The Dangers of Anger

January 26, 2023

What does the Lord think about anger?

The Lord is very conclusive when it comes to extreme forms of anger, your anger escalating, and all of the emotions attached to it. In Psalm 37:8 God states, “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.” Here we can see that God is making it clear what the repercussions of anger are, they only cause you harm.

How is that? One of the main reasons that anger is such a negative emotion to carry around is because it is one of the enemy’s most used weapons in his arsenal. He uses it on Christians over and over again without fail. For example: say that you are having a bad day from the moment your day began; traffic was backed up, people at your job were acting out, and then you get home and your kids are misbehaving.

A pileup of chaotic instances like that would make anyone upset, but it is how you control that built up anger that will make the difference. Do you snap at your wife because she happens to be the only one that you can take your frustration out on? Do you yell at your kids in a rage because they don’t know how to control their actions? After all, shouldn’t your family know that you’re having a bad day?

Believe it or not, the devil is a master at taking your frustration and multiplying it. He is just waiting for the moment that you open up that door so that he can come in. He will provoke you into creating chronic anger in the hopes that it will turn into more destructive emotions. That infuriation that you had can easily turn into rage, hate, bitterness, and unforgiveness. All of which are strongholds that the enemy can use against you.

That is why it is so important to understand the enemy and how he operates because when you do, you will avoid allowing insignificant situations become long lasting ones. The devil knows how to get under your skin very well and will use different people in your life as devices to accelerate your anger.

He knows that if he can get you to turn that annoyance into more damaging feelings like unforgiveness he can stop you from walking in the purpose that God has for your life. The goal for the enemy is and always has been to kill, steal, and destroy by any means necessary, John 10:10.

Below I am going to go over some powerful verses out of the Word of God pertaining to anger. Also check out my articles that can also help on this topic: Spiritual Oppression-The Dangers of Open Doors to the Enemy-Part 2, and Spiritual Oppression-The Dangers of Open Doors to the Enemy-Part 3.

Ephesians 4:26-27

“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.”

These particular passages of Scripture were written by the Apostle Paul to the Church at Ephesus explaining to them the dangers of letting anger fester. Every one of us is going to go through moments when we get upset or frustrated because of stressful situations, it is a normal human emotion. However, we are not to allow those feelings to stay bottled up inside of us.

Before you know it, those negative feelings and adverse emotions for your friend, family member, spouse, or even your children have increased uncontrollably. When you have the inability to find constructive ways to express anger it can become detrimental to your physical health including: raising your stress levels, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Anger not only hinders you physically but it also affects you emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.

The last part of verse 27 is very telling when Paul writes, “…nor give place to the devil.” This is giving us a precise indication of one of the devil’s devices, anger. The longer that you are letting those feelings of rage intensify, the more likely the enemy can use it to build a stronghold that will have you bound.

If you’ve ever come across anyone that has real genuine issues with their temper, nine times out of ten they don’t want to be that way. Their response typically is “I just can’t control myself.” When they say things like that they are telling the truth, there is an overwhelming urge in them that is making their anger build up uncontrollably.

What happens is the more that you make it a practice of allowing your rage to take over you, the more of an influence the enemy can have in your life. Why is that? The Word of God tells us over and over again how damaging extreme anger is and why. James 1:20 reveals to us, “for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

Another verse that we can dissect in regards to anger is found in the book of Ephesians. The Apostle Paul discloses to us how grieved the Holy Spirit is when we exhibit emotions like wrath. Ephesians 4:30-31 states, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.”

If you are a Christian walking with the Lord then you have the Spirit of God living on the inside of you. He will convict you if you are displaying personality traits that are contrary to what the Word of God says. It is then up to you whether or not you take heed to His voice.

Psalm 86:15

“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

As children of God we were made in His image and bought with an expensive price. The Lord gave His only Son so that we would have the opportunity to have eternal life, John 3:16. That being said, He doesn’t expect us to live our lives just any kind of way. We are to hold ourselves to a high standard considering the fact that we are His vessels here on Earth.

