ANGER MANAGEMENT

"In your anger do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." (Ephesians 4:26-27, NIV)

Anyone who has ever played golf before has gotten angry. It doesn't matter if you are a professional golfer or a 30-handicapper; we all get angry when our golf ball doesn't do what it is supposed to do! 

Whether you acknowledge it or not, our anger affects the way we play. Sometimes anger can be a positive emotion and, when managed correctly, can motivate us to perform at a higher level. But more often than not, anger leads to a loss of control and often destroys our golf game! 

Someone once said: "I lose my temper, but it's all over in a minute." George Sweeting responded by saying, "So is the hydrogen bomb, but think of the damage it produces!"

If anger is not managed correctly, it can destroy so much more than just our golf game. It can destroy lives, marriages, families, jobs, churches, and relationships. As Christians, we need to learn to manage our anger and use it to motivate us to follow our Savior at a deeper level.

As the above verse indicates, anger, in and of itself, is not sin. We can have righteous anger towards things that God hates (such as divorce, injustice, pride, murder, or any other sin), and this can motivate us to pursue the things of God more passionately (such as love, joy, peace, wholeness, justice, humility, mercy, or compassion).

Nevertheless, the Bible vehemently warns us not to sin in our anger because it can give the devil a foothold. Like the hydrogen bomb, there is obviously something quite powerful about anger!

So, how can we manage this emotion and not allow it to destroy the things that we hold dear in life? First, I believe we need to identify what causes anger. At its root, I believe anger comes from one of the following: pride, selfishness, or impatience. When our pride is hurt, when we don't get what we believe we deserve, or when we don't receive something in our timing, we often respond in anger.

Once we identify the root cause of anger, we can go to God and ask Him to help us manage the emotion before it explodes and becomes sin. The Bible promises that we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). But in order to overcome the temptation to sin in our anger, we must yield to the power of the Holy Spirit!

When we allow the Spirit to have control in our lives, we can replace the explosion of anger with the lasting presence of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:16-23). Anger management begins and ends with the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives!

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Steve Burdick

January 30, 2006

Copyright 2006 Links Players International

The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.