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ANGER (Jonah 4 KJV) "But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. {2} And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. {3} Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. {4} Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry? {5} So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. {6} And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. {7} But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. {8} And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. {9} And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. {10} Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not labored, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: {11} And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?" The Lord had just provided salvation for a people that he loved, through a repentant spirit. But it was not the kind of response that Jonah was looking for. Today, there is much anger in the people of God. But we should not look at it as something destructive. Instead, it is God's way of showing us that we no longer are in control. Our responses do not count when it comes to Jesus being Lord over us. The anger that many have is a result of frustration from their own understanding of the way they think things ought to be. When achievement doesn't match the expectation, then ANGER may be the response. In reality, they have bargained for something internally and lost! It leaves us with an attitude, "It's not fair." That is like saying "I have my rights and I want them now." Rights and fairness can no longer be a part of the Christian's language when it comes to walking in the Spirit. The only right that we should be concerned with is the right of the Spirit of God to accomplish His purpose in us for His Kingdom. Anger is an emotion. Emotions are automatic. They cannot be ignored. They must be dealt with. (Eph 4:26-27 KJV) "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: {27} Neither give place to the devil." Anger is a healthy way to show you where you are and where you are headed. It is a way to show you how far you have gone and what you have to do to break it. And because it is dangerous, the Lord has told us to deal with it the same day we have it; otherwise you open the door for the enemy to come. The question is, "How do I know if I have sinned?" The word "devil" is diabolos in the Greek. It means slanderer. In your anger, have you begun to slander the one you are angry with? Then you have sinned! Repent quickly - Deal with it while the sun still shines upon you and you can feel the conviction. The question arises, "Why do I get angry so often?" In order to answer that, let's go back to your attitude prior to the anger. An attitude is the way you view yourself, God and others. The Lord wants to show you - "Do you have ought with someone? Are you too introspective? Have you neglected your relationship with the Lord?" When you walk into any situation, you carry with you an attitude. Attitudes change, especially if you are walking in and out of the Spirit. [EVERY SITUATION CARRIES WITH IT AN ATTITUDE, WHICH PRODUCES AN INTERNAL RESPONSE, WHICH CAUSES AN EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION.] Once anger is operating, it is not good to change the attitude, but the emotional response. A good response would be: (Eph 4:15 KJV) "But speaking the truth in love, (so you)may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:" That response may include repentance, but once the truth is expressed in love, then replace the anger with affection, humor, compassion, depending on the situation. ALL HUMANS HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REDIRECT THEIR ANGER! I want to say, I am angry at times and it bothers me. I don't like it. I have tried to find solutions, but the Lord keeps directing me back to the situation at hand. What I mean: STOP TRYING TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO ANGER! Become responsible and assertive instead of lazy and aggressive. Learn to recognize your feelings. If we are made in the image of Christ, then He has given us anger for a reason!! Put on the "spirit of self-control." One small part of the fruit in our lives given by the Holy Spirit is self-control. Uncontrolled anger is a symptom, not a cause. Perhaps it is simply stated that we lack the ability to love and be loved. That consequently means that we have not accepted enough of God's love over us. He requires us to accept and receive His love unconditionally. Isn't that what He was saying to Jonah two times, "Do you really have to be that angry? I am in control!" (paraphrased by me) God leaves us with this same question today ---"WHY DO YOU GET ANGRY?" Is it justified? If it is, then be grown enough in Christ to deal with it in a fitting manner. Then you are showing that Christ is truly head over you in every situation. - Pastor Steve
December 1995 Newsletter | Anger | The Strong Will Pastor's Journal December 1994 | Faith - Not Formulas | As A Man Thinketh Revised: June 25, 2008. |
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
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