Every teaching in the Bible is important. Although there are many topics or themes, the central aim of the teachings is to bring us closer to God. Teachings in the Bible are useful for educating us about God and about us. All we have to do is to give time to read it.

Paul said, (2 Timothy 3: 15-17) … “and that from a babe you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work.”

The teachings given to us are enough to strengthen our faith. Our faith, which comes from hearing the words of God (Romans 10:17), will help us grow more in God through His words. (Romans 16:25)

Long before, the Bible advised us to keep a strong hold on God’s words and His teachings because it’s the only way to have eternal life. (Proverbs 4: 20-23) My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen to my words. Never let them get away from you. Remember them and keep them in your heart. They will give life and health to anyone who understands them. Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

One of the important teachings is about anger. Anger is part of our emotions that can be manifested when drawn.  Whether we like it or not, sometimes anger results to different reactions.

What do we need to learn about anger and what are the negative sides of it?

Every normal person cannot avoid anger. Whether we like it or not, there will always be something that can pull our temper up resulting to loose of patience and control. They say that there are two kinds of anger, the fast anger and the slow anger.

The Bible says that fast anger people show lack of control and lack of knowledge. (Proverbs 14: 29) He who is slow to be angry has great good sense; but he whose spirit is over-quick gives support to what is foolish. (Ecles. 7:9) Be not quick to let your spirit be angry; because wrath is in the heart of the foolish.

If anger overtakes a man, what can possibly happen to him? According to the Bible, foolishness often results to a sinful life. If we live a life of foolishness and ignore the path of righteousness, all our walks will direct us to the wrong path. All we can do is to disobey God’s will. (Proverbs 19:3) By his foolish behaviour a man’s ways are turned upside down, and his heart is bitter against the Lord. 

If foolishness controls us, and we continually become a slave of anger, the anger will pull all the negative things towards us. Everything that follows will eventually uncontrollable. (Proverbs 29:22) An angry man stirs up fighting, and a furious man abounds in sin. We are all witnesses on people who were troubled because of uncontrollable anger. When anger prevails, sin is prevalent. How many people died because of uncontrollable anger?   (Proverbs 27: 4) Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming; but who is able to stand before envy?

What does the Bible say when we feel anger?

Although we cannot avoid anger, the Bible did not lack of advises when we feel it. All we have to do is to put it into our hearts and let the Holy Spirit controls us. We should not let ourselves be enslaved by anger, and other things that may lead us to transgressing the commandments of God. We should remember that we are all servants of God, and we should always be careful of what we should think, say and do.

As long as we can, we should try to control our temper. According to Internet researches, based on studies about anger management, anger has stages. The first stage is the stage where we can still have control of our feelings. At this stage, we can still listen and think. We can still explain the reasons why we are angry and the best way to deal with these people is to listen. By listening, we can eventually make advises on how to lessen their anger.

The second stage is somehow hard to control. At this stage, the person cannot focus on the reason of his anger. We all experience this stage but only few of us can still manage to control it.

The last stage can be fatal and dangerous. At this stage, a person can destroy all good relationships between him and others people around him. The Bible says that this kind of anger is can lead to wrongdoings.

Paul explains anger in Ephesians 4: 31, Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and tumult and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

From among these things that Paul mentioned, we can learn to identify the root causes of anger and what can anger lead us to.

Anger begins when anything becomes against our will. It is called bitterness. Truly, it is normal to feel this way. And it is important that we have this kind of feeling because it can help us to shape our personality. We can determine what we want and what we don’t want. And all these are important to achieve knowledge and understanding. When bitterness is used in a good way, it is really helpful for easy understanding. It can also help to agree on things that we don’t usually agree on, to accept the things that other people believe on and to accept the things that we cannot control or beyond our control.

If bitterness can’t be controlled, it will lead us to wrath and anger. At this point, we don’t have the chance to control pour temper and let the anger and wrath totally control us. If there is no God’s guidance and mercy, it is really impossible to overcome this stage.

Eventually, tumult and evil speaking follow.  At this point, the person who has been controlled by anger and wrath shows that he is really full of anger. This can be evident by shouting and uproar. It is usually associated with bad, bitter and destructive words.

In the end, malice becomes natural. At this point, everything is bad and nothing is good in the thoughts of the person. The person also becomes a judge and at the same time, the avenger.

The Bible strongly advises that we shouldn’t let anger took control over us because it can be a devil’s way to commit sins against the almighty God. (Ephesians 4: 26-27) Be angry, and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the Devil.

We should be wise and not be ignorant on the ways of the evil things. The devil won’t stop until we are conquered. (Proverbs 19: 11) “If you are sensible, you will control your temper. When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore it. “(GNB)

It will help a lot if we continually pray and meditate. Constant communication with God is the only key to be strong and keep us faithful and trustful in Him rather than trusting ours own selves. If we have strong relationship with God,  He will help us to control our weaknesses.