Anger

James 1:20 (NLT)
20: Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.


These words from the Apostle James follows his words that every man should be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath. The anger James refers to is impulsive, exhibits a temper and violent emotion. It was associated with punishment inflicted in misery upon those found guilty by a magistrate. This type of anger was sinful in God’s eyes and did not lead to righteous behavior.


King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 9:17, “The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.” If your words will lead to angry confrontations it is better to remain silent; for the wise know when to speak and when not to speak. The anger of men is not the same as the anger of God. For man’s wrath of anger leads him away from the righteousness of God. The Apostle Peter who himself was easy given to anger said in 1 Peter 2:1, “So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.” Even when we raise concern for what seems just and right we must not let anger stand in pretence of our cause to serve God; for we only fool ourselves. God is more than capable of handling problems without our angry actions. The Apostle Paul tells us our anger will give the devil a foothold in our lives and we should rid ourselves of such behavior. Anger is a secondary emotion driven by such emotions as hurt, fear, bitterness, guilt, self judgment, jealousy, and frustration. From many different emotions anger builds and erupts into abusive behavior whether the abuse is words or actions. Take time to examine the emotions which may be leading you to anger and pray God would give you wisdom to deal with your emotions. Pray He would bring healing to your life and help you remain silent and calm during the moments of an emotional storm.