Anger and Rage
Once upon a time there was a man working in the fields who was suddenly bitten by a poisonous snake. Rather than calling out for help, the man became very angry and started chasing after the snake so that he might kill it. In his rage and physical exertion his heart began beating so quickly that it pushed the poison even deeper into his body. Rage kills!
Many of us are like this man. We’ve chased after all kinds of snakes without realizing the deadly outcomes. Anger darkens the mind to reason and causes us to rationalize harmful behaviors such as physical, emotional and verbal abuse. It gives the devil a foothold into our life and drives the poison even deeper into our soul.
Anger is a violence directed against ourselves and others. As we do the work of recovery and learn more about why we turn to anger, it may surprise us to discover that most of our anger isn’t about others. True, we may carry anger towards others for the way we’ve been treated; but, just as much of our anger is rooted in our sadness, hurts, fears and frustrations about the way we live and treat ourselves. As we become more skillful in living and keeping our side of the street clean, we’ll come to see that feelings of anger can be a useful barometer to alert about a part of our life that needs attention. In this lesson we will look reflect on Godly ways of handling our anger that doesn’t harm ourselves or others.
Submission Steps
Voluntarily submit to any and all changes God wants to make in my life and humbly ask him to remove my character defects.(CELEBRATE RECOVERY: STEP 5)
Matthew 5:6 “Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires.”
We admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. (STEP 5 OF THE 12 STEPS)
James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
(STEP 6 OF THE 12 STEPS)
James 4:10 “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
We humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings. (STEP 7 OF THE 12 STEPS)
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Step Reflection
STEP 5 states that, “We admitted …the exact nature of our wrongs.” As you think back over the lists you generated in STEP 4,
- How does anger and rage factor into your problems?
- Another form of anger is depression—which many professionals say is “anger turned inward” (we want to be careful here because not all depression is anger related!). Have you suffered from depression? Can you see links between anger and the things you’ve been depressed about?
Scripture Study
Psalm 86:15 (New International Version)
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Proverbs 22:24 (New International Version)
Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man,
do not associate with one easily angered,
Ephesians 4:31 (New International Version)
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
Ephesians 4:26 (New International Version)
“In your anger do not sin” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
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Scripture Reflections
- Why do you think God is so concerned about anger? Why should he care?
- List ten things you could do to become “slow to anger.”
Recovery Wisdom
Anybody can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody’s power, that is not easy. (Aristotle, Greek Philosopher)
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What does this saying mean to you? Give an example of how it works in your life.
This post was written by teach4him--a member of the Purity Project in Oklahoma City. If you have questions or comments of a personal nature, you may reach him at teach4him@purityproject.com
