September 26, 2015
Do you realize how much evil comes on the wings of anger? Every bit of conflict and strife in the world has its roots there. Wars start with anger. Divorce comes out of escalated hurt and anger. It is amazing the disastrous fruit that comes from this bitter root.
ANGER IS THE EMOTION OF A FOOL
A fool always loses his temper, but a wise man holds it back. (Prov. 29:11)
A person who "always loses his temper" is a fool. That's not my evaluation, but God's. A fool doesn't know how to get a grip on anger. It just comes out. He or she always feel justified in their anger because of what "they did to me" or "said to me." They feel no compulsion to reign that in, but just let their anger fly never realizing the horrible consequences that their immaturity causes--both for them and everyone around them.
And God says that a fool "always" loses his temper. You can count on it. In a moment when they perceive their rights are violated and things don't go their way and they lose all control. A man of wisdom knows how to "hold it back" but the foolish person seems absolutely incapable to do so.
ANGER IS THE IGNITER OF STRIFE
An angry man stirs up strife (Proverbs 29:22a)
It's a horrible thing to be continually involved in arguments, divisions, and conflict. But the angry man or woman always stirs this up. When a person cannot control their anger they will live in strife because their unbridled tongue and actions are lighter fluid and a match to dry leaves. They somehow have yet to realize that "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." When you respond with gentle humility to those around you it calms everyone down. But if you respond in anger to each situation it just escalates the strife.
ANGER IS THE BEGINNING OF A MULTITUDE OF SINS
And a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression. (Proverbs 29:22b)
Anger never lives alone. It opens the door to all kinds of destructive behaviors. If a person is wounded and angry they feel justified to do whatever they want. They will find others who are wounded and join them in their sins. They often turn to immorality and other sins after anger, feeling like they are justified in what they're doing because "no one understands" or "I've been mistreated" or "It's not going to change anyway." It doesn't take long to browse through the history of your life and see all the sins that resulted from your initial anger…whether that's anger at yourself, God, or others. It never ends well.
ANGER BEGINS WITH PRIDE
A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor. (Prov 29:22-23)
Anger has a source. Like almost every sin, it begins with PRIDE. In our pride we feel like we deserve certain things. We deserve good health, plenty of money, respect from all those around us, a just world where people treat everyone fairly, no problems, and certain "rights" in life. The reality is, we deserve hell. We are sinful and anything less than hell is an amazing act of God's mercy. But our pride makes us think differently. Instead of a humble gratitude for anything and everything that God gives, we walk around upset that things aren't going our way. We are irritated that people around us don't see things just like us. We are frustrated when they disagree with us (because we always think we're right). We flare up at the slightest intrusion to our life, our time, our schedule or our opinion. All of this comes from the arrogance of our heart.
An angry man or woman will never be honored by others. In fact, they will be avoided. Nobody likes to be around someone with whom you have to watch your words for fear that it will bring down their wrath upon you. But a humble person, who knows their frailty and responds with grace and kindness and love is loved. They are the honored ones for they have maintained control over the beast of anger. They are gentle and reasonable and teachable. Not only are they blessed, but they also bless those around them with their uncontentious spirit.
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