Why Anger Wants Control of Your Life!

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"And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil." - Ephesians 4:26-27

Anger is a natural human emotion. We all experience it, but today's passage explains why it doesn't make sense to allow to anger to take control of your life. When we experience anger, we have a choice as to how to handle it. You can let it control you, which will lead you into sin. Anger expressed in unhealthy ways can ONLY harm a human relationship. Or, we can let it go and trust God to justify our cause. 

Being around an angry person is not fun. We probably all know someone addicted to anger, who can be triggered to become angry at the drop of the hat. People tiptoe around this person to try not to set them off. When someone is not in control of their anger in time it becomes more destructive and sometimes abusive. 

Paul gives a great antidote to anger when he says, "Don't let the sun go down on your anger". 

“Here it is suggested that anger can be prevented from degenerating into sin if a strict time limit is placed on it: do not let the sun set on your anger.” (Bruce)

Going to bed angry with someone usually makes for a bad night of sleep. If at all possible it is good to try and reconcile with someone as soon as you can. This may however mean sleeping on it for a night.Trying to resolve conflict late at night when both people are tired is usually not a good thing. But sweeping it under the carpet and not dealing with it is worse. When anger is turned inward it leads to depression.  

When you are getting angry, I have found the best thing to do if you can is walk away. Walking away diffuses the situation, allows your blood pressure to return to a normal level, and also gives you time to pray. When we are angry, we don't think clearly. The amount of adrenaline flowing through our body causes us to overreact and do things we regret later.

Finally, Paul says that the devil can feed off our anger. He can latch onto it and cause all kinds of problems, specificially within the church. Anger in a church can cause division and can create a toxic environment. This is why the devil loves it when a believer allows fester and gives him a foothold. 

Don't let anger control you my friend! It doesn't make sense. The cost to you is way more than the potential return of getting what you want. When you walk out of the room and don't need to be right, you are showing true humility and modeling your life after Jesus. Now that makes sense. God doesn't want anything or anyone controlling our life but Him!



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