What is Anger? We often see anger as our legitimate response to stupid people, therefore we are destined to become even more angry because there are many people who make our life inconvenient, which is why we think they are stupid.
The elements of anger include these two things: 1) Anger indicts others. It says, "You are wrong, and you have wronged me!" Anger is about making judgments. Our judgments may have some truth in them, but the deeper problem is that we are the focus, "You have wronged me!" This results in a biased judgment of the other person. Rather than recusing ourselves because of our personal involvement, we make ourselves the judge, plaintiff, prosecuting attorney, and jury. 2) Anger acquits itself. Anger does not see itself as being wrong in any way. It says, "I am right and I am confident of my rightness." The other person is guilty and anger is blind to its own faults and failures.
We may be right in what caused the irritation, but did we respond in humility and love? Are we so busy accusing and pronouncing judgment that we fail to see our own sinful heart? Anger expertly indicts others but fails at self-indictment, love, and humility. It is only as we yield to God in humility that we will begin to see the stranglehold that anger has on our hearts and see the freedom from anger that is found in Christ alone. He came to save us from ourselves, including our anger!
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