There must be an understanding of anger and anger management because the Bible teaches us that gentleness, even temper and self-control are fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Amplified Bible explains Galatians 5:22 and 23: “[22] But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,[23] Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].” Let’s make it clear, anger in itself is not a sin because God gets angry.

“GOD got angry with Moses: ‘Don't you have a brother, Aaron the Levite? He's good with words, I know he is. He speaks very well. In fact, at this very moment he's on his way to meet you. When he sees you he's going to be glad’’ [Ex 4:14 THE MESSAGE]. And Paul teaches Christians, “Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry — but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry” [Eph 4:26 THE MESSAGE]. The real issue is that anger can quickly get out of control and trigger the strongholds of rage [wrath], bitterness and hatred that are deep rooted and deadly.

Anger is a major force inside juvenile delinquents. It is the reason for many broken marriages. Anger tears up relationships, causes major health problems, and is a huge factor in accidents and loss of productivity in the workplace. Anger quickly escalates into fights and murder. Remember Cain got angry with God and killed his brother Abel. Angry parents destroy any trust a child has in them. Angry husbands hurt and damage the spirit of their marriages. Angry employers strip any desire on their employees’ part to work hard and efficiently.

Anger is a gigantic, deep rooted problem in our world. A survey of 10,000 American men revealed that 95% openly admitted to an anger problem. This underlying problem is bubbling under the surface of our nation and causing terrible upheaval. No wonder divorce, broken homes, and deeply wounded teens roam the school systems. “A man of great wrath shall suffer the penalty; for if you deliver him [from the consequences], he will [feel free to] cause you to do it again [Proverbs 19:19 AMP]. And don’t forget, Paul describes the normal person’s life as one driven by lust and anger. “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, [21] envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” [Galatians 5:19-21]. Notice how lust, anger and violence [unrestrained emotions] go hand in hand!If you plan to grow spiritually, then you must get to the root which causes your anger, and deal with it completely.

Prolonged anger literally damages your health. Heart disease, hypertension and kidney damage, atherosclerosis, and high cholesterol are all linked to anger and the hormones released into your system when you explode in rage. For instance, every time you have an angry outburst thousands of muscle fibers in your heart are killed. Over time scars form blocking passages which contribute to heart failure and death. When you get angry hormones are released that pump huge amounts of energy into your blood stream raising your blood pressure. Your blood vessels are quite elastic, but anger constricts, so the added pressure stretches the many blood vessels at the same time beyond their limits, and thousands of fine lesions are formed along the interior lining. This causes the body to begin healing the problem by sending platelets and gathering them at each lesion, just like a bandage. And as they heal the wounds they release chemicals that attract large amounts of cholesterol, which get absorbed by the lining, thickening the artery walls making them thick and stiff. Just one angry outburst can raise your cholesterol levels for ten days.

Since anger releases hormones, there becomes an imbalance that damages key organs such as your kidneys. High levels of these hormones damages fine capillaries that are the filters of the kidneys. These fine filters become clogged and the kidneys try to correct the problem by raising your blood pressure through releasing high levels of rennin which induces hypertension. Okay, so here are the symptoms of a stronghold of anger dwelling inside your soul.

1. First, inward tension causes an angry person to be irritated with situations or circumstances that would not usually bother them.

2. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to see this next sign of anger. A loud voice with tones of harshness, are clear indicators that someone is mad.

3. Then you have those hurtful words that people always try to take back when they are angry. “Shut up you idiot!” “I wish you were never born!” “You are stupid!” “Why can’t you be like your brother?”

4. Impatience that does not tolerant weaknesses and limitations of others. The angry father will demand an instant response and if his child does not understand, he will get ever angrier.

5. Any angry person who has his pride wounded will rage against his authorities and challenge their opinions, ideas, and especially their instructions.

6. The angry person will cut off all contact with someone who made him angry or hurt him.

7. The physical signs are evident. The angry person slams down books, slams doors, and throws things. They may even deny they are angry and think it is better than hitting the person who has angered them. Clenched teeth are a good sign because anger causes the jaw muscles to tighten. This is also the cause for people grinding their teeth. And finally don’t forget the heavy breathing that results from the rapid heart beat and high blood pressure. As your body reacts more oxygen is required and you breathe heavily.

Do you understand anger? Righteous anger is when you respond to injustice and evil. When God sees people hurting each other through hatred and bitterness for example, He is angry. “God is angry with the wicked every day” [Psalm 7:11b KJV]. As tyrants use their power to steal, murder, and destroy people God is angry! When you lie and hurt your friends or family members God is angry! When politicians deceive the people and use their power for their own gain God is angry!

In the same way, the angry preacher who rebukes the religious hypocrites for their sins is just. The angry politician who rises up against tyrants and terrorists to defend the innocent is righteous. The angry Christian who denounces the murder of innocent children through abortion is just. But the one who is outraged over the ill treatment of chickens, and ignores the plight of babies, children, and starving people is misguided and hollow.

So the anger that is evil is the anger you generate when someone says something, or does something to you that you did not like, or hurts your feelings.You must understand that these type of tension building incidents pile up until angry outbursts explode from your soul causing damage to everyone involved. Only God knows your thoughts and can read your mind. Most people put overwhelming expectations on friends and family. Most demand rights they feel they deserve. If these tensions are not dealt with by Biblical principles the tensions escalate to wars. This kind of anger is evil because there will always be someone hurting you accidentally or on purpose by crossing your willful desires. “Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. [2] You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? [3] And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way.” (James 4:1-3 THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

Well, I hope you understand the problem, the seriousness of anger, the prevalence of this issue, and how it is destroying people, families, and our society. But, we are not finished; make sure you read Part 2, How to Overcome Anger

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