “put away” their anger (Eph. 4:31). In the Greek, this phrase literally means to strip away or to lift up and toss away. In other words, the Bible commands that we remove anger completely from our hearts.

And if you are a believer, you have the power of the Holy Spirit within you to lay it down. All you need to say is, “God, I don’t want this anger in my life, and I choose to lay it down by Your grace, love, and goodness.”

Now, there are some other things you still have to deal with. That’s not the end of the issue. But that’s a major part of letting go of anger. You put it down. Get rid of it. Get rid of “bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander … along with all malice” (Eph. 4:31).

If Paul didn’t mean that you actually could “put it away,” he would never have encouraged the church to do just that. You can put it away it by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have the power to lay it down. 

In an interesting contrast, what Paul told the church in Ephesus was the exact opposite of what he said to believers in Colossae. To them, the apostle wrote, “Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12). The phrase “put on” literally means to clothe yourself. He’s also telling us to wear these qualities and to cover ourselves with them. Paul makes a very strong and very clear distinction between which emotions we need to “put on” and which we need to “put away.” And it is a wise person indeed who endeavors to heed his instruction.