What is Anger

 

Decoding Anger

 

Anger is the first emotional response to an offense. When one is offended, the first thing he does is to get angry. Anger is also known as wrath or rage. Anger and aggression are not the same things. Anger is an emotion, while aggression is a behavior. Not everyone who feels angry is aggressive, and vice versa. It is not a sin to get angry but rather the actions you put up during your anger make it a sin.

Ephesians 4:26: When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down.

James 1:19: Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense, and to get angry.

The Bible verses above show us that merely getting angry may not be a sin but rather your actions that follow your anger are the things that can make it become sin. Being angry shows that you disliked the falsehood displayed. However, anger is a very dangerous emotion one must give it serious consideration. It can destroy many things in your life and godliness. It is not a very good emotion to display too;

 

James 1:20

[20]For man's anger does not promote the righteousness God wishes and requires.

Anger is one letter short of danger. That is: Anger = Danger – D, or D + anger = Danger. The ‘D' is demeanor or deed, and when that deed(an evil action) is added to anger, it becomes a danger. So anger somewhat is dangerous.

Anger is like an overcurrent that is going to damage an electrical appliance. When there is a very high voltage or an overcurrent, the result is, your electrical appliance will be damaged. But there is a component of the appliance called fuse which melts and shortcuts the current to prevent it from destroying your appliance.

Anger is that overcurrent and your heart is the appliance that could be damaged, but it takes the fuse of patience to protect your heart.

Anger leads to resentment; Resentment leads to unforgiveness; Unforgiveness leads to bitterness. The results of bitterness are:

• High blood pressure (high BP)

•The stress of bitterness weakens the immune system and heightens your susceptibility to physical ailments

• Chemical imbalance: imbalance in the hormones from the various glands of the body, producing many physical symptoms and diseases.

• Diminished comeliness: Refusal to forgive causes fatigue and loss of sleep. Soon your eyes and facial features reflect your inner distress.

• Depression

• Inability to love God:

“If a man says, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment we have from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also” (I John 4:20–21).

• Doubts about our relationship with God;

Jesus said, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14–15).

That is why the Bible admonishes us to put away anger, and that parents even should not provoke their children to get angry;

Colossians 3:8

But now put away and rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, bad feeling toward others, curses and slander, and foulmouthed abuse and shameful utterances from your lips!

Ephesians 6:4

Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to resentment] but rear them [tenderly] in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord.

You have to develop and build on your Patience. It is when patience is stretched for a long time, it grows into longsuffering. See how to build on longsuffering in the strategic steps above. When a word or an offense comes as a shock to you, don’t talk first, take in a deep breath in and out. Then smile at it. Pray to God for mercy, say ‘oh God help me’. Then think of something good you can do for the person to demonstrate love.