Constructive or Destructive Anger?

Fuming!

Anger can be a very destructive emotion. The Bible instructs us to “Be ye angry and sin not.” That is because you can sin when you are angry. You are giving place to the devil and opening a door for him when you allow him to control you through anger. There is a type of anger that is not sinful. It is constructive and not destructive. Like when Jesus cleared the money changers out of the Temple, that was using constructive anger. Constructive anger resolves issues. Destructive anger needs to be dissolved, like putting out a fire.

Anger is a destructive negative emotion. That right there should show you that it is not of God if used destructively. It is of the devil who comes to steal, kill, and destroy our lives. So don’t open the door! Keep the door of your heart closed when anger knocks!

Irritability Leads to Anger

Do you find yourself frequently fighting being irritated, agitated, or aggravated? Irritability leads to frustration which leads anger, just like unforgiveness ultimately leads to bitterness. Irritability must be dealt with before it turns into anger, just like unforgiveness must be dealt with before it turns into bitterness. The longer it is left there, the bigger it grows and the harder it is to uproot. But it is not impossible to eradicate, it is just a bigger tree to remove.

Are You Quick-Tempered?

Anger is a destructive force hurting others as well as yourself. If you are angry with others and try to cover it up, it just unleashes like a wildfire inside of you. You are ranting and raving and fuming on the inside, but the other person does not even know they have lit your fire.

When I was a teenager I remember a valuable lesson on being quick-tempered. I was in the kitchen mixing together a cake mix in a bowl. Something happened that really ticked me off. I threw the dish towel down and hit the wooden spoon handle, which flew out of the bowl throwing flour all over the table and floor! I was alone, so nobody saw my mess. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. That taught me a lesson that my little outbursts only cause me a bigger mess to clean up!

In the Bible Moses’ quick-temper caused him to react and kill an Egyptian, banishing him to the wilderness for 40 years. No matter what the situation the lesson is still the same. Giving way to a quick temper or anger hurts you the most. Put the fire out!

• If something needs to be resolved then use assertive constructive conversation to resolve the issue.
• If it cannot be resolved, dissolve it and put the fire out.

Highly Explosive

Are you out of control?

The devil will try to take you out any way that he can, especially if you are a Christian. He does not want any good influence in the earth, and Christians are supposed to model Christ. If he can’t stop you, he will try to get you to self-destruct. He knows that you carry highly explosive material. God’s Word is the highly explosive material you are carrying! His Word is powerful, sharper than any two-edge sword. It is full of power and accomplishes whatever task it is sent to do. The devil is terrified of the Living Word of God in you, i.e. Jesus!

The devil knows that you are loaded, and so he is trying to get you to self-destruct. If he can get you to light your fuse and let it burn all the way down to the gun powder you are carrying, you will blow up. You must nip it in the bud and squelch out that fire before it starts.

The fuse is your mouth. Even though the tongue is a little member, what a great fire it kindles. (James 3:5) That is why you must learn to master your mouth because this is Word power.  This is high-powered warfare, like firing missiles or bazookas, or using dynamite. This is not mere handguns and pistols. Proverbs 18:21 tells us that the power of life and death are in the tongue. We don’t understand the power that we carry.

God has told me for years, “Be careful, one wrong move could kill you.” He was telling me not to be mean or to make me fearful, but like an electrician has to be careful when working with electricity, we too have to be careful when carrying His glory. We are the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16) and thus carry lethal power. We house God. We are His new home. Like in 2 Samuel 6:6-7 when King David was moving the Ark of the Covenant to the City of David, Uzzah reached out to steady the ark because the oxen stumbled and he was struck dead. One wrong move could kill you! Recognize the power within you and do not strike a match. Stomp anger out.

A Universal Issue

I would think it is safe to say that most of us have to deal with anger and some form or another.

• Whether it is in a working relationship and how other people push your buttons or you have to maintain your cool because it is your boss pushing your hot button.
• It may be family members that are stressing you out, your kids screaming or your teenager not listening to you and being defiant.
• It could be because you have to drive in traffic for hours every day, which is very stressful.
• Or it may be general frustration or dissatisfaction at how your life is going and your inability to find answers and change it.

Whatever your situation, the anger is still the same. Left unattended it will grow and build stronger on the inside of you until it consumes you like bitterness or revenge or jealousy. So recognize stress, anxiety, worry, irritability, frustration, agitation, aggravation, irritation quicker. They all show up as anger down the road.

Trivial or Tragic?

When a situation arises that sparks you ask, Is this Trivial or Tragic? Is this a grain of salt irritating me or will it spark a raging forest fire? Then either Dissolve it if it is Trivial, or Resolve the issue if it will be Tragic. Squash the fire out before it ignites!