Seeing Red

“In your anger, do not sin.” -Apostle Paul

Throwing a chair across the basketball court. Slamming a fist through a wall. The frustration when someone cuts you off in traffic. Those feelings you get when someone tells a trusted secret. How a child feels when dad doesn’t come home. When life isn’t the way we think it should be, it’s easy to get angry. God wired us that way.

Anger is one of the most often misunderstood, yet significant concepts in life. Best understood as "A state of preparedness" to respond to a real or perceived wrong doing or injustice in life, anger motivates a person to action.

Paul taught in Ephesians 4:26, “In your anger, don’t sin.” (NIV) While anger always finds an expression, what you decide to do in your “state of preparedness” determines whether or not you will “sin”.

Anger management starts when we:

1. See it — Identifying the cause of anger in your life especially opens your spirit for God’s help. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness…” (Romans 8:26 ESV)

2.Delay it — Learn the value of "calming" to allow the anger to subside. “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” (Proverbs 14:29 ESV)

3.Control it — Control your response rather than reacting emotionally. “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.” (Proverbs 16:32 NIV)

4.Settle it — Commit to not only “doing” the right things, but also “being” the right person. “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8-9NIV)

When you invite God to help you identify your anger and take positive action, anger becomes a servant rather than a master.

In your anger — choose not to sin. It just might turn your life around.

Source: AACC