We want to make sure that we exhibit His characteristics to the best of our abilities. This particular verse of Scripture out of the book of Psalms was written by King David who is describing the attributes of God. He uses words like compassion, gracious, and longsuffering (slow to anger). The Lord expects us to do the same.

Some of the most powerful Scriptures that you can lean on when you’re not sure what traits God wants you to display are found in the book of Galatians. Paul writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law,” Galatians 5:22-23.

Every single characteristic found in these two passages are contrary to the emotions you feel when you are filled with anger, animosity, bitterness, or resentment. The Holy Spirit will steer you in the right direction when it comes to radiating the love of Jesus Christ to everyone around you. In order for Him to do that, your communication with Him has to remain solid. Don’t allow anything to get in the way of that including adverse emotions stored up in your heart.

Proverbs 22:24-25

“Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go, Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul.”

The instructions that are given here by the Holy Spirit through King Solomon make it known to us that we are not to associate ourselves with an angry person. Why is that? When you surround yourself with someone that is filled with rage, you are risking the chance of getting caught up in a situation that could have been prevented. For example: a physical altercation, damaging words being exchanged, emotional abuse, or mental abuse.

Not to mention the fact that the longer that you spend with a person that has anger issues, the more susceptible you are to inheriting those same characteristics. You are a product of who you associate yourself with. That statement is so true!

If you took a step back and analyzed a time in your life when you weren’t living for Christ; you were drinking, partying, and living contrary to how the Word of God tells us to live. The people that you were hanging out with were doing the exact same thing. Coincidence? Not even close.

That is why the Lord explains to us in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” Your personality traits will rub off on your friends and loved ones whether they are good or bad. That is exactly what King Solomon is referring to in the second verse of Scripture I referenced up above Proverbs 22:25. He states, “Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul.”

The Lord is warning you here that if you continue to associate yourself with a person that is filled with rage you are literally setting a snare for your own demise. That word snare used here is the Hebrew word môqēš which means a trap, a hook, or to lure in a fowler’s net.

In other words you are setting yourself up to be an easy target for the enemy’s net that will be cast in your direction. The devil is always looking for ways to invade your space so that he can wreak havoc in your life. That is why the Lord is so adamant about His children refraining from characteristics that resemble that of our adversary the devil.

You definitely want to pray for your loved ones that struggle in the area of uncontrolled anger. There is power in prayer and you might just be the only person that is interceding on their behalf. If you have a close family member or friend that is filled with hate and animosity you want to limit the time that you spend with them. Trust and believe the more that you are around them, the more their behavior will affect you in a negative way.

Conclusion:

The Lord’s Word is filled with Scriptures warning us about having extreme anger in our hearts. He wouldn’t repeat it over and over again unless it was truly important for us to know. The fact of the matter is that anger leads to hate, animosity, rage, bitterness, and ultimately unforgiveness.

The enemy is lurking around like a roaring lion just waiting for someone that he can devour, 1 Peter 5:8. Negative emotions like anger and hate are open doorways allowing him to legally come into your life and create destruction. Your Bible is called a Sword for so many different reasons, one of them being because it destroys the works of the devil.

How? If you make it a habit of getting into your Word: reading it, studying it, and applying it to your life, God’s spiritual laws and principles will begin to saturate your heart, Psalm 119:11. That will prevent you from getting yourself into situations where the enemy can take advantage of your lack of knowledge, Hosea 4:6.

I will leave you with this final powerful verse of Scripture that you can meditate on: Psalm 107:20 “He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.” Not only can God’s Word heal you but it will deliver you from your own destructions!

Don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 1

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 2

The Spiritual Laws of God-Restoration

The Spiritual Laws of God-The General Principles

The Spiritual Laws of God-The Power of Your Tongue!

The Spiritual Laws of God-Having an Understanding

The Power of Your To ngue

Proverb Scriptures that will Help You Tame Your Tongue!

Proverbs Scriptures Designed for a Queen!

Proverbs Scriptures that you need in your life Right Now!

If you’ve missed any of the other weekly quotes, no worries I am listing them down below: