Anger Management, really?

I passed a church sign that announced they have a licensed counselor on staff, and classes on “anger management”. OK, the church is there to meet the needs of the people, I think it’s great, but, needless to say, I have an opinion and you are about to hear it.

Church is a place that you go to become Christ-like, and have the “fruit of the Spirit” according to Galatians 5:22-26 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” Again, just my humble opinion, but if people had one on one sessions with the Holy Spirit and found a prayer meeting where they could “confess their faults” to one another, we might need less classes on things like “anger management”.

Is it easy? No, it isn’t, but at least you have a better chance of being able to control things like anger if you have prayer partners that care and will agree with you in prayer. Ephesians 4:31-32 “Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” Colossians 3:5-8 “And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, and dirty talk”.

If you need help from a counselor to find out how to implement these things, please go to a Christian counselor who can help you through science AND the scriptures. Jesus knew anger, remember that he was so angry that he fashioned a whip and threw the money changers out of the Temple! I guess that is what we call “righteous indignation”! Proverbs 29:22 “An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin.” Ecclesiastes 7:9 “Don’t be quick to fly off the handle. Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head.”

Being angry, bitter or resentful with another person is like drinking poison and expecting them to get sick, YOU are the one that suffers, everything from upset stomach, headaches or a heart attack.  Hebrews 12:14-17 “Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God’s blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears.”

If you get angry, read these scriptures again and again until they become a part of your spirit. One thing of which I am sure and that is we will all be tested on this one!

I hope that this new year of 2015 for you is one of peace, not angst, and love instead of hate and bitterness. J