How to Deal With My AngerНамуна

Anger Is Displeasing to the Lord

Anger is a problem for many Christians because it is confusing, it is powerful, and it is dangerous. A lot of times, we also feel justified in our anger: we get angry when we think a person or a situation causing the anger is wrong. We want to correct the matter. The Scripture, however, tells us that the righteousness of God is not achieved in our anger. We need to overcome this emotion. Overcoming anger is a battle that starts in our minds. We must remember that our prideful anger is sinful. It is displeasing to the Lord. 

Since anger originates in pride, the only way to overcome it is to humble ourselves before God. We need to care more about God’s honor and pleasure than our own. We also need to care more about the people who are making us angry than we do ourselves. Then, we need to get to the bottom of each issue that is provoking anger in our hearts. The truth is that every issue has a spiritual nature. 

In other words, we need to find the spiritual reason for our problem. For example, if our children are testing our patience by misbehaving, we need to remind ourselves that they are gifts from God. God has entrusted them into our care. We are to shepherd them and guide them to walk in the ways of the Lord. The most important issue is not what we are battling with them in the moment. There is something greater at stake—something long-term. We need to remember this truth. It will help us to put away anger, to seek the Lord about the issue, and to handle it with His guidance and the attitude that He gives us. 

Living in God’s truth begins with us having our eyes on Christ at all times. The Scripture says that pleasing the Lord needs to be our ambition. Once we choose to regard anger as dangerous and remember that God does not even want other people to associate with us if we operate out of this emotion, we will find a way to overcome it. Recognizing that anger is a sin reminds us that Christ set us free from any sin. We are empowered by His Spirit to put away the sin of anger. Now, we have to choose to put it away.