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Angry People

In life from time to time we all encounter angry people. Angry people may direct their anger at us, at themselves, towards a third party or situation, or towards God. As a Christian, what can we do to help these angry people? If we prevent a root of bitterness from taking hold, we have done a very good thing for this other person. And as we help people who are angry, we must be careful to to protect ourselves.

Hebrews 12:14-15
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Hebrews 12 shows us that we must pursue peace with all people, including those who are angry, and this can be challenging for us as the other person's anger can become our own anger. When we allow the other person's anger to become our own anger, we cede control over to the other person and we allow the other person's thoughts to become our thoughts and to defile us. When we become defiled, we break one of the principles of pure religion as defined by James.

James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Pure religion is not only visiting fatherless and widows (and all others in desperate need) when they are in trouble. Pure religion also involves keeping ourselves undefiled, or as James writes, unspotted from the world. Anger is one of the emotions we all face from time to time in our own lives, and we see it in the lives of others. Anger is insidious as it is an emotion that requires us to surrender control of our mind to whatever it is that angers us. Think about it. If a spouse or child makes us angry, we cede control of our mind to our spouse or child. If our enemy makes us angry, we cede control of our mind to our enemy. The Bible recognizes we are prone to anger, and Paul provides solid advice in his letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:26-27
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.

Anger can give Satan a foothold in our spiritual fight. Anger can either be just an emotion, and it is the emotion that is likely to allow Satan to defeat us. Anger can become resolve to do justice, and this is how we can be angry and sin not. If we allow anger to grow within us as an emotion and have no resolve to correct whatever is wrong, we have acknowledged we have no control or ability to correct whatever situation is causing us anger. One tool we can use to fight our spiritual fight when we encounter a distressing situation is instead of becoming angry, develop resolve to remedy the distressing situation through justice.

The Judges of the Old Testament did what? They delivered justice to the children of Israel through their rule or judgments. As Christians, we have that opportunity today, and as Jesus explained to the Pharisees, justice, mercy, and faith are the weightier matters of the law. Obedience to God's law is required, but if we ignore the weightier matters of the law, we do not allow the Holy Spirit to lead us as we pursue justice, mercy, and faith in all situations, including those distressing situations which can anger us.

Matthew 23:23
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

James goes on to explain that when we compare judgment and mercy, mercy is more powerful than judgment. Sometimes instead of seeking justice, with images of Old West justice, mercy is the path to take. Sometimes simple forgiveness will defuse a bad situation, or allow another person the ability to more clearly understand what is distressing them.

James 2:13
For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

Getting through any distressing situation, whether ours, or that of another person's with whom we must live, ultimately requires us to understand we cannot surrender control of our emotions to the distressing situation. A strategy given by Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews, is to be content with what we have. For instance, if a neighbor likes to push our buttons, we need to be content with our neighbor instead of wanting a neighbor that is nicer. When we accept situations in life we become content, and when we are content, we have not surrendered our emotions. Rather, our emotions have surrendered to us.

Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Recognizing that we will never be forsaken should be empowering to us beyond any negativity that a distressing situation may bring upon us. In all situations as we look for justice and mercy through faith to resolve the distressing situation, we are seeking opportunity. And wisdom is given to us in Ecclesiastes on opportunity.

Ecclesiastes 9:11
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Opportunities to resolve situations will come to us. Time and chance happen to all. When these opportunities present themselves we must seize them. When the chance to do justice and provide mercy through faith arises, we must act on it. When we have the opportunity to help needy people in their time of trouble, we must act on that opportunity. Instead of allowing angry people or anger to control our lives, we must control the emotion of anger, and one way we can control the emotion of anger is by practicing Godly Justice.

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
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