Controlling Anger!

James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: (20) For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 

In our text today, James gives us sound advice on how to deal with people, especially in contentious situations. Controlling our emotions, especially anger, takes effort. However if we try, it will, in time, become more natural and allow us to appear more Godly to the one’s we are around.  

When we take time to think about what is being said, we will understand that the message of this text will greatly reduce conflict between people.  We will also see that it is the EXACT opposite of what our natural reaction is.

So if it is so useful, why do we not do it?  Pride!  We always want to be right!  We always want to save face!  As humans, we generally do not want to utilize the principles of humility that our Savior taught us and himself demonstrated so well. 

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. 

What then should we do to control anger?  Three separate things.

1.  Quick to Hear.

Jumping to conclusions is the quickest way to have conflict  How often do we THINK that we hear something negative, react emotionally, and then later find out that what we heard was not the complete story.  This is such a problem, that when we get ready to give difficult news, we often have to tell the hearer to “hear me out”.  We know that people, by nature, will hear only a portion of the news and react!  We need to teach ourselves to gather all of the necessary information before we react prematurely!

2.  Slow to Speak.

If we properly learn this first principle, the second two will be much more natural.  If we are carefully listening, we cannot be talking.  When we talk in these contentious situations, we generally do not make the situation better.  Instead, we tend to further escalate it.  Therefore, if we have the desire to NOT be angry, then controlling ourselves from talking is a beneficial way to managing the situation.

3.  Slow to Wrath.

A significant antithesis to reasoned thought is anger.  We simply are unable to process analytical reason when we are angry.  Anger is pure emotion and often it dominates over reason.  If we then, begin talking or acting based upon this pure, raw emotion, it will not bring about a positive solution but rather an escalation of the conflict.  Therefore, to be the kind of people that God wants us to be, we need to fight the urge to allow anger and wrath to take over our being!

Notice carefully the wording that we have used to describe this text today:  CONTROLLING Anger not “thou shalt not ever be angry”.  There is a huge difference that needs to be understood.  Anger in and of itself is NOT sin.

Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 

Even Jesus was angry at times.  At least once he was so angry he was moved to violence!

John 2:13-16 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, (14) And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: (15) And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; (16) And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. 

Jesus was angry.  He even acted in a manner that could be described as violent.  But he acted with a righteous indignation.  The point is, that being angry is not a sin. But as James pointed out in verse 20...

James 1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 

In general terms, anger is not a characteristic that causes man to think of God.  So if we want our light to so shine, that they see God (Matt 5:16), then we must not be people that are quick to get angry.  Anger can be controlled and we must do all that we can to do so!