Anger: What Good Will It Do?

SCRIPTURE: Psa. 37:8 Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper; it only leads to harm.

OBSERVATION: One the biggest lies we believe is that our anger will accomplish something good. It won't! Life teaches that lesson time after time, yet we have such a hard time learning it. Some will say, "let it all hang out--tell them how you really feel and then you'll be better."

The truth is that anger let lose only produces more anger, in us and in others. What we need to do is to ask; "What am I feeling beneath this anger? What am I afraid of or hurt by?" Deal with these underlying issues and the anger will be easier to avoid.

We simply can not harm our family and friends simply because we want to give into rage. Such an approach is the ultimate in selfishness.

APPLICATION/CONFESSION: Even though I know all this, at the moment when something or someone really ticks me off, I think; "this is the one time when really getting mad will do some good." When I look back on each of those situations, that was simply not the truth. 

PRAYER: Lord warn me. Keep me from anger. Keep me, instead trusting in You to heal my hurts and sooth my fears. You have made it clear that You love me and want the best for me. What can any mere person do to me that would be worth blowing up over?