The emotion the devil loves

It started as a quarrel. It quickly escalated into a war of words. How it might have ended is anybody's guess except that both of us reached out to a mutual friend who hit the reset button on our emotions, refocusing us on the love of Christ, our shared mission, and our esteem for each other! Quickly, the tense situation was defused.

Anger is dynamite! Explosives are a boon to humanity. A series of controlled explosions drives our engines. Dynamite allows us to build roads through mountains. A sustained explosion is what pushes rockets into space. Explosives are also a terrible blight, used in warfare to destroy cities and kill thousands. Terrorists have chosen bombs as the weapon of choice to destabilize societies and sow fear in the world.

Anger can move a man to change his world, to deal with injustice, to give his life to end a threat. A little too much anger can destroy a friendship, tear apart a marriage, turn a man into a murderer, or drive a nation to war! I love Bev (my wife of 34 years) more than any person on this planet, but when I am angry with her over some insignificant issue, I am capable of saying things to her that are very hurtful or allowing myself to think things about her that have no basis in fact. When the storm of anger passes, I wonder - "how did that happen?"

While I would never want to lose the capacity to become angry, I know it is critically important that I understand anger enough to keep it within safe channels. When anger builds in us a whole range of responses begin to occur. Blood pressure increases, heart rate goes up, and energy hormones like adrenaline pour into our body preparing us for a fight! If we are not accustomed to managing our emotions, anger will quickly cause us to move toward irrational thoughts that actually feed a rage. That is why I call anger the emotion the devil loves! The Scripture speaks of anger, not as sin, but with caution so that it does not cause us to sin. Jesus Christ, the Sinless Man, grew angry! Mark tells us that when some religious leaders resisted His work of healing because of the Sabbath traditions, "He looked around at them in anger, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts!" Then, too, there is that famed incident when an angry Jesus took up a whip and drove the money changers from the Temple grounds because their greed led them to exploit worshippers!

The Word cautions us to build strong walls around our anger, to limit how far we allow to reach into our lives and how long we allow ourselves to remain angry. "Don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil." (Ephesians 4:26-27, NLT) James adds this wisdom. "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:19-21, NKJV)

Disciple, learn to recognize the signs of anger. Be honest with yourself when you're starting to feel angry. If you are not, the emotion is so powerful it will find a way to seep into many others parts of your life like a corrosive acid that opens your mind to temptations around lust, rage, uncontrolled spending, or misuse of alcohol and/or drugs! It is true! Many people with life-controlling issues are really just angry children inside, looking for relief from the suppressed anger they feel over situations they think they cannot control.

So how can we keep anger holy?

1. Be quick to invite another to monitor your anger. Tell a trusted confidant, "I am feeling angry." As you talk about it, you will be much more likely to properly identify the source so you can find the right solution.

2. Pray about your anger! The last thing you may feel like doing when you're growing angry at someone is taking it to the Lord, but it is one of the first responses for those who are Christ's. Invite the Holy Spirit to calm you, to give you insight, to drain away the "Self" component in your anger.

3. Deal with it now! Don't stuff anger away under pious talk, or diversions that keep you from thinking about it. Instead, as the Bible teaches, "don't let the sun go down" while you're angry. In just a few hours, a minor irritation can turn into a major conflict if it is not promptly dealt with.

4. Learn to forgive. In God's lexicon, forgive doesn't mean 'just forget about it.' Forgiveness is a choice to turn some injustice over to Him, with the sure knowledge that He will, in His time and with His wisdom, bring about true justice - maybe not today or tomorrow, but He will. So you can take that person, that situation, that wound to Him and leave it with Him. "Lord, I have not been able to deal with this. I can't solve it, I can't control it, I can't work it out. I give it to You. I release it to You and ask You to let my heart leave it there." It is simply amazing the peace that can flow into our lives IF we will choose to forgive others in this manner!

5. Repent, if you have stepped over the line from anger to wrath! Own your emotions and responsibility for them. Nobody can cause us to sin. As much as we don't believe this it is true: nobody makes us angry. We choose that response! And where we choose to sin, the Bible calls us to confess and in confession to find the Lord's forgiveness and release from guilt.

America is full of ungodly anger today. May God, the Holy Spirit, so fill our hearts that we learn to be peacemakers who bring reconciliation. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9, NIV)