Anger is a very powerful thing. When uncontrolled, it can be very sinful and dangerous, but when motivated by the right reasons and put in the right place it can bring forth good and righteous results.
Many of us, however, fall for the first part and commit sin instead of allowing our anger to mold us and enable us to do the right thing.
Yes, anger can actually help us do the right thing.
In this article we'll talk about how we should express our anger, and let it propel us to doing what God wants for us.
Righteous anger
Some Christians use the term "righteous anger" to justify their anger. While at times they may be right, there are times when they aren't -- and this depends on the motive.
God Himself gets angry. He gets angry at the right things. In fact, His anger is so righteous and holy that sin and darkness will have no place to hide from Him.
The Bible tells us that God sees and knows all things about us (see Psalm 139). He knows every thought in our minds, every motive in our hearts, and every word that we say in secret and in the open. And we'll face Him for everything that we are.
Romans 2:5-6 tells us that if we harden our hearts, we will receive His wrath:
"But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who "will render to each one according to his deeds""
The good thing here is that while God is righteous, just and holy, He is also loving. While we deserved His wrath, He sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to receive His wrath in our place (see Romans 3:21-26).
What does this have to do with our anger?
Now, what does that have to do with our anger? Everything!
We ought to realize that we are a sinful people who deserved God's righteous anger against sin. It is only by His grace that we are spared from it, for His Son received it in our place.
Thus, we ought to look to Him and see the grace He has poured out on us. And we ought to let this grace allow us to manage our anger whenever we feel it.
Here's how we can let God's grace allow us to manage our anger. We'll use Psalm 4:4 and Ephesians 4:26-27 to help us here.
1) Be angry
Both verses tell us,
"Be angry, and do not sin."
This means it's not wrong to get angry, but we must be quick to stop it from allowing or motivating us to commit sin.
2) Be still, and check your heart
Psalm 4:4 goes on to tell us,
"Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah"
Instead of quickly lashing out our anger on what caused it, we should instead quiet our souls and be still, then search our hearts for the reason why we are angry in the first place.
Many of us get angry for the wrong reasons. Some even get angry for no apparent reason at all. We must examine ourselves.
3) Don't let anger linger
Ephesians 4:26-27 continues,
"...do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil."
We must not let our anger linger in our hearts. We must forgive our offenders and release the offense. We must quickly release the anger, especially if it's unfounded or is merely a second-hand offense.
If we release it soon enough, the enemy won't be able to sow bitterness in our hearts.
Final thoughts
If God was able to control His anger and instead pour out His wrath on His Son for our sakes, we ought to learn to be gracious and forgiving of our offenders. God's kindness to us in Christ should empower us to be kind to others as well.
