I have observed that God specifically warns believers about certain emotional responses to situations, not just because it is wrong spiritually but also because it has a negative effect on our mental, emotional and physical well-being. One of such is ANGER.
Anger is a wild beast that if left untamed can cause utmost destruction. It is not just unbelievers, but even Christians struggle with the powerful forces of anger. Anger is a rampant problem that wrecks families, harms children, tears apart churches, and divides the body of Christ.
Anger is regarded as a completely normal and healthy response to certain situations. At a basic instinctual level anger may be used as a way to protect oneself from any wrongdoing or pass a message across to others on how they should be treated. It may be used as a way to help protect territory or family members, or as a response to frustration, perceived threats and criticism but it can completely destroy us spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially and mentally if it gets out of control. We can feel irritated by other people’s beliefs, opinions and actions and hence anger can affect our ability to communicate effectively, making us more likely to say or do unreasonable or irrational things. This irrational behaviour caused by anger is exactly what God is warning his children about. God knows that it is normal for us to get angered by people and circumstances, that is why he gave instructions in his word concerning it.
“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath”. Ephesians 4:27
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. Psalms 37:8
Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:9
He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
Proverbs 16:32
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Romans 12:19
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Colossians 3:8
He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. Proverbs 14:29
O Lord , rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Psalms 6:1
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. Psalms 103:8 KJV
O Lord , correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Jeremiah 10:24.
Simply put, try to avoid being angry as much as possible. You can be angered by situations and people but make sure it is for a short time, otherwise it will spin out of control and become destructive. This is where self-control as a believer come into play. Another dimension is to not provoke others and God to anger.
Anger has made many people do despicable things that they regret and has put people into a lot of trouble causing a permanent damage to their well-being. The first Bible’s mention of anger was the scenario of Cain and Abel. Cain was angry and committed murder. Other instances are Levi and Simeon wiping out a whole city, Saul trying to kill David, and Moses disobeying God while frustrated by the Israelites. In all of these scenarios, serious punishment was meted out by God. God is never pleased when anger causes us to sin. We should follow his example as He is slow to anger. He is constantly holding back on his anger to allow for repentance and delaying judgment of the guilty to spare the innocent in their midst. God has been patient with us in our sin and he expects same from us.
Long-term anger has an adverse impact on our health. It triggers the body’s fight or flight response, same way anxiety and fear does but in this case, it strings along headache, high blood pressure, digestion problems, increased anxiety, depression, insomnia, heart attack, poor healing, weak immune system, and stroke as a result of the constant flood of stress chemicals and metabolic changes. Annie Hincliff, a professional psychologist stated that negative moods like anger disrupts the circuitry of the brain. When people get angry, they become energetic, their heart beats faster, vision becomes sharper and their hearing becomes quite acute.’ All this is an entirely normal response and once the mood has calmed, these functions all return to normal, without any long-term health consequences.
The risks to health increase when the body is exposed to these ‘emergency’ responses regularly.
It’s thought to cause wear and tear on the cardiovascular system”. She further stated that the heart is the organ most at risk in someone with an ‘angry’ personality. The heart’s rhythm becomes abnormal, blood begins to thicken and if it travels through blood vessels, it could cause a stroke. Several research conducted stated that anger is also bad for the lungs, thus causing respiratory problems and recalling an angry experience causes a suppression of the immune system and shortens lifespan.
Asides the physical effects, anger can affect our emotional well-being. It can affect relationships, self esteem and cause depression. Nobody likes to relate with a person who gets angry constantly. A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.
Proverbs 19:19.
The Bible highlights several ways of dealing with anger. It includes:
1) Replacing a negative emotion with a positive one.
Putting off anger and putting on kindness and forgiveness. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31â€-‬32.
2) Avoid angry people and situations.
One of the best ways is to avoid angry people, else they will make you angry. Walk away from situations that could make you react negatively, causing you to sin.
Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go. Proverbs 22:24
3) Realise the consequences of anger. Remember that anger often time, spills into sin and it’s best to avoid situations and people that will lead you to it.
An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression. Proverbs 29:22. But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Matthew 5:22.
4) Prayer
Pray for wisdom to help you react better to situations. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5
5) Walk in the Spirit..
Walking in the Spirit produces behaviour that are contrary to expressing anger in an ungodly way.
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Galatians 5:16
6) Rely on God’s grace.
We can’t fight anger on our own. We need God’s grace which has been made sufficient for us. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8â€-‬9
It’s for our own good to yield to God’s words and instructions concerning anger. The fruits of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22 are traits that we should exhibit if truly we have God’s Spirit resident in us. It doesn’t mean we won’t face situations that would rather make us act otherwise…it means we can rely on God’s soverignty, grace and wisdom to choose to act better. These fruits of the Spirit help us gain strength and become more understanding. If we become understanding, there would be a greater possibility of avoiding situations that could lead to acting irrationally. Ponder on how merciful God has been to you. Extend same to others.
SOURCES:
Betterhealth
DailyMail
MayoClinic
ShareFaith
UnlockingtheBible
#WellnessWednesday
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